TFR Week-11 Cherokee County Football Preview

Both Sequoyah and Harrison are in a battle to claim a home playoff berth. Each team needs to win out in order to secure a home playoff game. Harrison was off last week after beating Osborne on October 12th. The Hoyas trio of Gavin Hall (QB), David Roberts (RB) and Micah Davis (WR) lead an offense that is averaging 37.6 points per game. Will McCarty and Ryan Smith lead the Hoyas defense that’s giving up less than two touchdowns a game.

The Chiefs have reeled off three straight wins including a scare from Sprayberry last week. Sequoyah got a big performance against Sprayberry from Cole Jacobs, as he rushed for over 160 yards. Jacobs, DJ King, Jackson Smith, Collin Koprowski and Jaden Mitchell have led the Chiefs on the ground. Jacobs, Myles McGee and Emmanuel Jenkins have also provided balance as receivers for the Chiefs run first offense. Some of the unsung heroes for the Chiefs include linemen like Spencer Clark, Alex Majeed and Connor Johnston. They set the tone for an offense that averages 267 yards/game on the ground. Defensively, Adam LaSelva and Grant Gibson lead the Chiefs in tackles.  Jenkins, King, McGee and company help make the Chiefs very challenging to throw against. We do expect them to be challenged this week. Sequoyah has lost to the Hoyas the past two meetings. We think that this season, the tide has turned. We like the Chiefs to edge the Hoyas by a field goal…Perhaps in overtime.

The South Cobb Eagles will be looking to end the season on a high note as the River Ridge Knights come to town this Friday. Both teams have been improving this season, but each are still looking for a complete game. The River Ridge defense will need to key in on South Cobb quarterback Aeneas Dennis. Dennis is a dual threat QB that can cause problems for opposing defenses through the air and on the ground. When Dennis goes to the air, typically Brysen Boone is the primary beneficiary. Boone has shown the ability to be an explosive playmaker for South Cobb.

Alternatively, River Ridge will look to control the clock and beat teams on the ground. Freshman Amehre Morrison has made great strides this season in the backfield for the Knights. He and Chico Ward lead the Knights ground attack. The Knights offense had a rough go of it the last two weeks against two of the best defenses in the region, but they face a South Cobb team that’s giving up 34.8 points per game. We believe that the Knights rushing attack will give the Eagles plenty of problems this week, but we don’t know if the Knights defense can contain Dennis. We’ll like the Eagles by a touchdown in a close one.

The Sprayberry Yellow Jackets have ben knocking on the door this season. They have played the top teams in Region 6 respectfully, but have fallen short to the likes of Sequoyah, Harrison and Dalton all by 8-points or less. The Yellow Jackets were eliminated from post-season play with the loss last week to Sequoyah, but can still play spoiler with a win this week against Creekview. Sprayberry will need a staunch defensive effort and a good performance from Aaron Bibbins, Myles Worthy, Darnell Mundin and the remainder of the Sprayberry offense.

Creekview qualified for the playoffs last week and with a win on Friday would move a step closer to securing a home playoff game. Creekview’s Cade Radam had a big week last week rushing for 182 yards and going over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. That’s not great news for Sprayberry, who allowed 163 yards to Cole Jacobs last week. Creekview’s success can really be found on both the offense and defensive lines. Clemson commit John Williams and Nick Pendley anchor the offensive line. Pendley has picked up several power five offers over the last couple of weeks as his stock continues to rise. The defensive line, led by Avery Rocks, Alex Godfrey and John Hanaford set the tone for a defense that is only giving up 9.8 points per game. We don’t think this is a trap game. We like the Grizzlies big this week on the road. Creekview by 20.

The Cherokee Warriors look to be in a good position to make the post season. With one win over the last two weeks, the Warriors will return to the post season after an absence last year. But standing in the way of the Warriors this week are the Walton Raiders. The Raiders are coming off of an upset loss to region rival Roswell. Walton’s air attack is led by dual threat QB Austin Kirksey. Kirksey has two talented wide receivers in Dominick Blaylock and Kendall Alford. The Walton offense has been prolific this season, averaging 36.6 points per game on the season. The defense has been good but not overly impressive in 2018. Up until last week, the Raiders had been able to just outscore their opponents.

The Warriors really can’t afford to get in a track meet with Walton. While Cherokee is much improved this season, we don’t see a scenario where Landon Ergle out-duals Austin Kirksey. But that’s not to take anything away from Cherokee. Ergle has come a long way since last season. Garrett Miles and Grant Mogelnicki have bolstered the run game, while Devon Ellison is steadily making a name for himself at wide receiver. We really like this Cherokee defense. They are physical and fly around all over they field. We’ve mentioned these names before, but if Cherokee is going to keep this game close, McKinley Hunter, Kerwin Majano, Grant Hornbuckle and Mogelnicki will have to have big games for the Warriors defense. We do believe the Warriors will get their 5^thwin on the season, but we don’t think it will be this week. We like the Raiders by 14.

The Etowah Eagles will travel to Frank Fillmann Stadium to take on the Lassiter Trojans. With a win this week, the Eagles would secure a spot in the post season.  The Eagles had last week off to recover from their game against Walton. The Etowah defense has given up 23 points per game, but the offense is only scoring 17 points per game. In large part, that has to do with the tough schedule the Eagles have faced this season. We think Nick Maddox should have success against the Lassiter defense.

It’s been a long season for the Trojans as they have one win on the season. The Lassiter offense struggled last week against Woodstock’s defense. The Trojans might be in for another tough night defending against the Etowah defense that is led by Dalton Nicolai and Cole Milavanovic. The Trojans offense is led by Quarterback Mitch Storm, running back Nnamdi Orijoke and receiver Buchi Nwaubi. We think they will have another tough week against a physical defense. We like the Eagles by two touchdowns.

The Woodstock Wolverines picked up a big win last week against Lassiter. The Wolverines will need to win out to make the post season. But first things first, they’ll need to slow down the Roswell Hornets who are flying high this season. Woodstock got two defensive touchdowns last week against Lassiter courtesy of David Daniel and Camden Vaughn. The Wolverines will need another big performance from their defense as they travel to Roswell. This season The Wolverines are giving up 24.2 points per game, but against the two ranked opponents they’ve faced, they are yielding 36.5 points per game.

Roswell got a big win last week over then No. 2 ranked Walton. They Hornets have been scoring points in bunches this season, averaging 37 points per game. Quarterback Ethan Roberts , running back Kamonty Jett and receivers John Copenhaver and Jacob Jarrett have provide much of the production this season for the Hornets. Trye Zimmerman and Alek Nikolich anchor the offensive line for Roswell. The Hornets defense is giving up  21.7 points per games, so there should be some opportunities for Ryan Martin and Walker Ormsby of Woodstock to get the Wolverines into the end zone. Even if this is a shootout, we like Roswell’s chances this week. Hornets by 13.