Wildcats
Andrews – The Wildcats football team finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 4-7 and a Smoky Mountain Conference record of 0-5.
However, the Wildcats played three conference opponents very close, and were in a position to win two of those games, but came up short 14-6 to Hayesville and 21-14 in overtime to Cherokee. They hope to improve on the conference schedule this season, as Andrews returns 15 seniors on this year’s team.
While Dalton Rose, the leading rusher last year for the Cats, has graduated, coach James Phillips returns last year’s second-leading rusher, Eli Aguilar, who averaged 61 yards per game. Aguilar was sidelined with a collarbone injury for the better part of the conference schedule.
In addition, Andrews was without the services of starting quarterback Everett Tatham for the last seven games. The good news is both have recovered from their injuries and looked healthy in summer workouts.
Replacing Rose will be an open competition this season, and Phillips said he has some good candidates in senior Holden Todd and 210-pound junior Ladinian Rattler. Depending on the scheme the Cats are running, Will Roberts could also see playing time at fullback.
Phillips will have a big hole to fill in the offensive and defensive lines, as four-star lineman Tyler West has departed to N.C. State, but he does return four other starters from the offensive line, who will all be seniors coming into this season.
“At any of these small 1A schools, you’re not going to be able to replace a kid like that, but the good thing is that we’ve got a lot of other kids that have been working hard,” Phillips said. “We’ve got a sophomore, Braden Gaither, who I think is going to end up being a good player for us.”
Gaither is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 280 pounds, so the size is there. Grant Phillips and William Wood will also see playing time up front. In addition to those players, Andrews has All-Conference lineman Landon Greene and Colton Rose, who have been great over the last two seasons.
Coach Phillips’ three leading tacklers are back this season. Linebacker Jerry Cable led the team with 6.3 tackles per game, while defensive end Kencade Watkins and linebacker Will Roberts averaged 5.4 tackles each. The Wildcats return seven seniors on both sides of the ball.
Last year’s defense was not bad, as Andrews fell within the national average with most statistics; for example, the Cats averaged 1.2 sacks per game, with 26 total quarterback hurries. This year’s defense should show improvement with the senior leadership and players being healthy.
“I don’t think it is going to be much different than it was last year,” coach Phillips said on how he saw the conference shaping up this season. “Robbinsville kinda clawed their way to the cream of the crop there and earned the conference championship spot.
“I think this year there is going to be a lot of parity. You will see a lot of close games in the Smoky Mountain Conference. We were last last year, and that is not where we want to be here at Andrews High School.”
The injury bug devastated the Wildcats last year.
“By the time we played Hayesville and in the first round of the playoffs, we had six starters out. We had three ACLs and two shoulder injuries. All these kids have had surgery during the offseason,” coach Phillips said. “In all my 26 years [of coaching], I have never seen injuries like that. You know I’m praying and hopeful that the injury bug stays away.”
Andrews will get two early tests on this year’s schedule. After opening with Rosman, the Cats face Hayesville in a non-conference game and then Mitchell, two teams they lost to last year.
Andrews will face Hayesville twice on Friday nights this season; the first one being a non-conference game, the second counting in the conference. After facing Mitchell, the Cats will play Calhoun Falls (S.C.) Charter on Sept. 20, then return home to host Southside Christian (S.C.) on Sept. 27.
The following week, the Cats will kick off SMC play at home against Swain County on Oct. 4 before heading to Cherokee on Oct. 11. They will play host to Robbinsville on Oct. 18, then face cross-county rivals Murphy on Oct. 25.
Andrews closes out the regular season on Nov. 1 at home against Hayesville. All games kick off at 7:30 p.m.
The Wildcats have two scrimmages set. They travel to North Buncombe on Aug. 9 starting at 6 p.m., then say home to face Smoky Mountain on Aug. 16 starting at 7 p.m.