Fueled by playoff pain, Cartersville could be Georgia’s most dominant team so far

Friday night was supposed to be a tougher test for Cartersville.

Instead, the Purple Hurricanes proved why they might be Georgia’s most dominant team halfway through the regular season.

Cartersville rolled through its first five games of the year, winning by an average margin of 46.2 points. They scored 258 points through their first five games, and 231 came before halftime.

A region rivalry game on the road against an undefeated opponent wasn’t enough to slow the Purple Hurricanes, either. They simply dominated again Friday, beating Cass 50-0.

They led 43-0 at halftime.

“I’ve said it all week. They’re a machine,” Cass coach Steve Gates said. “They don’t make mistakes. They do what they’re supposed to do on every play, and they’re No. 1 in the state for a reason.”

Statistically, Cartersville has been the most dominant team in Class 5A. The Purple Hurricanes entered Friday with the classification’s No. 1 scoring offense (51.6 points per game) and the No. 1 scoring defense (5.4 points per game allowed).

Across all classifications, Cartersville has the No. 6 scoring offense and the No. 3 scoring defense. It’s the only team in Georgia with both units in the top 10.

Friday night also marked Cartersville’s fourth shutout of the season.

“We’ve been playing lights out on defense so far,” senior linebacker Cole Crawford said. “I feel like it’s legit, and it’s the best you’re going to see for the (starters and second-stringers).

“This is really the deepest we’ve been in a while.”

Senior running back Tyon Coe said the statistics aren’t lying — Cartersville feels that dominant on the field, too.

“We just play so hard that it just gives everybody the courage and the confidence to just keep playing,” Coe said. “We all just boost our morale together.”

Cartersville didn’t make many costly errors at Cass, but it quickly atoned for the mistakes it did make. One such example came in the first quarter, courtesy of Coe.

The Purple Hurricanes had just taken a 6-0 lead on a 73-yard touchdown pass to 5-star junior receiver Madoxx Davis. Cartersville quickly got the ball back, and Coe was running for a significant gain when he fumbled the ball.

Cass recovered, but the Purple Hurricanes forced a turnover on downs four snaps later to give Coe another chance. The speedy senior took the next snap 59 yards for his first of three touchdowns on the night.

“I was mad,” Coe said. “I just had to get it back, so I ran like it was my last play. I just had to score.”

That hunger for dominance extends beyond this regular season. For seniors like Coe, it goes back to the last three years, when Cartersville went undefeated in the regular season before losing in later rounds of the playoffs.

The Purple Hurricanes were eliminated by eventual state champions Coffee and North Oconee in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last year, they lost 48-21 to Kell in the state quarterfinals.

Several Cartersville players specifically mentioned the Kell loss. It’s still fresh on minds, and according to Davis, it’s helped Cartersville’s seniors lead the team better than it’s been led in past seasons.

“We’re a lot more focused,” Davis said. “Not only because (the seniors) want the state championship, but because they already know what it’s like when you come in unprepared to a team and you end up getting punched in the mouth, and they hate that feeling.”