Goals remain the same for Cherokee football team

Cherokee head football coach Ben Floyd is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Indians, making him one of the more tenured coaches in the area.

The 2026-2028 AHSAA reclassification did little to change the schedule for the upcoming year as far as CHS is concerned.

Waterloo, Addison, Vina, Belgreen, Phillips, Meek and Hackleburg remain, with the only change in Class 1A, Region 7 coming in the form of a swap from Shoals Christian to Red Bay.

Belgreen begins its first season as a full AHSAA member and potential playoff contender, while Red Bay is facing its first-ever season in 1A.

Cherokee also has Vina and Tharptown on the schedule, both of whom dropped out of region play to focus on the upcoming junior varsity classes due to a lack of varsity numbers.

“Football is for the love of the game,” Floyd said. “We decided to keep Vina and Tharptown on the schedule to help them out. It’s tough to find 1A opponents in our area outside of the region and try to keep these guys motivated.”

While the Indians have a number of strong opponents on the schedule, the biggest focus will be on the program itself and trying to better a 1-9 record from last season.

“We knew last year was going to be a tough season because we graduated 12 seniors,” Floyd said. “We knew coming into last season we had a lot of holes to fill. Size wise our offensive line is the best we’ve had in five years as far as overall size and strength.

“When I first started it was a struggle getting guys to come out and play. Recruiting the halls has been the biggest thing for me. I can usually convince kids to at least come out and try it.”

Though he only has around 28 players, Floyd said he has players like Will Davis and Cade Tice who have stepped up.

“This year we have several weapons coming in,” he said.