Cherokee County Survives a Back and Forth Battle with Oneonta

Week 4 definitely brought a lot of great action to the table when it came to games in our area and all over the state. But I think few could have expected the kind of game we got to cover here at WEIS when we traveled to Warrior Stadium for a Class 4A, Region 5 matchup between the 1-3 Cherokee County Warriors and the 1-2 Oneonta Redskins.

Coming out of last week, it was made pretty clear we would probably be expecting some sort of craziness for the rest of the season out of the Region these 2 teams share in 4A, with a line of teams right behind Saks after a lot of surprise finishes which included results like Cherokee County fighting to a 15-12 victory over Anniston and Oneonta losing a heartbreaker to Ashville 21-14. With that, and previous results which were flipped in the W/L column, both of these foes entered Week 4 at 1-1 in Class 4A, Region 5, and when it comes to Region play you have to put up or shut up because every game counts in the road to the playoffs. And neither of these teams decided to shut up as we broadcasted this game, and it was because of that we got to experience an unexpected back and forth affair between two very different teams that literally came down to the final seconds of play in the game.

I don’t even want to spoil the result for this one yet, because I think this game deserves some suspense for those that didn’t get to listen or be at the game physically.

So as the game got underway, both the Redskins and Warriors definitely began to show where their power would lie for the rest of the game, and for both it was clear it was going to be their offense needing to be the driving force. For Cherokee County, it was simple, methodical playcalling between passes and runs that Coach Curry pushed all night to turn into results and for the most part it certainly did.

Cherokee County started the game with the ball and with a long and strategic 8 minute drive they relied on some big play from QB and all around team leader Tyren Dupree to lead them down the field. But it was the way that drive finished off, a 1 yard touchdown vault from Dupree, that really impressed us in how impressive of an athlete Dupree really is. Because when I say vault, I mean Tyren Dupree leaped over both his own offensive linemen and the defensive linemen for Oneonta, took it upon himself to risk his body, and had it pay off for the 6 points plus extra point.

Simple enough, 7-0 start for Cherokee County, but then it was Oneonta’s turn and we saw that for them, things were not about just power. No no, it was about speed and lots of it from a lot of different guys, but more specifically from their QB Taveris Hill as the game went along. But give credit where it is due, a mere minute and a half after the Cherokee County TD, it was Oneonta RB Sincere Baker that gave Oneonta their real start as he broke off a 61 yard dart down the field like a bolt of lightning and without giving the Warriors much time to celebrate, we were right back to a 7-7 tied ballgame with a little over 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

Cherokee County proceeded with their next drive and went into the 2nd quarter, and from here I think it is best to just explain it as both teams established their identity of play calling offensively, and they used this to take it to each others’ defenses as the game went on. For the Warriors, their next TD came through the air as Dupree hit Chance Latty with some points from 8 yards out after another methodical drive that gave Cherokee County back the lead at 14-7.

Oneonta followed with another TD run about 4 minutes later at the 7:20 mark from 2 yards out by Hill, but then came the first miscue of the night in something that indeed made a big difference late game: missed extra point opportunities, and that first missed extra point would keep a 14-13 lead for Cherokee County. And where one team was going to falter in special teams, another was going to shine supposedly, and Cherokee County decided they had a good enough guy that can get that job done: Sidney Perry. 12 seconds after the nice drive Oneonta put together that got them 6, Perry decided he would take it upon himself to ruin the good time momentarily for the Redskins as he brought back a 72 yard touchdown return off the kickoff and extended Cherokee County’s lead to 21-13.

Fair warning by the way, this won’t be the last time we mention Perry in this article. Oneonta took it back next drive, and some impressive play from Hill as he avoided a lot of chances for Cherokee County to take the elusive QB down was key for the Redskins in a drive that ultimately ended at the 4:13 mark after a 12 yard run from Baker for his 2nd TD of the day. A successful 2 point pass completion to Bothwell capped off that drive, and after Oneonta’s defense getting their first stop of the night on Cherokee County and the clock giving Cherokee County a lucky break right as Oneonta got inside the 5 sent us to halftime with a 21-21 tie after 2 quarters of play.

The second half was going to bring a lot more action from both these teams, and it started very early after Cherokee County got their first true stop against Oneonta with an interception on the Redskins opening drive of the 2nd half. And it was only 1 play later, after just a little over 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter, that we got to hear from Sidney Perry once more, this time with a huge TD run of 80 yards that got followed by a completed 2 point conversion from Dupree to Latty on the pass that gave Cherokee County a 29-21 lead to start the 2nd half.

But again, Oneonta showed off their quick work, and a little more than a minute later at 7:20 left in the 2rd, it was the one passing TD of the night we would see from Oneonta as Hill got a big 40 yard completion to Jaden Kent to bring Cherokee County back within 2. I say 2 because the second extra point failure of the night occurred for Oneonta after a failed 2 point conversion kept Oneonta behind 29-27 instead of a 29-all tie with the Warriors. Oneonta did get to follow this with a second defensive stop against Cherokee County, a big heartbreaker it felt for the Warriors, and it only felt worse when the speedy Redskins got down the field and at just under 4 minutes left in the 3rd, Hill capped off the drive for Oneonta with a 4 yard TD run then got the help of Brandon Howard to get a 2 point conversion that gave the Redskins a 35-29 lead as the 3rd quarter came to a close.

The 4th quarter now is where Cherokee County had to return to a long, methodical drive to try and put away Oneonta the best they could with only so much field to go up slowly but still progressively. The best they got, a 5 minute drive that ended on the goal line with a 1 yard touchdown run from senior leader Riley Russell to get a 36-35 lead over Oneonta. Oh, and Tyren Dupree also got to hurdle some more guys on the long drive, because why not show some incredible athletic ability to scare your coach in a late and close game?

But it was Oneonta’s turn, and they even managed to add a long drive into their playbook while still incorporating explosive play from their QB and the other skill players around them. And they push everything they could to the closing seconds of the game, Cherokee County having several chances to stop them but miscues on defense on 4th downs and with penalties got Oneonta down the field, and when it was all said and done the QB for the Redskins Hill got a 6 yard TD run with 37 seconds left. A failed 2nd point did follow after Oneonta decided to go for it after a defensive special teams penalty, but it was clear with such little time left, it was now just a matter of letting their defense get back on the field and closing the game out for the Redskins with a 41-36 lead.

Now comes the part of the story you would only see in those inspirational sports films about never giving up and on the final bit of play, a miracle arrives and all of the sudden the result of the game is flipped right on it’s back. For Oneonta, it was honestly simple, kick it somewhere safe, maybe even out of bounds, and your defense just has to hold off just under 40 seconds worth of passes. But when the kick came off the tee, it was a different story…the ball went straight to a guy on that Cherokee County squad that if anyone was going to finish this for the Warriors, it was going to be Sidney Perry. Granted, the ball was fumbled by the original guy the kick went to, but Perry managed to pick it up at about his own 16.

Surely the special team guys for Oneonta were going to take care of this miscue, but Perry eluded, he followed blockers, he gave everything he had…and a mere 16 seconds later, along the right sideline going from right to left on Bobby Joe Johnson Field, Sidney Perry erupted the Warrior fans. 84 yards is the distance Sidney Perry traveled as he took the ball into the endzone for the biggest score of the game, and with the 2 point conversion that followed that was completed, Cherokee County had taken a 44-41 lead. And from there, it was clear cut. Cherokee County kicks it short and lets Oneonta get to midfield, and 1 play later it was an interception that sealed it for the Warriors…oh and why not, it was Dupree that got the pick as Cherokee County went through the final seconds and secured a monumental win in the closing seconds of an insane effort from Sidney Perry, and the Warriors finished it 44-41 to beat Oneonta and secure a region victory.

With a Week 4 victory coming to Cherokee County, the Warriors got win #2 on the year to go to 2-3 overall, and they get their Class 4A, Region 5 record back into a full positive as they now have it to 2-1. For Oneonta, the heartbreaking ending resulted in them dropping to 1-3 on the year and even tougher, 1-2 in region play. Cherokee County will get ready next week for some Homecoming action when they welcome Class 6A’s 3-1 Carver Rams. And for Oneonta, they have another road trip on their hands when they head to Blountsville to take on 1-5 3A foe the Susan Moore Bulldogs.

And then for us at WEIS, we will be returning to Cedar Bluff and LD Bruce Field for Week 5 action when the 2-2 Tigers will play host to their long time rivals out of 2A, the Collinsville Panthers (2-2). We will be looking forward to all you listening at home and who we get to see at the game next week, and until then take care!

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OFFENSIVE STATS

Cherokee County- 105 passing, 197 rushing
Oneonta- 104 passing, 409 rushing

PASSING LEADERS

Tyren Dupree (Cherokee County)- 10-for-13, 105 yds, 1 TD
Taveris Hill (Oneonta)- 5-for-11, 104 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs

RUSHING LEADERS

Sidney Perry (Cherokee County)- 8 rushes, 102 yds, 1 TD (2 KO TDs for 156 yds); Tyren Dupree- 12 rushes, 69 yds, 1 TD
Sincere Baker (Oneonta)- 22 rushes, 254 yds, 2 TDs; Taveris Hill- 18 rushes, 138 yds, 3 TDs

RECEIVING LEADERS

Chance Latty (Cherokee County)- 2 receptions, 39 yds, 1 TD; Sidney Perry- 3 receptions, 31 yds
Jaden Kent (Oneonta)- 1 reception, 40 yds, 1 TD; Brandon Howard- 1 reception, 38 yds (1 rush, 13 yds)

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OTHER COUNTY SCORES

Cedar Bluff Tigers (2-2, 2-0)- 54-0 Win vs Woodville
Gaylesville Trojans (0-4, 0-2)- 52-6 Loss vs Meek
Spring Garden (3-1, 3-0)- 42-6 Win vs Valley Head
Sand Rock (3-1, 3-0)- 40-0 Win vs Gaston