Football Game Preview: Cherokee Trail Cougars vs. Smoky Hill Buffaloes + How To Watch

Cherokee Trail has gone a perfect 5-0 against Smoky Hill recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Cougars will look to defend their home field against the Buffaloes at 7:00 p.m. Neither Cherokee Trail nor Smoky Hill posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.

Cherokee Trail is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Arapahoe, who was ranked 12th at the time (Cherokee Trail was ranked 19th). The Cougars took a hard 27-13 fall against the Warriors on Thursday. The Cougars have struggled against the Warriors recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Evan Smith

Receiving Yards

10/03/25 @ Cherry Creek	123
10/23/25 vs Arapahoe	104
08/28/25 @ Pine Creek	92
09/26/25 vs Dakota Ridge	77
10/10/25 vs Eaglecrest	62

Despite the defeat, Cherokee Trail saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Bryson Peterson threw for 267 yards and one touchdown, and also punched in one TD on the ground. A healthy portion of Peterson's aerial production (104 yards to be exact) went to Evan Smith.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Smoky Hill's offense. They had to suffer through a 42-0 loss at the hands of Cherry Creek.

Smoky Hill's loss dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Cherokee Trail, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.

Everything came up roses for Cherokee Trail against Smoky Hill in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 41-0 win. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Buffaloes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.