One of the final comments Cherokee County High School head football coach Jacob Kelley made to me following last Friday’s 49-14 win over Haleyville was “it should be a good environment on Black Friday.”
No, Kelley wasn’t talking about getting some good after-Thanksgiving shopping deals. He was talking about the Warriors heading up to Trinity to face the West Morgan Rebels, with a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals on the line.
The Rebels (12-0) stood in the Warriors’ way on the path to last year’s state championship game – albeit a week earlier. In that game, Cherokee County trailed 7-6 at halftime before Jacob Cornejo scored on runs of 67, 12, 58 and 43 yards in the second half. He finished the game rushing for 262 yards on 18 carries in the Warriors’ 42-28 victory.
Cornejo’s performance overshadowed the ones turned in by Rebel quarterback Braxton Peters and running back Jalen Fletcher.
Peters completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Fletcher gained 159 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
This season Fletcher has rushed for 1,433 yards, has 630 yards receiving and has scored 41 total touchdowns.
Both Fletcher and Peters are two of the main reasons the Rebels are averaging 53 points per game. According to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society website, West Morgan has the third highest scoring team in the state, just behind Locust Fork (54.3) and Saraland (54.1).
When scoring 40 or more points, the Rebels are 70-0 since 2000. However, Corner held the Rebels to a season-low 35 points last week.
The Warrior ‘D’ – led by Tae Diamond, Tristan Brown, Alex Loyd, Caleb Harbour, Jace Turner, Haden Wheeler and Cornejo – is giving up just a shade more than 10 points per contest. They’ve also posted four shutouts on the season and only given up a touchdown in two other games.
Speaking of points, the Warriors can put those on the scoreboard too. They rank 13th in the state at 44 points per game, led by Cornejo’s ground attack.
So something’s got to give on Friday night.
“It’s about who can embrace the moment better, who can play clean,” Kelley said.
I think the Warriors are that team.
The pick: Cherokee County.
WEIS Sports Director Shannon Fagan went 2-0 in last week’s second round picks. He is 55-15 for the season.