Nov. 23, 2009

Warriors win way into Class 4A final four

By Kurt Duryea

STEVENSON — The temperature, in the low forties at kickoff, may have created a chill in the stands Friday night, but the turf at R. D. Hicks Stadium was on fire as Cherokee County and North Jackson combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense. In the end, the Warriors (13-0) outdistanced the Chiefs (9-4), posting a 56-32 victory to gain a berth in the state semifinals.

The game unfolded like a heavyweight title fight, and the Warriors unleashed every weapon in their vast arsenal. North Jackson stood toe-to-toe with Warriors for a while. Every time the Chiefs went down, they pulled themselves up by the ropes, gathered their strength and started swinging again.

In the end, the crowd was treated to a 17-for-21, 299 yard, three-touchdown performance by Coty Blanchard. Not to be outgunned, Chiefs quarterback Will Richard completed 19 passes for 421 yards and four TDs. Neither signal caller was intercepted. Blanchard added two more TDs on the ground.

In addition to Blanchard's spectacular performance, the Warriors also got two-touchdown performances from Gabriel Chambers, Desmond Brown and D.J. Fife.

The Warriors landed the first punch. Four plays after receiving the opening kick, Blanchard found Chambers for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Isaac Jones tacked on the point-after, and was a perfect eight-for-eight in the game.

The Chiefs responded when Richard spotted Montel Hale for a 29-yard strike. Cesar Diaz kicked the extra point and the score was knotted at 7-7.

Colin Perry put the Chiefs on the ropes with a 48-yard kickoff return. Chambers gained 26 yards on a reverse to set-up Blanchard's first rushing touchdown from nine yards out with 8:13 left in the first.

But the Chiefs were still matching every punch. Richard found Jovani Taylor on consecutive passes of 54 and 19 yards. Then, Richard plunged across from the 1-yard line to tie the score, 14-14.

The Warriors' “lock-and-load” offense switched from single-shot to fully automatic as the Warriors ripped off three unanswered touchdowns. Fife, Brown and Blanchard all scored on the ground, pushing the score to 35-14 with 3:46 remaining in the half.

But the Chiefs were not ready to throw in the towel. Head Coach Shawn Peek went to work at halftime figuring out how to slow down the Warriors. Early in the third, Richard found Hale behind the Warrior secondary to cut the lead to 35-20.
 
Chiefs fans had no more that sat down when Blanchard found Chambers on a slant that he then stretched into a 74-yard touchdown. With 5:39 left in the third the Warriors took a commanding lead at 42-20.

Not to be outdone, Richard guided a seven-play drive that ended with a Kahne Cooper touchdown catch. The Chiefs were down by only two scores, but they were running out of time.

Then, Fife scampered down the right sideline for a 24-yard score at the beginning of the final quarter, giving Cherokee County a 49-26 advantage.

After another TD pass by Richard with nine minutes remaining, Blanchard closed out the scoring with an 11-yard pass to Brown with just under six minutes to go.

“We played real well on offense and our kicking game was sound, and the front line blocked well,” Warriors coach Tripp Curry said after the game. “They are really getting the job done.”

Curry was happy with the defense, which shut down the Chiefs' running game.

“We did not expect them to throw this much,” he said. “But, in this round of the playoffs you have to be ready for anything.”

Cherokee County will host Deshler Friday for a chance to go to Tuscaloosa and play in the 4A state championship game on Dec. 4. The winner will advance to play either Jackson or Handley.