Referee jokes have been around for as long as sports have been, and many fans would swear that some refs are blinder than I am without my glasses.  But all jokes aside, strides need to be made here in the state of North Carolina when it comes to officiating for high school sports. 

On a beautiful fall day, the Cherokee Braves varsity cross country team won some hardware.  With a score of 37, they edged the Swain Co. Maroon Devils (44) to win the high school boys Smoky Mountain Conference (SMC) title at the conference meet held at Kituwah on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 20. 

The Cherokee Braves (4-3) picked up a big win over Andrews (5-2) on the road on the evening of Friday, Oct. 15.  Don Bradley, Braves senior quarterback, ran for two touchdowns to give the Braves a 12-9 win. 

The Cherokee Braves (3-3) moved into a four-way tie for second place in the Smoky Mountain Conference with a win over the Robbinsville Black Knights (3-3) on Friday, Oct. 8. 

The Cherokee JV Braves finished the season on a good note with a 20-0 win over the Swain Co. Maroon Devils on the drizzly night of Thursday, Oct. 7 at Ray Kinsland Stadium. 

The Cherokee Braves varsity cross country team took first place at the Hiwassee Dam Eagle Meet held at the Murphy High School XC Course in Murphy on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 29. 

The sport of triathlon is a tough discipline that involves swimming, cycling, and running combined into one race.  Dvdaya, Ogana, and Uweluga Swimmer and Joscelyn and Cambry Stamper, all members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, participated in the Sugar Creek Youth Triathlon in Greer, S.C. in early September. 

Members of the Cherokee High School and Middle School cross country teams traveled to Murphy High School for the Bulldog XC Meet on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 25.