It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Cherokee can now relate to. They took a 21-15 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Albemarle Bulldogs on Friday. The Braves were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bulldogs apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in November of 2018.
Kingston Welch
| 11/07/25 @ Albemarle | 164 |
| 10/31/25 vs Robbinsville | 43 |
| 10/24/25 @ Andrews | 162 |
| 10/17/25 @ Swain County | 75 |
| 10/03/25 @ Hayesville | 62 |
| + 4 more games |
When it comes to explaining why Cherokee lost, don't look at Kingston Welch. Despite the final result, he rushed for 164 yards and two TDs. With that strong performance, Welch is now averaging an impressive 100.2 rushing yards per game.
Cherokee didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Drallen Ledford.
Shoddy Pergee produced another solid performance rushing for 125 yards and three scores on only 13 carries for Albemarle. Pergee has become a key player for the Bulldogs: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 3-5 otherwise. Albemarle also got a significant boost from Aj Butler, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
Cherokee has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-8 record this season. Their recent woes sure aren't a result of their performance when it comes to yards per carry: they averaged an imposing 5.32 yards per carry in those games compared to only 3.24 in the others. As for Albemarle, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
As of now, neither Cherokee nor the Bulldogs have any future games scheduled.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
