Cherokee Bluff and East Hall will face off Friday night in Flowery Branch in a game that could prove important in the Region 7-3A playoff race. A win for the Bears could potentially bring them one win away from making the playoffs, while a loss for either team would likely end any postseason hopes.
This game will feature two different offensive schemes, East Hall's air raid offense vs. Bluff's running attack. Bears' coach Tommy Jones says the Vikings are explosive and Vikings' coach Michael Perry says the Bears are tough to stop out the backfield.
CHEROKEE BLUFF COACH TOMMY JONES ...
On how the Bears' have handled the success of last week's 45-14 region win at Lumpkin County:
"Winning is a funny thing. It generates momentum and momentum generally translates into practice and our guys have done a great job of coming back to work this week. I'm really proud of them. We've had a couple of good days. We're just continuing to try to stay on message and build this thing brick by brick and work hard and prepare for a very explosive East Hall football team."
On the region implications of the game (Cherokee Bluff is currently 2-5 overall, 1-2 in Region 7-3A play):
"The goal is always to make the playoffs and to make a run and some of those things are within our control and some are not. We try not to ever look past one game and look at scenarios. It's way too complicated for me, maybe I'm not smart enough to figure that stuff out, but our focus right now is on East Hall and we just believe in taking it one at a time. When you do those things and things play out the way you want them to, then eventually you have opportunities and you put yourself in position to play meaningful games late in the season."
On what got the offense rolling in last week's 45-point output against Lumpkin County:
"Just a big emphasis on execution. We talk to our players all the time about championship preparation and making sure that we're preparing the way that championship programs and elite programs prepare. I thought our offensive linemen did a great job the other night of knowing who to block and when they're confident in knowing what to do, they can do that at a fast rate and they really stayed on blocks well. Obviously Jayquan (Smith) had a great night, our other backs had a great night too. We rushed the ball for a substantial number of yards, and that's always a byproduct of a lot of little things being done the right way...hopefully, we're improving on that side of the ball."
On matching up against East Hall's pass-oriented offense:
"It's definitely going to be a contrast of styles. You've got a team that likes to throw the ball and that is very effective and efficient throwing the ball, highly explosive. You've got another football team that likes to run the ball, likes to control the clock and kind of build this thing around playing great defense and being physical and tough inside and out. It's a contrast of styles. For us to be successful, we're going to have to really minimize and eliminate negative plays offensively."
EAST HALL COACH MICHAEL PERRY ...
On the players that have keyed the Vikings' offensive improvement [East Hall is averaging over 25 points per game in the last five games after scoring 8 total points in the first two games]:
"Montavious Tabor has played exceptional the past few weeks. He's a complete football player, he can play receiver, he can play running back. He's been a big-time player for us this year. The other is the emergence of D.J. Gray. He's really stepped up and improved and he's made some big-time plays, so I'm very proud of him. Those two guys have really made us go on offense."
On the development of the team over his first year at East Hall:
"It's still a work in progress, but I'm proud of the kids' effort. We've got some great kids, they try hard. We just need more bodies, but we're going to do everything we can to get this thing going in the right direction."
On what to expect from Cherokee Bluff Friday:
"I've gone against him for a while, coach (Chris) Griffin, their defensive coordinator, he does a great job. He's one of the best defensive coordinators there is, so I know he'll have something dialed up for us. They're getting really good on that side of the ball, then turn to offense, that running back (Jayquan Smith) is a stud, he's just a sophomore and we're definitely going to have our hands full trying to tackle him."
On the keys for the Vikings Friday night:
"We've got to be able to stop the run, especially this week, they've got a phenomenal tailback. We've got a chore ahead of us, Coach Jones and his staff do a great job. It's a big game."
