Last Wednesday, the Cherokee Varsity Girls Cross Country team won the District Champion-ship. James Beck earned bronze in the varsity boys division and will advance to regionals as well. Both JH Boys and Girls are also District Champions. Congrats to all the teams!
While our cross country teams dominated on the track, our foot-ball boys gained momentum on the field. Here are some words from Brooke Beck:
Friday night, October 7, 2022: two football teams, both alike in dignity in fair San Saba County where we lay our scene...
Please forgive the Shake-spearean language and drama, but for many fans of six-man football, Friday night’s game was nothing short of epic. It was the end of an era, the dawn of a new age, and as much a contest of knowledge and wisdom as athletic skill on the gridiron.
This battle has taken place almost every year since 1921 (www.lonestarfootball.net). Over that long period of time, there have been seasons of win-ning on each side. For much of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Cherokee triumphed over Rich-land Springs, but the Coyotes would soon enter a 21-year winning streak over the Indians. All of that came to an end Friday night when the Indians soundly defeated the Coyotes 78-47 on the Coyotes' own field.
Many of us remember the battle that ensued two years ago when the Indians stood toe to toe with the Coyotes in a contest that ended with a narrow Coyote victory of only three points (84-81). This was the first time in 10 years the Coyotes had not 45’d the Indians, with most of those games ending at halftime, and it was indicative of changes to come. Last year, the Indians were up by 15 points at halftime against our visitors from the northwest, but ended up losing that match 92-70. However, it was further evidence that Cherokee was a team that would not bow out at halftime unless they were on top.
Friday night, these two teams entered the field ranked second (Richland Springs) and third (Cherokee) in 1A/Six-Man Di-vision II (per Dave Campbell’s Texas Football). With more than 2,000 spectators in attendance, both teams knew what was at stake.
The Indians took the field as the underdogs, technically, but underdogs with a mission and an account to be settled. Things looked scary as RS ran the kick-off back for a touchdown in the opening seconds of the game, but it would be the second quarter before RS would score another touchdown.
Cherokee’s defense was im-pressive throughout the night. Senior corner, Matthew Gass, snagged an interception that certainly changed the nervous atmosphere of the first few minutes of the game for the Indians, and later on Joey Bond recovered a Coyote fumble that led to an Indian touchdown. In the last minutes of the game, Joel Valdez had an amazing tackle in the endzone that resulted in an Indian safety and two more points on the scoreboard. While these are stand-out moments from the game, the truth is that every time the Indians defended their terri-tory, every single player executed their job with grit and precision. They played like soldiers willing to do whatever was necessary to protect their teammates and their turf.
I could continue to list all of the amazing accomplishments from Friday night, but there are far greater experts in that area than I am. The way I would like to conclude this article is with a tribute to not only the players and coaches–who truly deserve the MOST praise–but also to the administrators and teachers of Cherokee ISD, the parents of these students, and the former coaches and athletes who have invested their time, efforts, and money to this program–the best is yet to come! These young men played with class and with integrity. Some of them played against very close friends, some played against family, and it was no easy task to play with such dignity. The fact that the Indians did this is evidence of being taught well both inside and outside of the classroom.
Finally, to the Coyotes, thank you for being worthy opponents and pushing us to aim past the high bar you've set.