By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – For sports fans who like scoring, the place to be was Ray Kinsland Stadium in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Friday, Sept. 20. The Cherokee Braves (3-2) topped the Mt. Zion Might Warriors (2-3) by a score of 54-40.
The two teams combined for 975 total offensive yards (Cherokee 505, Mt. Zion 470). The Mighty Warriors also racked up 281 return yards on the night.
Mt. Zion got on the board first as Julius Rooks scored on a 6-yard run. The two-point try failed and the Mighty Warriors led 6-0 at the 9:38 mark of the first quarter.
Cherokee’s Brandon Santiago (#22) runs for a big gain during a game against the Mt. Zion Mighty Warriors held at Ray Kinsland Stadium in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Friday, Sept. 20. On the night, Santiago carried the ball 23 times for 195 yards and four touchdowns. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Cherokee put together a nice 10-play drive which culminated in a 15-yard touchdown run by Brandon Santiago. Tayvin Bark added the point-after kick, and Cherokee led 7-6 with 3:43 left in the first.
On the night, Santiago carried the ball 23 times for 195 yards and four touchdowns.
Mt. Zion’s Rooks ran the ensuing kickoff back to the Cherokee 14-yard line. Two plays later, Keegan Carroll ran it in from the 5-yard line for a touchdown. The two-point try failed, and the Mighty Warriors led 12-7 with 2:50 left in the first.
Cherokee had great field position to start their next possession at the 50-yard line. Several plays later, Kingston Welch caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Saylor for a score. Bark added the extra point kick, and Cherokee was back on top 14-12 with 1:17 left in the first.
Saylor was 9 of 14 passes for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 INT on the night.
Mt. Zion turned the ball over on downs on their next possession. Cherokee took over on their own 28-yard line and put together a 12-play drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run by Santiago. The point-after kick was no good, and Cherokee led 20-12 with 8:28 left in the half.
On their next possession, Mt. Zion got on the board again with an 89-yard touchdown pass from Ge’arey Johnson to Robert Arnold. The two-point try failed, and Cherokee’s lead was cut to 20-18 at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter.
Following a penalty on the kickoff, Cherokee started their next drive at the Mt. Zion 31-yard line. Several plays later, Luke Smith ran in from the 1-yard line for a score. The two-point try failed, and Cherokee led 26-18 with 4:33 left in the half.
On the night, Smith rushed 9 times for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he caught 4 passes for 35 yards and 1 touchdown.
Mt. Zion’s next possession would end as Smith recovered a Might Warriors fumble.
Cherokee got the ball back first in the second half in great field position at their own 48-yard line. Nine plays later, Smith got into the end zone again – this time on a 2-yard run. The point-after failed, and Cherokee led 32-18 at the 8:04 mark of the third.
The Mighty Warriors answered quickly as Mt. Zion’s Carroll took the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the house. Zyon Moyd threw to Arnold for the two-point play, and Mt. Zion only trailed Cherokee 32-26 with 7:47 left in the quarter.
Cherokee got great field position on their next possession starting at their own 46-yard line. On second down, Saylor hit Javin Garcia on a 45-yard pass to take the ball to the Mt. Zion 11-yard line. On the next play, Saylor hit Smith on an 11-yard touchdown pass. The two-point try failed, and Cherokee led 38-26 with 6:29 left in the quarter.
Mt. Zion answered immediately as Moyd took the kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. The two-point try failed, and Cherokee’s lead was cut to 38-32.
Following the kickoff, the next two plays from scrimmage were both interceptions. First, Mt. Zion’s Carroll intercepted a Cherokee pass, and then Cherokee’s Shiloh Woodson intercepted a Mt. Zion pass.
Following that second INT, Cherokee set up shop at their own 13-yard line. Eleven plays later, Santiago found the end zone again – this time on a 10-yard run. Saylor ran for the two-point conversion to put Cherokee up 46-32 with 11:29 left in the game.
Mt. Zion started their next possession at their own 49-yard line. Three plays later, Johnson hit Moyd on a 46-yard touchdown pass. Johnson ran for the two-point conversion to make the score 46-40 Cherokee with 10:19 left.
Cherokee had nice field position again on their next possession starting at their own 46-yard line. Six plays later, Santiago ran for a 5-yard score. He ran for the two-point play as well to give Cherokee a 54-40 lead which is how the game would end.
Mt. Zion’s next possession was cut short by a fumble which was recovered by Cherokee’s Drallen Ledford. Cherokee ran out the clock to take the win.
The Braves travel to Robbinsville on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. to take on the Black Knights (1-4) in the Smoky Mountain Conference opener for both teams.
Note: Defensive statistics were not available for this game by press time.
