It’s Fall break week for Cherokee County Football teams, but we still have four of the six teams in action this week. First up, Etowah is home this week as they look to bounce back against a North Forsyth team with an experienced quarterback and a stingy defense as well. Woodstock hosts Campbell as both teams look to get to .500 on the season. Can Campbell’s ground game keep the Woodstock offensive playmakers on the sidelines? Finally, the Creekview Grizzlies host the Cherokee Warriors. This game will feature two of the county’s top quarterbacks, running backs and defenses.Which team will be able to impose their will this week?
As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all teams competing on Friday night.
The Skinny
The Etowah Eagles will look to get their first win of the season as they are back at Eagle Mountain this Friday. The Eagles were bottled up on offense last week and could not get into much of a rhythm offensively. We expect for the Eagles to continue to find ways to establish the ground game and to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers like Rechsteiner, Adams and Many. The Eagles defense got into the scoring last Friday when Collin Sherrer stripped the ball and returned it for a touchdown.
The North Forsyth Raiders come into the game undefeated for the first time since 2013. The Raiders are led by senior quarterback Brady Metz who has thrown for 3-TDs and also rushed for 3-TDs. Jared Lucero and Patrick Corrigan have combined for 241 yards rushing and 3-TDs. Meanwhile Tucker Hartsfield is the team’s leading receiver with 13 receptions for 217 yards and 1-TD. Corrigan also leads the team in total tackles and is tied for the team lead in sacks with 3. The North Forsyth defense has forced 8 turnovers already this season. That should be a noteworthy stat. Etowah will need to protect the ball against this opportunistic defense. While North Forsyth should look to find holes in the Etowah secondary. We believe Etowah will be able to get a few more points on the board this week, but we like North Forsyth by 10.
The Skinny
The Creekview Grizzlies will be at home for the first time this season. The Grizzlies are coming off of a game in which they held Woodstock scoreless on defense. Tyler Stephens has now rushed for 273 yards, a rushing TD and a receiving TD on the young season. It should go without saying that Creekview’s offensive line was one of the big keys to victory as they made running lanes for Stevens. The defense has limited opposing offenses to just over 250 yards this season and 15 total points in two games.
The Cherokee Warriors outlasted the Rome Wolves for their third win of the season. It’s the second consecutive season that the Warriors are off to 3-0 start. A.J. Swann has now passed for over 700 yards and 7-TDs. It was Adarrius Harshaw and Keith Adams Jr. who were responsible for the touchdowns last week as Harshaw caught two passes while Adams added a touchdown on the ground. The Cherokee defense is allowing 15.6 points per game while the offense is averaging 33.3 points per game. The Warriors will get another stiff test from Creekview’s defense this week. We expect both teams to try to establish the run this week. However, we believe that Harshaw might be the x-factor this week. We like the Warriors by 8 this week on the road
The Skinny
The Woodstock Wolverines are back at home this week as they host the Campbell Spartans. The Wolverines will be looking to get back on track offensively this week as they were held out of the endzone for the first-time this season last week. Preston Lawrence is looking more comfortable under center. It should be just a matter of time before the offense begins to click on all cylinders. Meanwhile, the Woodstock defense had another good outing and is trending in the right direction. In Week-1 they allowed 35 points. They’ve surrendered a combined 38 over the last two games.
The Campbell Spartans picked up their first win of the season last week after shutting out the Berkmar Patriots. It was the Spartans first win since 2018. Campbell will rely on quarterback Mark Anthony Swain and running backs Emon Padgett and Savion McCollum to establish the ground game. The offensive line is anchored by Trevion Florence. Meanwhile, linebacker Christian Hughes, lineman Anthony Wright and the rest of the Spartans defense will be looking to get pressure on the quarterback and disrupt Woodstock’s passing game. Perhaps an x-factor for Campbell is their kicker, Cerimagic Dzenan who has already nailed a 50-yard field goal this season. The Spartans are averaging 20.3 points per game. We believe the Wolverines can hold the Spartans to that average, but will Woodstock be able to get the ball to their playmakers this week. If Campbell can establish the ground game, we like their chances this week. However, we think the Wolverines defense will be up to the task, but we expect the game to be nip and tuck. Wolverines by 3.