One Feather Staff Report
The Cherokee Braves (3-8), the 24th seed in the 1A state playoffs, traveled to the 8th seed, Starmount Rams (7-4), on the evening of Friday, Nov. 4 and came away with a 28-21 victory. Chase Calhoun led Cherokee offensively with 20 carries for 197 yards and 3 TDs. The Braves played relatively mistake-free football with zero turnovers and only two penalties while Starmount had four turnovers and 15 penalties.
With the win, the Braves travel to #8 seed Robbinsville on Friday, Nov. 11 for the second round.
The Cherokee Braves (3-8), the 24th seed in the 1A state playoffs, traveled to the 8th seed, Starmount Rams (7-4), on the evening of Friday, Nov. 4 and came away with a 28-21 victory. (Photo by Micah Swimmer)
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
7:10 – STARMOUNT: Mason Moxley 10-yard run, Alex Mora kick good. Starmount 7 Cherokee 0
4:18 – CHEROKEE: Chase Calhoun 25-yard run, Mato Grant kick good. Cherokee 7 Starmount 7
2nd Quarter
10:37 – CHEROKEE: Calhoun 66-yard run, Grant kick. Cherokee 14 Starmount 7
7:31 – STARMOUNT: AJ Pardue 1-yard run, Mora kick. Cherokee 14 Starmount 14
3rd Quarter
6:24 – CHEROKEE: Tso Smith 4-yard run, kick no good. Cherokee 20 Starmount 14
4th Quarter
8:32 – CHEROKEE: Calhoun 36-yard run, Smith two-point conversion. Cherokee 28 Starmount 14
5:08 – STARMOUNT: Pardue 6-yard run, Mora kick. Cherokee 28 Starmount 21
TEAM STATISTICS
Total Offense: Cherokee 313, Starmount 307
Number of Plays: Cherokee 43, Starmount 50
Yards per Play: Cherokee 7.3, Starmount 6.1
Total Passing Yards: Cherokee 25, Starmount 167
Total Rushing Yards: Cherokee 288, Starmount 140
Total Penalties: Cherokee 2 for 15 yards, Starmount 15 for 105 yards
Total Turnovers: Cherokee 0, Starmount 4 (2 fumbles, 2 INTs)
First Downs: Cherokee 11, Starmount 16
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: Cherokee – Tso Smith 3 of 7 for 25 yards; Starmount – Luke Kimmer 14 of 21 for 157 yards, 2 INTs; Mason Moxley 1 of 1 for 10 yards
Rushing: Cherokee – Chase Calhoun 20 for 197 yards, 3 TDs; Tso Smith 15 for 88 yards, 1 TD; Xavier Otter 1 for 3 yards; Starmount – AJ Pardue 11 for 77 yards, 2 TDs; Zack Dezern 9 for 52 yards; Mason Moxley 2 for 25 yards
Receiving: Cherokee – Caden Trantham 1 for 19 yards, Mato Grant 2 for 6 yards; Starmount – AJ Pardue 4 for 41 yards, Mason Moxley 4 for 39 yards, Xavier King 3 for 38 yards, Jadon Hurt-Bailey 1 for 32 yards, Zack Armstrong 3 for 17 yards
Defensive Statistics: Cherokee – Caden Trantham 7 (1 solo); Chase Calhoun 1 assist; Tso Smith 4 (2 solo), 1 INT; Tyler Wolfe 5 (2 solo); Mato Grant 4 assists, 1 INT; Xavier Otter 4 assists, 1 fumble caused; Luke Climbingbear 9 (5 solo); Tsisqwa Hill 3 assists, 1 fumble recovery; Luke Smith 10 (3 solo), 1 sack; Kensen Davis 1 assist; Noah Long 1 assist; Starmount – defensive statistics not available
