Despite having lost 13 consecutive games dating back to a second-round playoff loss in 2007, the Warriors still managed to hold a 10-7 lead on Harrison last week at Tommy Baker Field, before falling to the Hoyas, 21-16.
It was a moral victory to be sure, but it wasn't a win. But in lieu of wins, moral victories are what this team needs right now.
"I think it's important that we have to at least play well if we aren't going to win," Cherokee coach Brian Dameron said. "We knew coming into last week's ball game that we had to play better after laying an egg against Sequoyah like we did (in a 33-7 loss two weeks ago)."
So, when Marietta (1-1, 0-1) visits tonight in a Region 5AAAAA clash, expect the Warriors (0-2, 0-1) to play hard - and tough - because they could get that elusive victory they've been working so hard to get.
"It's a challenge for us this week to make a step forward," Dameron said. "We hope to win the football game, but we have to see continued progress with this group of kids that we're playing with.
"There were some positive things out of the Harrison game, but we still did the things that cost us the Sequoyah game. We're still making too many mistakes and, hopefully, we'll take a step forward and start to erase those mistakes and play better."
Marietta coach James "Friday" Richards sees a lot of talent on the Cherokee sideline and expects tonight's game to be a good one.
"Cherokee has a good team," Richards said. "After watching their film against Harrison, you can see that they have talent. We can't overlook them, or else we'll be staring at 0-2 in the region."
Dameron is also expecting to see the Blue Devils play some great football.
"They're solid with coach Friday doing the same kind of things offensively and defensively from last season," he said. "The biggest thing is they are still talented and (running back Greg) Franklin is a heck of a ball player. He's matured and he's even better this year (than he was last year)."
Tonight will be a big region game for both squads, with the loser falling two games back in the loss column. The winner, however, would have a leg up over the competition for a potential playoff spot in case of a tiebreaker.
In order to win tonight, the Warriors must get better pass protection and more consistent blocking out of their offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the defensive front will have to put more pressure on the ball and dictate the action at the line of scrimmage. The Warriors linebackers will also have to make itself known.
Dameron saw these as the keys to his football team coming away with a victory over Marietta.
"What we're supposed to do on our offensive and defensive lines will be huge," he said. "We have to play better in the trenches. I'm looking for our offensive line to do a better job of coming off the ball and moving their feet.
"Defensively, we have to do a better job playing at linebacker. We have to step up there and make tackles and do some things where we don't have to panic early if we get down."
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