Football Recap: Dynamic Duo of Jonathan Saylor and Kingston Welch Lead Cherokee to Victory

Cherokee's game last Friday was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. Their defense stepped up to hand the Andrews Wildcats a 47-0 shutout. That 47 point margin sets a new team best for the Braves this season.

Leading Cherokee to victory were Kingston Welch and Jonathan Saylor. Welch rushed for 162 yards and three TDs on only 11 carries, while Saylor rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. Welch is becoming a predictor of the Braves' success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 2-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't).

Braves

Rushing Yards

10/24/25 @ Andrews	313
10/17/25 @ Swain County	206
10/03/25 @ Hayesville	117
09/26/25 vs Murphy	76
09/19/25 vs Rosman	281
+ 12 more games

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cherokee was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 313 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.

Cherokee didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Javan Garcia and Tsu-La Howlingcrane.

With the win, Cherokee broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-6. As for Andrews, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-8.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Cherokee will take on rival Robbinsville at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Andrews is set to challenge their familiar foe Hayesville at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.