Football Game Preview: McMinn County Cherokees vs. East Hamilton Hurricanes

Two dominant backs in Jakaryn Dyer and Jaden Haywood are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The McMinn County Cherokees will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Hamilton Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. McMinn County is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

McMinn County is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since October 25, 2024 on Friday. They took a blow against Rhea County, falling 34-6. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cherokees' biggest loss of the season was also their lowest-scoring.

Meanwhile, East Hamilton humbled Soddy Daisy with a 42-7 victory. Considering the Hurricanes have won seven contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

East Hamilton's win came from a few key players McMinn County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Wyatt Miller, who rushed for 40 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 146 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 75% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Jermaine Heathington, who picked up 108 receiving yards and one score.

East Hamilton's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.8 points on average over those games. As for McMinn County, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.

McMinn County and East Hamilton were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, but McMinn County came up empty-handed after a 29-28 defeat. Can the Cherokees avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.