The CHS Varsity Football Team came back and won their ninth game of the season on Friday, October 22, against the Alpharetta Raiders at Tommy Baker Field with a final score of 31-25.
The Alpharetta Raiders began the game by kicking off to the Cherokee. Cherokee took the lead by scoring a 31-yard field goal by Joel Stahl. Alpharetta then came back to tie it up to end the first quarter. Alpharetta, continuing to score, took the lead in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns and ending the first half with a score of 15-3.
Alpharetta furthered the gap in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown, the PAT, and a field goal. Cherokee came back to finish up the third with a 77-yard kick return for a touchdown by junior, Zi Johnson and PAT by senior, Joel Stahl. Alpharetta came back late in the third, scoring another field goal. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Alpharetta Raiders led by 15.
Energy was low starting the fourth quarter at Tommy Baker, but that was quickly changed just 25 seconds in when senior, Aidan Moore, rushed for a touchdown, lessening the gap to 25-16. Junior, Kyan Simmons, then recovered a fumble in the Cherokee end zone for a touchdown and the PAT was made. With the Warriors now only two points behind, they continued to hold off the Raiders. With just a little over two minutes left in the fourth, Aidan Moore scored a rushing touchdown for the lead. The Warriors attempted a two-point conversion and succeeded with a pass from AJ Swann to Toby Thompson. Cherokee held off the Raiders for the remainder of the game, ending with a final score of 31-25, Cherokee.
[All Photo Credit: Claire Green]
Cherokee now holds a 5-4 record.
The stands of Tommy Baker Field were packed out with Togas and Gold for Senior Night.
It was a good team effort overall. We started out sluggish in the first half, but really picked it up come the second half on both sides of the ball. I’m just really proud we were able to go out there and give our seniors a proper send-off.
Kyan Simmons, Middle Linebacker
The game started off with a lot of adversity at the beginning, but we picked it up at halftime to bring home the win. We prepared for the game by game-planning up front for our linemen and going through how it’s blocked for the running backs and telling our receivers to be more physically on the perimeter and to just stay locked in as a whole. My thoughts on the game were pretty positive. I was very proud of my brothers for coming out in the second half too and not crumbling under pressure to get a well- deserved win that we needed to make the playoffs.
Zi Johnson, Running Back
Senior Pictures:
Post Game:
The team battled hard in their second home game of the season. We are proud of our CHS Varsity Football Warriors for their diligent work.
The Warriors will take on Milton, Friday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at Eagle Stadium, and the theme will be “Camo Out”. Come out and support your Warriors as they face the Eagles!
THE WARRIOR WORD 