Cherokee eyeing postseason return

After two winless seasons and back-to-back 1-9 records in 2021 and 2022, the only possible direction for the Cherokee Indians was up.

They might have been the surprise of the season for schools in Colbert County, as Cherokee earned a 5-5 record in 2023 and fell just one win shy of its first playoff appearance since 2018.

Fifth-year head coach Ben Floyd said his current crop of players are some of the most experienced he has had.

“This group of seniors have been starting since they were in seventh grade,” he said. “We are looking forward to this season. Last year we had a little bit of success. We saw some things change. This year we should build on top of that and have a good season.”

Cherokee switches from Region 8 to Region 7 in Class 1A but will have the exact same region opponents as the previous two years. That means lots of opponents the Indians are familiar with.

However, one major schedule change is the return of the rivalry game against Colbert Heights. Floyd said in the offseason he contacted CHHS head coach Tyler Jeffreys about the return of the matchup, and the Wildcats agreed.

That game will be the season opener on Aug. 23.

“We picked up Colbert Heights this year,” Floyd said. “That used to be a big rivalry game. Everybody in the community loves playing Colbert Heights. That’s the first game of the season, so hopefully it draws a big crowd. I’m looking forward to it.”

Beyond that, the rematch with Shoals Christian, the team that kept CHS out of the playoffs last season, is one the whole team is looking forward to.

“For the past three years we had a 0-10, 1-9 and 1-9 season,” Floyd said. “We fell one game short of the playoffs last year when we lost to Shoals Christian. It was a real tight game. I think these guys, a lot of them have circled that game, because they know that’s a team we have to beat to get in.”

Now that Cherokee has managed to put more wins in the column, Floyd said he and his players are looking to do even better in 2024.

“These guys are hungry,” he said. “We changed the offense up last year and scored a lot more points. That’s a credit to then guys, too. It makes it more exciting than running the ball every play.”