By Will Grimes
Cherokee Tribune Sports Writer
Cherokee will come into tonight's matchup at Tommy Baker Field with Osborne hoping to shake off some rust before the playoffs start next week.
The Warriors (6-3, 5-3 Region 5AAAA) were undefeated after six games but have lost momentum, as they have dropped their last three contests to region opponents. Last week, Pebblebrook took down Cherokee, 28-27, to extend the Warriors' current skid to three games.
"That was a tough loss for us but I feel like we got better from the two weeks before when we weren't playing well on either side of the ball," said Cherokee head coach Brian Dameron.
The three losses have come to the top teams in Region 5AAAA - East Paulding, Douglas County and Pebblebrook. Despite the slump, the Warriors have already locked up a spot in the Class AAAA playoffs, owning the tiebreaking wins over Lithia Springs, Sequoyah and Alexander, which all sport 4-4 region records.
Despite the spot waiting for them in the playoff bracket, Cherokee will have to improve defensively against Osborne to gain back some confidence for the playoffs. The Warriors defense was exploited early and often by Douglas County in their first loss and East Paulding put on an impressive performance of their own against Cherokee, winning, 38-3, on the Warriors' home turf.
"We have a lot of injuries right now so hopefully we will be able to rest some guys and prepare ourselves for the playoffs," said Dameron. "That being said the game is still very imperative for us to play well and get back into the groove that we were in earlier in the season."
Osborne (0-9, 0-8) has had a rough go this season as they sit winless on the year. The Cardinals have improved in the last three weeks of the season, as their scoring output has increased.
The Cardinals struggled mightily on offense early in the year, being shut out in four of their first five games. Over the last three games, however, Osborne has more than tripled their points scored through the first six games of the year (41 to 13).
Last week, Osborne lost a tough, back-and-forth affair with Chapel Hill, 20-15. The Cardinals led late in the game but could not hold on for their first win since Oct. 26, 2006.
While Osborne has not had much success on the offensive side of the football this season, they will be going against a Cherokee defense that has given up 48, 38 and 28 points in the last three games. The Cardinals will likely look to sophomore quarterback Marquez Williams and senior running back Jonathan Williams to lead the way on offense.
Defensively, the Cardinals will have to play good assignment football as they take on Cherokee's triple option attack. Senior running back John Valentine is likely to see at least 20 carries for the Warriors and teammate Matt Blaylock will also see significant time as a change of pace back.
If Osborne is to have any success against Cherokee, it must win the battles up front and keep the game close early on. If the Warriors can find a groove early on with their offense, it could be another long night for the Cardinals.
"Osborne has a really athletic group of kids and we are going to have to be ready," said Dameron. "We are going to have to tackle well and hopefully we can finish up the regular season on a high note."
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