Chiefs batten down the hatches as Cyclones scheduled to invade Rogersville
Published 8:30 am Wednesday, September 6, 2023
- Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton's head coach will lead his Cyclones against Cherokee on Friday night in Rogersville.
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
There is no doubt that the one thing that the Cherokee Chiefs need right now in their 2023 football season is a win. The Chiefs are off to an 0-3 start, having been burned at the stake last week by the Greeneville Green Devils to the tune of 69-0 after already losing to Cocke County and David Crockett.
However, fans in Rogersville may have another long night in store come Friday night as the red-hot Elizabethton Cyclones (3-0, 1-0) invade town for their fourth straight road contest coming off a 65-14 manhandling of conference foe Grainger Co. last week in Rutledge.
The Cyclones want to take care of business early as they prepare to come home to Citizens Bank Stadium for their first home contest of the 2023 season next week against Daniel Boone.
However, they are not by no means going to overlook the Chiefs, who would love nothing better than handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season.
“This is the fourth game on a long road trip and we just want to make sure to keep the momentum and execute more on offense,” said Cyclone head coach Shawn Witten. “We want to continue to spread the ball around and see if we can make a lot of plays. I want to just see us finish the game really strong and keep this thing rolling.”
The one thing that is scary for teams is that the Cyclones are not a one-dimensional team, as each week, more and more players are stepping up into the spotlight. Kaleb Holzer, Zeth Mullins, Luke Whaley, and Jeriah Griffin are just a few names but last week another offensive target stepped onto the scene in senior Cam Baker.
Baker had three rushes for 64 yards and a score.
“The running back positions have been by committee,” said Witten. “Cam Baker had a big game last week and we just want to continue to get more people involved. You know, really for our offense, it’s just how much our quarterbacks can handle. We just want to keep their confidence going as they get a better grasp of the offense.”
Elizabethton has continued to flex its muscles defensively and as a result, the Cyclones are putting points on the board from that effort. Last week against Grainger Co., linebacker Landry Buckles had a pick six and the Cyclone defense also recorded a safety.
The defense is anchored by the front tackles of Landon Hughes and Eli Guess along with the defensive end play of Ben Adams, Andrew Blevins, and D-1 prospect Mason Ball.
Friday’s game markets the fourth game of the season with the first home game being the midway point of the season. The season is like a runaway locomotive and goes by quickly. In Witten’s eyes, you can’t look too far ahead.
“Once it starts, it goes by fast. We are ready to get back home and play in front of our home crowd. It’s just another opportunity as we take one day at a time, and one game at a time,” said Witten.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 pm.
