Danger alert… Cyclones have to be careful of falling into trap against Cherokee

Published 12:44 am Friday, September 27, 2019

When the Cherokee Chiefs come rolling into E-Town tonight, it might be a good idea to have ‘Danger’ signs posted around the Elizabethton High School campus to warn the players and coaches that this game isn’t going to be the typical homecoming game that they anticipated when deciding it was going to be the homecoming game.

Why one may ask?

Very simply put – the Cherokees are a team that is very, very good coming into the contest with an unblemished record of 5-0 in 2019 after going 1-9 last season and putting up a ton of points thanks in part to the return of senior signal-caller Caleb Trent who has posted phenomenal numbers to this stage both with his feet and his arm.

One person who has been eyeing the situation all week is Elizabethton head football coach Shawn Witten who said this game has the potential in his words of being a ‘trap’ game as the week has been filled with so many distractions from dress-up days to voting for the Homecoming Queen along with today’s pep rally.

He knows his team had better strap on the helmets tight and be fully aware of Trent and the rest of the Chiefs.

“Where we are at with it being Homecoming week and facing a team that is 5-0 and playing with a lot of confidence and a team that is coming in that was 1-9 a year ago we had marked down as a Homecoming-type game. It’s not your typical week and for us, it’s almost halfway through the season so there are a lot of distractions and festivities that are different than in a normal week,” Witten said.

“For us, it’s all about the mental preparation for our guys to understand that there is a game tonight and for us to come out with a big win we have to make sure that we prepare.”

With a player of Trent’s caliber, one of the most important things is to account for the senior quarterback on every play and keep him contained forcing someone else to have to make the plays for the Chiefs.

“There has to be a huge attention to detail defensively. Your best defense is your best offense so we have to a good job of scoring and maximize our possessions on offense. Defensively, it comes down to being disciplined and making sure we know who has the quarterback and which guy is spying the quarterback on certain situations,” Witten continued.

“Defensive backs have to do a great job of staying in coverage when he starts scrambling and make plays. There are not many quarterbacks that I have seen in 13 years that have the ability to make plays with their feet and their arm. What separates him is his football IQ in his decision making and he is a hungry young man who is working to having a great year.”

The Cyclones will be countering Trent with a bevy of weapons including Bryson Rollins, Parker Hughes, Cade Maupin, Zach C. Hartley, and an offensive and defensive line that has done a great job all season.

One thing that has to be eliminated this week, however, is the number of penalties as last week it seemed to be a flag-fest called against the Cyclones in their contest with Grainger County.

A large crowd is expected, a new Homecoming Queen will be crowned, and there will be an exciting football game on the field at Citizens Bank Stadium when action kicks off at 7:30 pm.