CANTON, Ga. - Sequoyah High School entered Friday night with momentum after a near comeback against state-ranked Kell and a win at River Ridge, but its hopes of a 2-0 start in subregion play were dashed Friday night in a 45-0 rout by Dalton at Skip Pope Stadium.
It was the worst loss in the Chiefs' 24-year history.
Dalton (4-1 overall), did improve to 2-0 in 7-AAAAA (A). The Catamounts scored from 62, 64 and 49 yards and had plays of 79 and 59 yards halted at the 1-yard line. They did not punt until the final possession on a running clock.
Despite the score, Dalton's players quickly grabbed the Sequoyah team after the game for a group huddle.
"We wanted our players to know that we have the utmost respect for Sequoyah," Dalton coach Matt Land said. "It's a fine program. They've beat us a couple of times, and we came over here with a chip on our shoulder because we knew we had more to prove than they did."
Sequoyah (1-4, 1-1) had its chance in the second quarter, trailing 10-0, when Billy Lummus blocked and recovered a field-goal try from the 20-yard line, but he slipped at midfield in what would have been a sure touchdown. The Chiefs failed to capitalize on what could have been a momentum-swinging play, missing a field goal from 37 yards out.
Dalton tailback Kelvis Rhodes carried 11 times for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Payton Veraldi broke the game open following Sequoyah's missed field goal in the second quarter, scoring on the next play on a deep pass to receiver Peter Sigmon. Rhodes followed with a 64-yard touchdown to set the score at 24-0 at halftime.
Veraldi hooked up with Sigmon again in the fourth quarter for a 16-yard score, while rushing for a touchdown of his own.
Sequoyah quarterback Austin Tracy completed 12 of 24 passes for 91 yards, while tailback Trey Mitchell struggled in his starting role, gaining just 4 yards on nine carries. Freshman Cameron Gales had more luck, leading the team with 37 yards on 12 carries.