Dalton Dubbed ‘Soccer Town USA’ After 3 Local Teams Win State Titles

Dalton, GA-(WDEF-TV) Dalton has been deemed Soccer Town U-S-A after three of its soccer programs brought home state titles this year. The celebration continues for a community rich in soccer tradition.

News 12’s Angela Moryan has more.

Matt Cheaves/Dalton Coach: “I don’t know of an area that’s better than this for high school soccer.”

Ronaldo Medina/Coahulla Creek: “I mean, I would be scared if I was the other schools that play us because there’s three state champs in one place.”

Soccertown U-S-A — the name you earn when three of Georgia’s seven state championships make the same trip home. Coahulla Creek, Southeast and Dalton all ended the season as state champs.

Diego Diaz/Coahulla Creek: “What it says about the culture here is that it’s the best in the United States.”

Anthony Palacious/Dalton: “It’s a crazy feeling thinking, ‘Man, we have so much talent in this town,’ because all the talk used to be on Dalton, but now seeing Coahulla emerge. Southeast has always been a powerhouse, but them winning state again is crazy enough.”

Manny Arredondo/Coahulla Creek: “It’s not even a surprise that you bring home three championships. I mean, I know like, I go out there every day and I see amazing talent every single day.”

Carlos Garcia/Southeast: “You never really see that anywhere here in Georgia, maybe not even in the country. It’s amazing the talent we have here in Dalton.”

Aurelio Jacovo/Coahulla Coach: “Oh, this doesn’t happen. This doesn’t happen. I mean, just the celebration goes to show how the community is behind every single player and behind every school.”

Matt Cheaves/Dalton Coach: “The community is just eaten up with soccer. It’s in the culture. They play from the time they were little with their dads, their brothers, their cousins, their uncles, and it’s just nonstop.”

Hector Holguin/Southeast Coach: “We have kids that start playing at four years old, just like the little Raiders. They’ve been together for three seasons now and their only six years old. That’s what makes it so special, is that we start playing so young and start building that chemistry before they even get to first grade. … I’m just so proud. Born and raised here, I remember when I started playing soccer, it was tough to even start playing in the football stadium. And now to see the community come out and support the soccer teams, it’s huge.”

Cheaves: “It just shows that people really admire what the kids have done, and they’re going to expect more next year.”