Part I of our Week 12 Cherokee County Football Previews feature the Region 4-7A matchups. This is the final week of the regular season. Our first preview features Lassiter vs. Cherokee. The Warriors missed an opportunity to compete for a region title, but a win this week at Lassiter might improve their playoff seeding, pending other results around the region. Next up, Etowah travels to Roswell to face the Hornets. The Eagles can win the region with a win and a Walton loss. Roswell can win the region outright with a victory. Our final game features the Woodstock Wolverines facing the Walton Raiders. Woodstock is looking to end their season on a high note, while Walton can win the region with a win and a Roswell loss. Please make sure to get out and support these young men on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading. Comments and discussion are always welcome!
Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
The Lassiter Trojans will host the Cherokee Warriors this week. It’s been a long tough season for the Trojans. They have struggled most of the year getting the young offense going. Running back Shai Valencia and Wide Receiver Matthew Grachen have provided most of the offense for the Trojans. The Trojans are averaging 5.5 points per game while opposing offenses are averaging 29.8 points per game.
Meanwhile, barring an upset or two, the best finish the Cherokee Warriors can have this season is the No. 3 seed. But in order to do that, they’ll need to take care of business against Lassiter this week. The Warriors are averaging 21.2 points per game this season while the defense is allowing 13.5. Cherokee is 6-1 when the defense forces a turnover. Not much more needs to be said other than we like the Warriors big this week. Cherokee by 24.
The Skinny
This matchup has major playoff implications. The Roswell Hornets would win the Region with a win this week. The Hornets downed Woodstock last week, and are still the best defensive team in the region. Roswell is allowing 9.5 points per game. Offensively, the Hornets are now averaging 29.5 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Etowah Eagles can claim the Region title with a win and a loss by Walton. Etowah’s Dalton Miller is one of the top passers in the state and has thrown for 2,197 yards this season. Miller’s top receiver is Jackson Manns. The Eagles are averaging 29.4 points per game while their defense is allowing 25.7 points per game. We believe this could be a low scoring battle. We like the Hornets at home by a field goal.
The Skinny
The Walton Raiders can clinch a home playoff game with a win this week. They can also win the region with a win and a Roswell loss. Last week, we said we wouldn’t be against sophomore quarterback Zak Rozsman, and he didn’t disappoint as he helped lead the Raiders to a win, tossing the game winning TD last Friday. The Walton offense is averaging 20.2 points per game, while the defense is allowing 17.6 points per game. Walton has won 8 of the last 9 games in the series.
Meanwhile, Woodstock can certainly play spoiler and perhaps ruin Walton’s hopes of hosting a home playoff game. The Wolverines could not get much going against Roswell last week. As we mentioned last week, the Wolverines are playing better football late in the season, but they still can’t seem to get over the hump. On the season, the Wolverines are averaging 15.8 points per game, while they are allowing 25.5 points per game. The biggest question is whether or not the Wolverines defensive backs create problems for Rozsman and the Raiders passing game. If they can they should make this game interesting. However, we believe the Raiders are up tot the task this week. We like Walton by 14.