The Starmount Rams entered their tilt with the Cherokee Braves with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Starmount enjoyed a cozy 35-21 victory over Cherokee on Friday. For Starmount, this counts as revenge for the 28-21 loss Cherokee walked away with the last time they faced one another back in November of 2022.
Starmount's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from AJ Pardue, who rushed for 58 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 59 receiving yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kinston Crater, who rushed for 175 yards while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
Cherokee's lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Michael Driver, who threw for 109 yards and a touchdown. Mato Grant was another key contributor, gaining 98 total yards and a touchdown.
Starmount's win was their sixth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 10-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-9 South Stokes and 3-8 Elkin (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 33.8% over those games). As for Cherokee, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-6.
Starmount will head out on the road to face off against Mountain Heritage at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mountain Heritage will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak. Cherokee does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
