A standard question one might expect during a job interview is, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
If school officials at Dalton had asked Matt Cheaves that question before he agreed to become the Catamounts boys soccer coach ahead of the 1994-95 school year, they could have substituted the “five” for “25″ and gotten the same answer.
Five state championships and 22 region titles later, Cheaves is still coaching the Catamounts, who this season are 15-0-1 and the No. 1 team in Class 6A, having already clinched Region 5 in late March.
As Cheaves tells it, longevity as Dalton’s coach was the plan all along.
“I did plan on coaching soccer, I wanted to stay in one place, and I hoped to coach at least 25 years,” Cheaves said. “There are many things I have enjoyed about being the coach, and I think what I like best is seeing all the guys who played for me in the past doing well today and knowing I had a part in their life.”
Cheaves has coached generations of Catamounts during the past quarter-century-plus, and the current team was born roughly a decade after his career at Dalton began.
“That’s a long time he has been coaching,” said forward Damian Rodriguez, a senior captain for the Catamounts.
One key to Cheaves’ success at Dalton, Rodriguez believes, is that he gives his players the freedom to play their style within the team’s system, which stresses sticking with their man on defense, no matter where they are on the field, and getting the ball to their wings, strikers and midfielders to finish on offense — all while playing at a fast pace designed to pressure the opponent into mistakes.
“He kind of lets us do our own thing because we know how to play our sport,” he said. “But we follow the game plan, and that has been winning titles.”
Although the Catamounts were unable to defend their 2019 6A title last season, they’ve picked up where they left off this spring. Following their 5-2 victory against Westminster on Tuesday, they’ve outscored opponents 104-9 this season.
Dalton’s success doesn’t hinge on one or two players, either. Heading into the week, Damian’s younger brother, junior Fabian Rodriguez, led the team with 23 goals — nine more than the next player. But he’s one of four players with double-digit goals, and they have six players with seven or more assists — junior midfielder Fernando Guerrero leads the team with 16.
“We have quite a few players who make the team go,” Cheaves said. “The scoring and assists are pretty evenly spread around. For me, one player doesn’t really jump out because they all work together, and they work hard.”
The Catamounts’ chemistry was formed years ago, with the team’s nucleus of the Rodriguez brothers, Guerrero and seven others all competing with or against each other for either the North Georgia Soccer Academy or Dalton Red Wolves club teams, both based in the Dalton area.
“We’re very unselfish,” Damian Rodriguez said. “As long as we win, that’s all we care about. We don’t care who has the most goals.”
Dalton’s dominance has earned national attention. It is the No. 2-ranked team in the country, according to the MaxPreps computer rankings.
“They like it,” Cheaves said of the team’s national ranking. “But everyone knows it doesn’t matter until the end of the season. It’s nice recognition, sure, but it’s all about where you end up.”
The Catamounts have one final tune-up before the postseason begins, but it’s a big one: They’ll travel to play their crosstown rivals, Southeast Whitfield, on Friday. Both teams are undefeated — the Raiders (12-0-2) are ranked No. 1 in 4A — and their first match Feb. 19 at Dalton ended in a 1-1 draw.
“That rivalry really drives everybody around here,” Cheaves said. “The atmosphere is like a playoff game, and it can’t be replicated in other (regular-season) games, so it’s important to help you get ready for the postseason.”
Damian Rodriguez said it’s important to beat the Raiders because an undefeated season is one of the goals — along with the ultimate goal, of course.
“We’ve been playing good, and I feel like we could take it all again,” he said. “For me, (winning another championship) would mean a bunch of things after waiting a year (to defend the 2019 title), knowing we could have probably won. Winning it this year, with me being a senior, means I’d get to leave as a two-time champ.”
About the Author
