Cherokee – Wildcats head coach James Phillips thought Cherokee looked like a physical team on film, and likes to ask his players early in the game if what he sees on film is true.
They were about the Braves, who tried to control the clock with long methodical drives on the ground.
Despite being able to execute that game plan at times, it still wasn’t enough to beat Andrews, who capitalized on four turnovers and hit on big play after big play in a 42-21 win, continuing the program’s best start to a season since 1967.
“Overall it ended up good for us,” Phillips said. “Anytime you can win up there, it’s a good thing. I still think Cherokee’s probably the best one-win team in the state.”
While Cherokee (1-7 overall, 0-3 Smoky Mountain Conference) relied solely on the run, the Wildcats had a more diverse attack. Andrews (8-0, 3-0) ran just 24 times in 45 offensive plays, with three being quarterback scrambles and two being kneel downs at the end of the game. That meant a bigger load for quarterback Donovan Bateman, who handled it well, throwing for 187 yards and three touchdowns and running for 50 yards on five carries.
“Donovan I think just continues to grow and takes steps forward,” Phillips said. “His decision making is solid and he’s a leader for us and he’s a weapon.”
The contrast in offensive execution was most evident in the first quarter. The Braves ran 20 plays, while the Wildcats ran seven. Yet Andrews ended the period with a 21-7 lead.
After Cherokee opened the game with a punt, Bateman connected with Cole Anderson on a short pass, and he made a few defenders miss on his way to a 42-yard touchdown. Chase Calhoun punctuated a 12-play, 68-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown to tie the game with 3:56 left in the first quarter, only for Austin Martin to go 93 yards to the end zone on the Wildcats’ next offensive play.
Pressure by Jerry Cable allowed Isaac Weaver to intercept an errant Tso Smith pass to end the next Braves drive, and Andrews capitalized on the turnover when Bateman hit Anderson over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive. Anderson finished the night with four catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
The two teams traded punts to start the second quarter, and Cherokee drove into Wildcats territory before Calhoun had trouble with an iffy pitch from Smith, and Bateman recovered the fumble at Andrews 48-yard line. The Wildcats would capitalize on the turnover, as Eli Aguilar punched in a one-yard score with 5:04 to go in the quarter for a 28-7 lead. The Braves would finish the night with four turnovers, with Andrews scoring touchdowns off of three of them.
Weaver’s 1-yard touchdown run capped off a seven-play, 65-yard drive to start the second half, and Smith answered for Cherokee with a 4-yard run on the next drive. The Braves next drive ended when Tyler West recovered a Smith fumble, and Eli Aguilar caught a short pass and did the rest for a 35-yard touchdown to finish off the ensuing drive for the Wildcats. Smith would find the end zone again on a 6-yard run with 3:32 to go in the fourth quarter.
With Drew Martin out as a precaution with a lower body injury, Cherokee had more success running the ball than any team had against Andrews all season, something Phillips knows will have to change even with Martin likely returning against Robbinsville next week.
It’ll be Senior Night at Hugh Hamilton Stadium on Friday, with the senior class looking to break Andrews’ last lengthy losing streak against the conference’s “Big Three.” The Wildcats win over Swain County two years ago was their first
since 1998, and the win over Murphy last year was the first since 1981. Andrews hasn’t beaten Robbinsville since 1998, and the Black Knights looked extremely vulnerable during a 48-16 home loss to the Bulldogs last week.
“I think even if you ask the seniors, they would tell you that Senior Night is certainly secondary and a minimal aspect of Friday night, even though they’re a special group,” Phillips said. “The focus is squarely on Robbinsville’s football team.”