By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director CENTRE – Cherokee County High School football coach Jacob Kelley remembers the Wednesday of the Warriors’ first game last season against rival Piedmont. He talked to his team about dreams and nightmares, how a dream could turn into a nightmare real quickly. Cherokee County was coming off back-to-back Class 4A state runners-up heading into their Highway 9 showdown with the Bulldogs. The Warriors were replacing several key personnel, some of whom were playing in their first varsity game. The result was a 34-27 setback in the last second. “As bad as it sounds, it was the best thing that happened to us the entire year,” Kelley said. “Sometimes you need to be woke up to really see it. “We had opportunities in that game, but we had a lot of guys who were playing meaningful snaps for the first time. I think we had four out of five first-year starters on the O-line. The first drive was indicative of that. We weren’t winning the line of scrimmage. Defensively, we just didn’t attack. When you allow one player (Rollie Pinto) to catch 20 passes, 18 of them on or behind the line of scrimmage, that’s a little too passive.” The Warriors “woke up” from that season-opening loss. They went on to win 13 straight to reach their third straight state championship game. “I think we just need to continue to do what we do,” senior center James Hunter said. “I think last year we got away from that a little bit (in the Piedmont game). We didn’t play our best game. When we play Cherokee County football, I think we have a great shot.” Like last season, Cherokee County enters 2025 with a few unknowns – including replacing 4A Lineman of the Year Tae Diamond and top tackler Tristan Brown – but this time Kelley is hoping for a better beginning after the early lesson learned last season. “The key is finishing,” Kelley said. “This year is a brand new year. Nothing is going to be given. It starts right off the bat. We’ve got to hit the ground running. We can’t come out slow, kind of like we did last year. Maybe we’ll start awake this year.” Kelley certainly has the tools to make another deep playoff run again in Class 4A. The Warriors return eight players who started on offense and seven on the defensive side. Another Warrior strength is this year’s senior class (13 on the roster), which is eager to surpass last year’s all-time record for wins in Cherokee County High School football history with 45 victories. One of those senior class members is senior safety/wide receiver Cooper Allen. “I want to be known as a group of guys who just gave it all we had every single day,” Allen said. “This class has been together for a long time,” Kelley said. “They’ve spent a lot of time together, to the point where they know what needs to be done. They’ve won a lot of football games here, but they haven’t won any as a senior class. This class is sitting there looking at the same thing last year’s did. This class has never not played for a state title. This class has never not won a region championship. There’s a lot of stuff this class has to accomplish to keep the standard the standard. Hopefully this class has the mental toughness to finish.” Speaking of toughness, junior quarterback Adam Griffith proved his last season stepping up for injured starter Carson Tittle. In his first game starting against Etowah last September, Griffith threw for 91 yards and a touchdown with another called back in a 42-0 victory. Griffith finished last season throwing for just over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. Backing Griffith up this season is freshman Tatum Perry. “We’ve got two really good quarterbacks who can make all the throws and make all the decisions,” Kelley said. “They’ve got a little mobility as well.” The Warriors also have plenty of running backs, including returning senior Keyshawn Woods. Woods ran for over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. A welcome newcomer in the Warrior backfield is Collinsville senior transfer Quintavious Rogers. Rogers accumulated 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns on 182 carries with the Panthers last season. He also proved to be a receiving threat, as he caught 28 passes for 581 yards and six scores. “He’s fit in great,” Kelley said of Rogers. “He’s going to do a lot of good things this year. He has a tremendous athletic ability. We’re definitely looking forward to it. Warrior receiving threats include 6-foot-5 senior tight end Ben Moseley, Allen, senior Ethan Glass, and juniors JV Henderson, Keshawn Thomas, and Nate Black. Hunter will anchor the offensive line, along with fellow seniors Asa Holbert, Evan Hill, Jackson Doeg, and Dylan Duncan. “We’re still really physical, really big up front,” Kelley said. “Those guys do a great job and have done a great job just getting better. Throughout the summer they’ve just continued to communicate and be physical up front. We’ll still be wanting to run the football.” In addition to losing defensive stalwarts like Diamond and Brown, defensive coordinator Brett Henderson became the head coach at Lincoln during the offseason. Under Henderson’s guidance, the Warrior defense gave up just over 15 points per game last season, which included three shutouts and four other games in which the unit gave up seven points or less. “It’s definitely like losing family,” Kelley said. “We’ve had a real tight knit group and haven’t had any coaching turnover the last couple of years. Losing Hendo was a blow to us, but we’re happy for him because it was a tremendous opportunity for him. I know he’ll do a good job. It was a great fit for him. He was hungry for an opportunity. He did a great job (as defensive coordinator) coaching these kids up to put them in the best positions to be successful.” Former secondary and longtime Pepperell coach Britt Chandler along with Billy Turner will help take over Henderson’s duties. “There haven’t been a lot of changes (on defense),” Kelley said. “Nothing really has changed as far as scheme-wise.” Duncan will double on the defensive line. Joining him in the trenches is junior Dalton Duncan, and sophomores Darrwin Ross and Caden Cambron. Warrior linebackers include seniors Jayquan Diamond, Case Hill, Glass, Black, and junior Cayce Tittle. Allen will also help patrol the Warrior secondary. The Warriors scrimmage on Friday at North Jackson before their season opens at Piedmont on Aug. 22. Cherokee County’s first home game is Aug. 29 against Class 5A Arab. The Warriors open Region 6 play at home a week later against Oneonta on Sept. 5. “I want to get the most out of our potential. I think we’ve got a chance to be really good,” Kelley said. “We’ve just got to see what we are as a team, see how the new pieces mix with the old pieces. Hopefully those pieces kind of create the same kind of formula for winning that we’ve had the last couple of years.”

2025 Cherokee County Warriors Football Schedule Aug. 22                 at Piedmont Aug. 29                 Arab Sept. 5                  Oneonta Sept. 12                at Etowah Sept. 19                White Plains Sept. 26                Shades Valley Oct. 3                    at Anniston Oct. 10                  Hokes Bluff Oct. 17                  at Alexandria Oct. 24                  at Ashville Oct. 31                  OPEN