North Paulding was the 32-0 winner over Cherokee when they last played one another back in September of 2017, but their luck changed this time around. The North Paulding Wolfpack lost to the Cherokee Warriors at home by a 47-28 margin on Friday. The Wolfpack have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why North Paulding lost, don't look at James Skelly. Despite the final result, he rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Skelly is now averaging an impressive 102.7 rushing yards per game. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Cedric Stewart, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Even though they lost, North Paulding was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 216 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Tanner Savasir was his usual excellent self, throwing for 265 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries for Cherokee. The dominant performance gave Savasir a new career-high in rushing yards. Malakiah Echols was Savasir's top target, picking up 55 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
North Paulding's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Cherokee, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-2.
Coincidentally, both will both be playing Etowah the next time they take the field. Cherokee will host Etowah at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, while North Paulding will head out to face them at 7:30 p.m. on October 4th.
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