The Cherokee Braves have the luxury of staying home for another week and will welcome the Mount Zion Christian Academy Mighty Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Cherokee will be strutting in after a victory while Mount Zion Christian Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Cherokee is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Rosman, posting a 67-7 win at home.
Brandon Santiago was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Emiliano Garcia, who rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Cherokee was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 530 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive matches.
Cherokee's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Shiloh Woodson and Michel Gayosso.
Meanwhile, Mount Zion Christian Academy entered their matchup against Harrells Christian Academy on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Mount Zion Christian Academy fell 14-6 to Harrells Christian Academy. Despite 140 more yards than the Crusaders, the Mighty Warriors couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
The victory got Cherokee back to even at 2-2. As for Mount Zion Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 2-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Cherokee has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 190.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mount Zion Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 217. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Cherokee's way against Mount Zion Christian Academy when the teams last played back in September of 2023 as Cherokee made off with a 40-14 win. Will Cherokee repeat their success, or does Mount Zion Christian Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
