Media and News Archive

Dalton Tiger Report: Fall Sports Postseason

Dalton brought home two championships last weekend, both of which were won in dramatic fashion.
Football Completes Undefeated Season in Winning HVFL Bowl Game
by Jacob Rose

The ending couldn’t have been set up more perfectly. Under the lights at Randall’s Island Field 10 in front of an animated crowd, Horace Mann was down 28-26 to Dalton with :03 left on the game clock, ready to attempt the two-point conversion which could send the Hudson Valley League Bowl Game into overtime.

Horace Mann’s running back ran it right, with blockers leading the way and the end zone pylon within feet. Cornerback Jasper Taback '18 broke through the inside towards the Horace Mann RB, getting blocked but forcing the back to take a wider route towards the end zone. Taback’s effort bought cornerback Ben Broner '17 just enough time to meet the Horace Mann RB at the 1-yard line, where he muscled the RB to the ground, all but clinching Dalton’s first championship since 2006.

Since the two-a-days of August, the team had practiced a drill called “Oklahoma”, which tasks one defensive player with stopping one offense player head-on as they run towards each other. On the championship’s decisive play, Broner won the most important Oklahoma drill of his life.

Dalton finished a perfect 6-0 on the season, with two close wins over rival Horace Mann in its last two weeks.

Running back Jordan Chambers '17 and quarterback Jream Henderson '17 handled the bulk of the workload on offense for Dalton. Chambers scored three touchdowns in the game: a downfield run from past midfield in the first quarter; a run up the middle near the goal line near the end of the third quarter; and a huge run near the start of the fourth quarter to give Dalton the lead.

Dalton’s other touchdown came off a play-action touchdown pass from Henderson to tight end Brian Cromwell '19 in the second quarter. Henderson rolled left and lobbed a throw on the run into the end zone into the hands of a wide-open Cromwell. Cromwell also caught a critical first-down pass to keep that drive alive earlier in the quarter.

Dalton’s cornerbacks were effective in slowing down the Horace Mann’s potent passing attack, and lineman Julien Loo '17 and linebacker Casey Schneider '17 rushed the passer to force several mistimed throws. The Lions ran in all four of their touchdowns and never fell behind by more than eight points to the Tigers.

But Dalton never fell behind by more than one point either, and it was the Tigers who got to hoist the Hudson Valley League Bowl Game trophy and bellow the Dalton alma mater after the game.
During the postgame proceedings, Head Coach Cory Cowles was surprised with a yellow Gatorade shower courtesy of his captains. On another day, maybe that wouldn’t fly. But last Saturday, Cowles could only laugh: the Tigers were champs once again.


Girls Varsity Soccer Makes School History
by Jesse Grayson

Girls Varsity Soccer made history this past Sunday, November 6 by beating Marymount in the NYSAIS Championship. The game marks the second time in school history the team has made it to the State Finals—the first being last year when it lost 1-0 to Hackley—and the first time it has won a State Championship. 

At Manhattanville College Field in Purchase, NY, the Tigers earned the title of State Champions in an exhilarating, overtime game against the Marymount Lions. The Tigers, seeded third in the tournament, prevailed 2-1 against the Lions, seeded fourth.

Co-captain Dani Black '17 scored the first goal of the game at the end of the first half with a powerful, quick turn and shoot from just outside the 18. An uproar of excitement and shock came from the crowded bleachers. “When my goal went in it was a realization that after these past couple months of hard work we were where we were supposed to be. I was fully in the moment and committed to winning the championship,” Black said. Shortly after Black’s goal, a defensive error on Dalton’s part gave Marymount a breakaway goal, which brought the game to a tie of 1-1.

Marymount’s center back, Asia Horne (#12), posed the greatest threat to Dalton’s offense. The Tigers had a difficult time getting past Horne for a majority of the game. Starting left midfielder Emily Rhodes '18 prevented Horne from intercepting Dalton’s passes by guarding her and knowing how to play around her. “Our balls through the middle were getting intercepted,” said Rhodes, “so we had to attack on the wings. When [Horne] recovered the ball, she often dribbled up the field, which meant that if you stole the ball from her, which was hard to do given that she was very good, it meant we were ready for a quick counter attack.” This plan was ultimately a championship-winning strategy, as Dalton employed it to score the game-winning goal. 

Neither team scored in the second half of regulation, which caused uneasy feelings going into two ten-minute overtime periods. With just six minutes left to play in the second overtime period, Jocelyn Mayer '18 scored the winning goal. Emily Rhodes '18 passed the ball to Mayer, positioned far outside the 18, who took a long range shot that just missed the hands of the Marymount goalie and fell into the net. “It felt right as soon as I hit it,” Mayer reflected. 

Mayer’s goal left Marymount players scrambling to take low-percentage shots at goal, none of which were successful.

Co-captain Gretchen Doyle '17 described the moment of victory: “That moment when the referees blew their whistles to signal the end of the game was euphoric. Looking around at my teammates I was so unbelievably proud of everyone and grateful to have gotten to know such wonderful players, some in the past few months, and other in the last four years… This team will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Girls Varsity Soccer ends its season with a record of 13-2-2, 17 goals scored, and a State Championship under its belt. The Dalton Tigers have ended their season the way they started: strong, fierce, and unafraid.
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