FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Cherokee Bluff bounced back from last week’s loss to North Hall with an impressive 35-14 victory over Habersham Central on Friday night at Yonah Field.
The ninth-ranked Bears (3-1) used a fast start and weathered through a two-hour lightning delay to beat the Raiders (2-2).
“We talked all week about the importance of being mentally strong and mentally tough,” Cherokee Bluff Coach Tommy Jones said. “You only have one opportunity to bounce back from a tough loss like we had. I just believe in the heart and the grit and the resiliency of our young men.”
The Bears quickly washed away the bad feelings left from the North Hall loss by jumping on the Raiders early, scoring two touchdowns in the first 1:19 of the game.
“They showed up tonight from the start,” Jones said. “That was a big emphasis this week was starting well. I think they came with some juice, and I thought they executed well, and I'm really proud of our young men.”
The juice came first from the Bears’ special teams. After the defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, Erik Johnansen blocked Camden Meads’ punt. Tony Rushin picked up the ball and barreled 3 yards for the touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dylan Haley knocked the ball loose from Donnie Warren and recovered it at the Habersham 39. On the first play, Cooper Dean hit Jackson Pirkle, who split the Raiders’ secondary, for a 39-yard scoring play and a 14-0 Cherokee Bluff lead.
After another three-and-out, the Bears methodically marched for their third touchdown. They covered 67 yards in 11 plays over six minutes. Dean hit Haley for a 3-yard touchdown with 3:13 left in the first quarter.
The Raiders’ offense put together a drive for their first score. Paris Wilbanks passed 22 yards to Jay Feltus for the touchdown.
Cherokee Bluff responded with a 62-yard drive that took 8:32 off the clock. Dean powered in from the 1 for a 28-7 Bears’ lead at the half.
As the teams headed to the locker room, the game was halted due to lightning in the area. The delay lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes. When they started back, the Raiders cut the lead to two touchdowns on Warren’s 12-yard touchdown run.
As they had all night, the Bears answered right back with a drive that ended with Pirkle’s 22-yard scoring run. He finished with 110 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving.
“You just never know quite how to handle a delay,” Jones said. “You want to talk to your kids, you want to make adjustments.We have iPads where we can watch some of the film, but at the same time, there's a lot of dead time in that, too. You just keep challenging them to stay mentally sharp and mentally in tune,the best they can in that delay.”
Dean completed 13-of-16 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Haley caught four passes for 26 yards, and Malcom Millsaps added 26 yards on three receptions.
After a slow start, Warren finished with 103 yards rushing for Habersham Central.
The Bears’ defense was solid and made key plays to stop Habersham drives. Late in the first half, Johansen sacked Willbanks, and Brock Hall broke up a fourth-down pass to stop a drive.
In the second half, Haley chased down Warren at the end of a 41-yard run and forced a fumble recovered by Cole Brooks deep in Cherokee Bluff territory.
The game was stopped early in the fourth quarter due to lightning. The teams agreed to end the game there.
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