Red Bay beats Cherokee, turns attention to Belmont

By Staff
Scot Beard
CHEROKEE – Red Bay kept its undefeated season intact Monday thanks to a strong running game and an impressive defensive effort in mucky conditions as the Tigers topped Cherokee 21-14.
The Tigers held the Indians to only five first downs – three of which were on the game's opening drive – and limited Cherokee to 101 total yards.
"We couldn't break on the ball," Red Bay coach Dale Jeffreys said about the soggy field. "We were not as quick as crisp on defense as we have been."
Cherokee (1-3, 1-2) started the game with a 54-yard scoring drive capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers (4-0, 3-0) answered with an 11-play drive covering 70 yards. All of the plays were running plays and Joseph Reach ended the drive with a 14-yard run. Chase hit the point-after attempt to tie the game.
The Red Bay defense held Cherokee on the Indians next drive to get the ball back into the hands of the Tiger offense, which added another score.
After a fumble on the first play of the drive lost four yards, Red Bay drove 93 yards for the score. Hunter Childers scored on a 4-yard run with 1:09 left in the first half and Lindsey hit the extra point.
Red Bay moved the ball well in the second half, but the Tigers' first drive stalled on the Cherokee 7-yard line.
The Indians picked up a quick first down, but the Cherokee quarterback forced a throw into coverage and Kevin Hastings intercepted the pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
"We were in Cover-3 and I saw the quarterback scrambling," Hastings said. "I stepped in front of the ball and got a good block from Bradley Patterson."
Two good defensive plays put Cherokee in a tough position. A good tackle by Dmitri Humphrey on the kickoff put Cherokee on its own 37-yard line. Daric Pruitt sacked the Cherokee quarterback on the first play of the drive for a 4-yard loss.
The Cherokee drive stalled and Red Bay took over at its own 34-yard line following a punt, but Cherokee regained possession a few plays later when it intercepted a pass by Childers.
Childers only attempted three passes during the game – one was a 21-yard completion to Hastings, one was incomplete and the other was the interception.
"We had some plays drawn up for wet conditions," Jeffreys said. "The one that got picked off was not one of those plays. It's my fault for calling it."
Cherokee capitalized on the turnover, scoring on a 9-yard run to cut Red Bay's lead to 12-14.
The Tigers drove to the Indian 16-yard line on its next possession, but turned the ball over on downs.
The defense played strong, stopping the first play for no gain before Curtis Morrell sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss. The next pass was incomplete and Matt Belue broke up the fourth-down attempt.
Red Bay ran out the clock on the ensuing possession.
Lindsey led the Tigers with 120 rushing yards on 23 carries while Childers had 82 yards on 16 carries. Reach carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards.
The game was originally scheduled for last Friday, but poor weather caused it to be postponed until Monday. It leaves a short week for the Tigers to prepare for their next opponent.
Red Bay hosts Belmont Friday.
The Tigers' coaching staff took advantage of the weather delay and broke down film of Belmont during the weekend.
Jeffreys said it will be a tough game, but it should be good because both teams are not only long-time rivals but they are also both undefeated.
"It's going to be a big game," Jeffreys said. "We don't have time to lie on our heels. We are going to have to play harder and smarter than we did (against Cherokee)."