Sept. 18, 2010
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Warriors win shootout with Butler, 63-52 By Roy Mitchell BOBBY JOE JOHNSON FIELD – Warriors fans witnessed a homecoming slugfest for the ages as Cherokee County outlasted Butler 63-52 here Friday night. The winning tally for the Warriors was the most since 1939, and the highest total Butler has ever allowed. The combined 115 points also set new marks for both programs. Ironically, the pivotal play of the 16-touchdown blitzkrieg was a defensive stop. Late in the third quarter, Centre led 42-36. Having already converted on eight third-down plays, Butler (1-3, 1-2) faced another with 14 yards to go on their own 39-yard line. At the snap, workhorse Rebel back Jamal Akins received the pigskin and was promptly mauled by senior Matt Carter. After Butler failed to convert on fourth-and- 22, the Warriors took over the ball on the Rebel 31. After a quick score, Cherokee County took what would prove to be an insurmountable two-touchdown advantage. “We were fortunate to get the one stop and get the ball back,” Coach Tripp Curry said after the game. “That was the difference in the ball game.” Except for Sherie Fife, who was named homecoming queen, the night belonged to the Warriors' Brett Burgess. The senior quarterback rushed for 143 yards and five scores, tacked on a two-point conversion, and heaved a touchdown pass. To the witticisms of announcer Ricky Ray, Burgess began the barrage with a two-yard touchdown scamper on the game's opening drive. Butler, clad in white and forest green, promptly scored behind Akins. The senior also registered impressive totals: 118 rushing yards and a touchdown, and 233 yards in the air and three scores. As nimble as the Warrior cheerleaders introduced in pre-game, the Warriors quickly scored their second touchdown in as many drives on a three-yard plunge by junior Patrick Lowe. At the end of the first quarter, the scores was 15-8. To the booming beat of the Butler band, the Rebels also cashed in on their second possession, an eight-yard reception by junior Justin Pride. Pride scored three touchdowns, and totaled 265 yards on 14 receptions and three carries. After a lost Warrior fumble on the ensuing kickoff and a Lowe interception, Cherokee County responded on sophomore D. J. McAllister's 11-yard grab. With the subtlety of lightning, the Rebels struck again with a 59-yard Pride touchdown. Sixty-two seconds later the Warriors, clad in black with golden trim, scored on another Burgess keeper. Cherokee County led 27-22 after a Burgess interception thwarted another Butler's drive just before the half. The lead would last for three plays as the 13 Warrior seniors witnessed Butler score again on a 60-yard reception by Pride. As fans on both sides watched the action move back and forth like a tennis match, the Warriors regained the lead with a three-play drive, Burgess's scoring on a 17-yard scamper. Butler's machine-gun attack quickly responded with sophomore Terrell Williams's nine-yard catch. Two and a half minutes later, Lowe rumbled for a Warrior score. Following the Warriors' game-changing defensive stand, Burgess put the Warriors up big, 50-36, to end the third quarter. In a game where neither punter took the field, Akins's subsequent score, a 35-yard scamper, brought Butler back to within six. After Trevor Lacey's fumble recovery, Warrior fans had reason to worry. Homecoming guests, the class of 1985, breathed a sigh of relief with Kenny Akin's pick-six all but sealed the win. Though both teams added another score apiece -- Butler junior Devreon Everson's six-yard reception and a 20-yard Burgess run -- the Warriors (3-1, 2-1) escaped with a precious region win. |