Kent Briggs, Coach Briggs to many of us, will be remembered as a man dedicated to helping young people reach their full potential.  He led.  He mentored.  He inspired.  He dreamed. 

On a cooler-than-usual late spring morning, the sounds of football could be heard from Ray Kinsland Stadium.  The Tsalagi Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Braves) were going through warm-ups and position drills – gearing up for the 2026 campaign under a new head coach, T.C. Guyer.

Cherokee High School Athletic Awards 2025-26

Joscelyn Stamper has a calm, kind demeanor that probably surprises a lot of people when they find out just how competitive she is athletically

The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) are the 2025-2026 NCHSAA 2A State Champions. The Lady Braves dominated the state game, earning their third state title in a row with the largest winning margin in NCHSAA history for women’s basketball on the evening of Thursday, March 12 in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Pippa Welch (women’s 152, third place) and Levi Tramper (HWT, fourth place) from Cherokee High School, both members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), competed in the 2026 NCHSAA State Championship Tournament held Feb. 19 to Feb. 22 in Greensboro Coliseum.

Wrestling is special. It’s ancient, it’s biblical, it’s unlike any other sport in the world, but it can help you be better in every other sport.

Shirley Reagan, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been doing Judo for years, and she recently hit a milestone in the sport she loves.  She has received certification as a USA Judo National Referee and can officiate any national tournament in the United States.