Sprayberry Football

Time Runs Out for Chiefs Against Raiders
by Matt Nascone
Cherokee Tribune Sports Correspondent
September 23, 2012 01:02 AM

CANTON — Confusion in the waning seconds of a 20-14 loss to Riverwood cost Sequoyah a chance at its second win of the season.

The Chiefs (1-2) trailed 20-7 at halftime, but with 50 seconds to go in the game, they were closing in on victory.

After gaining 11 yards on the next two plays, it looked as if Sequoyah had a first down at Riverwood’s 6-yard line, but the clock kept running and, two plays later, the result was a turnover on downs.

Sequoyah coach James Teter made no excuses for the loss.

“You can’t spot a good team like that 20 points,” he said. “They scored 20 points on some big plays, and our offense could not get it going.”

Sequoyah scored the opening points of the game on a 1-yard touchdown run from Blake Ingleton on the opening drive of the game. Riverwood (4-0) stormed back and scored the next 20 points for the 20-7 halftime lead.

The Chiefs allowed 254 total offensive yards and seven first downs in the first half. Sequoyah managed only 157 yards of total offense in the first half.

“I told the kids at halftime that we were not losing because of our defense,” Teter said. “The defense was making plays, but the offense was not executing.”

Riverwood didn’t get a first down in the second half until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter and managed a mere 57 yards of offense.

Teter said he was proud of how his defense stepped in the second half after getting gashed for a big play near the end of the first half. Riverwood running back Tyler Blake took an option pitch 89 yards for a touchdown with 3:08 remaining in the first half.

That score was the last time Riverwood got close to the end zone, but, in a sloppy third quarter, Sequoyah fumbled away a few positive drives. The Chiefs fumbled three times in the second half, losing possession twice.

“We turned the ball over way too many times in that third quarter,” Teter said. “If we could have scored a touchdown on one of those drives, we could have been leading 21-20 late in the game.”

After the teams combined for three lost fumbles in three straight possessions, Ingleton cut the Riverwood lead to 20-14 with a 7-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Read more: Cherokee Tribune - Time runs out for Chiefs

Warriors win return game of old rivalry, hand new coach Shaw his first victory
by Zac Diodati
Cherokee Tribune Sports Writer
September 08, 2012 02:07 AM

CANTON — After a two-year hiatus, one of the county’s long-standing rivalries was back in action Friday night, with Sequoyah and Cherokee battling at Tommy Baker Field.

This edition proved to be a thriller, with Cherokee dominating the fourth quarter and taking a 38-28 victory over visiting Sequoyah.

Cherokee quarterback Spencer Ashley connected with receiver Armony Parker on the right side of the field for a 40 yard touchdown that proved to be the decisive play in the contest. Parker broke multiple tackles and fought to stay in bounds on the play, which gave Cherokee (1-10) a 31-28 lead with 8:34 remaining in the game.

“I had to get to the end zone,” Parker said. “I just kept moving. I wanted the end zone so bad.”

Parker led the Warriors with four catches for 64 yards. Ashley finished the game completing 13 of 21 passes for 177 yards.

The game certainly started in Cherokee’s favor, when junior Treyvon Simmons took the opening kickoff 75 yards to the end zone, putting the Warriors up 7-0 just 11 seconds into the first quarter. Simmons left the game late in the first half with what an apparent ankle injury.

Sequoyah (1-1) answered later in the quarter, when quarterback Lex Lauletta found Nick Falco wide-open in the back of the end zone for a 19-yard scoring pass, leveling the game at 7-all with just over 6 minutes left in the first period.

Tailback Blake Ingleton, coming off a 297-yard performance at River Ridge, picked up where he left off last week, gaining 128 yards in the first half, including a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14 midway through the second quarter.

Ingleton, who finished with 207 yards on 24 carries, also scored on a 73-yard reception later in the first half.

Cherokee’s Cesar Mijangos connected on a 20-yard field goal to close the first half, putting the Warriors up 24-21 heading into the locker room.

Sequoyah took its first lead of the game on a 10-yard run by Ingleton, but Cherokee’s defense would tighten its grip on the game in the fourth quarter. Lauletta was intercepted twice by Blace Brown and once by Brady Sandercock to seal the victory for Cherokee.

“We can’t make mistakes late in a game by committing turnovers and throwing interceptions,” Sequoyah coach James Teter said. “That’s what happened. We missed opportunities in the second half. We had a chance to go up by two scores in the third quarter, and we turned the ball over.

“Thankfully, we have two weeks to prepare for our next game, and we need to learn from these mistakes.”

After Parker’s acrobatic run-after-catch in the fourth quarter, Cherokee’s Hunter Wingfield put the icing on the cake with a 50-yard touchdown run with just over 5 minutes remaining.

“We put forth a lot of effort in strength and conditioning during this summer,” said Cherokee coach Josh Shaw, who earned the first victory of is head-coaching career after previously working as the lead assistant at Etowah. “We executed and we outlasted our opponent.”

Friday’s win was just the seventh for Cherokee in 19 meeting with its cross-county rival.

“Any time you win a rivalry game like this, it’s great for the community” Shaw said.

We opened up the game kicking off to Cherokee, the first Cherokee county high school rivalry facing off again, in which they immediately ran the ball in for a touchdown. However discouraging this may have been for the boys, they refused to let it get to them.

Nick Falco, #23, answered with a beautifully completed touchdown pass with 6:09 left in the first quarter. Despite our hard work, though, Cherokee managed to pull off another touchdown, making the score 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Blake Ingleton, #2, managed two touchdowns amidst another touchdown and a field goal from Cherokee.

One of the runs by Blake was a proud 60 yard run, which had the student section in an uproar. As halftime rolls around, we're only down by three, with the scoreboard showing 21-24. The Chiefs entered the third quarter with a passion and fierceness even greater than they had gone into the game with.

With 7:17 left in the third quarter, Blake scores yet another touchdown, bringing us into the lead, 28-24. Following this, Tito Terrientes, #48, sacks Cherokee's quarterback on their fourth down, returning the ball to the Sequoyah. Colin Dozier, #52, and Jake Garner, #21, followed in Tito's footsteps, sacking Cherokee's quarterback two more times before the end of the quarter.

In addition to that, Dozier and Daniel McKune, #67, sacked the quarterback again at the beginning of the fourth quarter. with 10:35 left in the fourth, Desmond Austin, #20, prevents Cherokee from scoring another touchdown on the one- yard line. Despite our efforts, however, the Warriors managed another touchdown with 8:35 left in the game, bringing the score to 28-31.

Dustin Dawson, #3, made an impressive 60 yard run on punt return. However, we came up empty- handed in terms of a touchdown. With 5:05 left in the game, Cherokee scores again, making the final score 28-38. It was a disappointing end to an edgy game, but the Chiefs hold their heads high, knowing that the 21st will open up a new window of opportunity to win again. 

This is a bye week for the Chiefs so we hope to see all our fans at the home opener against Riverwood on September 21.

MAP > Jim Frazier Stadium,
Sprayberry High School,
Marietta, GA, 30066

This was the first face- off between the two, so the tension was high and excitement was pulsing. Since the first day of school, talk of the American- themed game was circulating, building suspense for the big day. Arriving at the game was thrilling. Walking into the stadium, our student section radiated red, white and blue. Cheerleaders sported American flag bows, students decorated shirts, shorts, and their faces, and during the national anthem, an enormous hand- made American flag was held up as every voice raised in unison to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Sequoyah’s student section abounded with not only “Chief Nation” pride, but also with American pride.

The game got off to a great start. The stands shook beneath our feet, excitement exploding as J.F. Harris, #12, kicked off to the Knights. Throughout the first quarter, the student section rocked numerous chants and cheers, but nothing compared to the ballistic screaming we encountered as Blake Ingleton, #2, scored the first touchdown of the night. The Chiefs went wild, celebrating the 57 yard run completed as a team effort.

Throughout the first quarter, the Knights were denied the satisfaction of an opening touchdown, which kept Sequoyah in high spirits. In the second quarter, Jake Garner, #21, scored a 3 yard touchdown, making the score 14-0. Ingleton followed with a 6 yard touchdown. However, just before halftime, River Ridge managed to score a touchdown to make the score 21-7.

Halftime was suspenseful. It seemed like hours had gone by waiting for the next big scene on the field. But it wasn’t long before the student section was on its feet cheering for Frank Ibar, #8, who scored a 45 yard touchdown halfway through the third quarter. We’re winning 34-7 at the beginning of the fourth.

River Ridge picks up another touchdown, but at this point the Chiefs are so far ahead that the 7 extra points didn’t affect the spirit of the fans. It looks to me like this is the beginning of the end of the Chiefs’ first game of the 2012 football season. Blake Ingleton picks up a 67 yard run after Daniel Mckune, #67, stops River Ridge from making another touchdown. With 6:00 left in the game, Blake scores yet another touchdown, making the score a lofty 41-7. The game ended with the Chiefs on the winning end of a 41-14 game. I have never seen the student section in such an uproar. This was a game to remember, and a great way to start off the season.