Rigo Torres isn’t the biggest player on the field, maybe 5-foot-7 with the cleats laced. But when the ball goes in the air, fewer are more adept than the Dalton senior when it comes time to get it and put it in the net.
Torres did it again on Friday when he scored on a second-half header to give the Catamounts a 1-0 victory over Midtown in the Class 4A boys championship at Duluth High School.
“I might be small, but I can jump,” Torres said. “I can get up there.”
Credit: Stan A
Credit: Stan A
The Catamounts, the Region 7 champions, finished the season 21-1-1 and did not lose to a team from Georgia. Their only blemishes were a loss to Baylor and a tie against Notre Dame, a pair of powerful Tennessee schools.
Dalton won its eighth state championship (2013-15, 2019, 2021-23) and atoned for falling short a year ago when it lost to Westminster in the semifinal round.
“There’s nothing like being the state champion,” Dalton coach Matt Cheaves said. “It’s just indescribable. You’ve got to earn it. You can’t buy it. Nobody can give it to you.”
Dalton controlled the tempo for most of the first half, which ended with a scoreless tie. The Catamounts kept the pressure on Midtown keeper Matthew Norwood, who came up big to stop a nice cross and later to snare a screaming direct shot from Joe Gonzalez. Midtown’s best chance came late in the half, but a header soared high over the crossbar.
Dalton had other good opportunities in the second half before Rigo Torres scored on a corner kick from Gonzalez. Torres, who had scored twice in the semifinal, was named the game’s MVP.
“He has scored a lot of goals in big situations, and for a guy who’s not the tallest, he wins a lot of headers,” Cheaves said.
Midtown tried to rally its offense in the final 10 minutes and had numerous threats, only to have Dalton keeper Josue Resendiz rise to the occasion. The Catamounts were able to clear the ball one last time as time expired, setting off a celebration.
Midtown, the No. 3-seeded team from Region 4, finished 16-7. The Grey Knights were in the championship game for the first time since 2023, when they were beaten by Dalton in overtime.
“We had so many opportunities we could have finished them off, but look at that, we scored one and that was all it took,” Torres said.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Cheaves had a feeling this team, which featured six seniors in the starting lineup, had the potential to end the championship drought.
“I knew if they would play together as a team, they would definitely have a chance,” Cheaves said.
Torres said, “This means so much to me. I didn’t make (the team) my first year in ’23, so this being a senior means a lot to me. It means so much.”
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