Two dominant backs in Kingston Welch and Zeke Glaspie are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Cherokee Braves will head out on the road to face off against the Swain County Maroon Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Cherokee has given up an average of 27.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Cherokee is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Hayesville last Friday. The Braves fell 37-28 to the Yellowjackets. The Braves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Tsu-La Howlingcrane
| 08/22/25 vs North Buncombe | 101 |
| 10/03/25 @ Hayesville | 87 |
| 09/26/25 vs Murphy | 30 |
| 09/05/25 @ Choctaw Central | 23 |
| 08/29/25 vs Tuscola | 8 |
Cherokee might have lost, but man, Jonathan Saylor was a machine: he rushed for 52 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 254 yards while completing 81.2% of his passes. Tsu-La Howlingcrane also helped out with an impressive 87 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, while Swain County put up some points on Friday, the same can't be said for Hayesville. The Maroon Devils took their game with ease, bagging a 28-0 victory over the Yellowjackets. The Maroon Devils pushed the score to 20-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Yellowjackets had little chance of recovering from.
Swain County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 29.8 points over those games. As for Cherokee, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Cherokee was able to grind out a solid victory over Swain County in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, winning 27-14. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Glaspie, who rushed for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also picked up 32 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Braves still be able to contain Glaspie? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
