Football Preview: Cherokee Trail Cougars vs. Columbine Rebels
Cherokee Trail is 0-3 against Columbine since September of 2021 but things could change on Saturday. The Cherokee Trail Cougars will be staying on the road to face off against the Columbine Rebels at 3:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Cherokee Trail is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Sunday. They took down Castle View 25-7.
Cherokee Trail's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tyson Smith, who threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Cherokee Trail didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Garrett Aldred and Marquis Jamison.
Meanwhile, Columbine faced Chatfield in a battle between two of the state's top teams two weeks ago. Columbine breezed by Chatfield to the tune of 42-13. Considering the Rebels have won seven matches by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Columbine's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brennan Goodwin led the charge by rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 13 yards and a touchdown. Those 99 rushing yards gave Goodwin a new career-high. James Basinger was another key player, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.
Columbine was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 361 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in 24 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
One reason for the win was Columbine's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. Leading the way was Will Monroe with three.
Cherokee Trail's record now sits at 5-6. As for Columbine, their record now sits at 9-1.
Cherokee Trail was taken down by Columbine 35-7 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Cherokee Trail was down 21-0.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
