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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.






2024 Team Previews 

  


Cherokee Indians

Head Coach: Ben Floyd (fifth season)
Career Record: 4 seasons, (7-33)
At Cherokee: 4 seasons, (7-33)
Stadium: W.L. Harris Stadium
2024 Enrollment:  110
Rank:  365th in the AHSAA, 34th in Class 1A

 History 
Overall Record:   404-464-18   (46.0%)
Last 25 years:   84-174   (33.0%)  (Rank: 325th in the AHSAA, 46th in Class 1A)
Since 2010:   42-102  (29.2%)  (Rank: 347th in the AHSAA, 50th in Class 1A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2018
Last Region Championship:   1999
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2022

 2023 
Class:  1A              Region:   8
Record:  5-5
Region Record:   3-4, (fifth)
Playoff Record:   Did not qualify.
Final ASWA Poll:   Not Ranked
Scoring:  308 (30.8)
Defense:  218 (21.8)


 2024 
Class: 1A              Region:   7
Strength of Schedule: 40-53 (43%) (334th in the AHSAA, 42nd in Class 1A)
Region Strength:  33-40 (45%)
Non-Region Strength:  7-13 (35%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  @ Brindlee Mountain  (3A)   38-6   W  
 9/1  vs. Waterloo  (1A)  *  48-0   W  
 9/8  @ Addison  (1A)  *  6-54   L  
 9/15  @ Phillips Bear Creek  (1A)  *  62-20   W  
 9/22  vs. Shoals Christian  (1A)  *  12-16   L  
 9/29  @ Tharptown  (2A)   70-28   W  
 10/6  @ Sheffield  (2A)   8-27   L  
 10/12  @ Vina  (1A)  *  46-0   W  
 10/20   OPEN 
 10/27  vs. Meek  (1A)  *  12-26   L  
 11/2  vs. Hackleburg  (1A)  *  6-41   L  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  vs. Colbert Heights  (3A)       
 8/30  vs. Woodville  (1A)       
 9/6  @ Waterloo  (1A)  *      
 9/13  vs. Addison  (1A)  *      
 9/20  vs. Vina  (1A)  *      
 9/26  @ Belgreen  (Ind)       
 10/4  vs. Phillips Bear Creek  (1A)  *      
 10/11  @ Shoals Christian  (1A)  *      
 10/18  @ Meek  (1A)  *      
 10/25  @ Hackleburg  (1A)  *      
 11/1   OPEN 
 11/8  @ Lynn        


Class  1A Region  7
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Hackleburg (1A) 11-2 7-0434-201
Addison (1A) 8-3 6-1363-133
Meek (1A) 6-5 5-2320-229
Shoals Christian (1A) 5-6 4-3276-263
Cherokee (1A) 5-5 3-4308-218
Phillips Bear Creek (1A) 2-7 2-5118-375
Vina (1A) 1-8 1-686-383
Waterloo (1A) 0-9 0-7100-441

 2024 Preview 


       Cherokee completed the 2023 season with a 5-5 record. Last year Cherokee just missed making the playoffs with a fifth place finish in Class 1A region eight with a 3-4 region record.

       The Indians improved in 2023 with their first winning season since 2017. The Indians won as many games as in any season since 2017.

       Since 2010, Cherokee has gone a combined 42-102. Their 29.2% winning percentage ranks 50th in Class 1A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, Cherokee has not won much with a record of 84-174. Their 33.0% winning percentage ranks 46th in Class 1A and 325th in the AHSAA.

Head Coach:
       The Indians are led by head coach Ben Floyd who is entering his fifth season at the helm. He has compiled a record of 7-33 over the past four seasons at Cherokee. The Indians have yet to reach the playoffs under his direction. They have not won a region crown with Coach Floyd.

Season Outlook:

       The Cherokee Indians will play in Class 1A region seven during the 2024 season. Following realignment, the Indians remain in 1A but move from region eight over to region seven.

      

       The Cherokee Indians took a giant step in the right direction last season finishing 5-5 and just missing out on the playoffs. A last game loss to Hackleburg is all that kept them out of the post season. The last time they reached the playoffs was back in 2018.

       The previous four seasons they had won a total of two football games so that was a great improvement last year. Can they build on that recent success and get back to the playoffs in 2024?

    The Indians could find themselves challenging for one of the playoff spots for region seven this season with a few breaks and a little improvement. Cherokee has failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2018 but hope to return to the post season this year.

Players to Watch in 2024:
      QB Jon Schleifer will be returning for his senior season after completing 38-of-80 passes for 681 yards and 11 TDs last season. He added another 481 yards on the ground in 2023.

      RB Nathan Trent will also return after rushing for 507 yards and 8 TDs last season as a junior.

Returning Starters:
WR Mykel Goodloe, WR/FS Zontarius Hicks, G/DE Nikolas Curry

Season Opener:
       The Indians open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Colbert Heights on Friday, August 23 at W.L. Harris Stadium. Last year the Colbert Heights Wildcats finished with an overall record of 1-9 and in seventh place in Class 3A region eight. The Wildcats closed out the regular season with a loss to Decatur Heritage Christian by a score of 21-20.

       Cherokee and Colbert Heights have met a total of 49 times on the football field. The Indians have a 27-22-0 record against the Wildcats. They last met in 2019 with Colbert Heights winning by a score of 56-0.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

The first football game played by a high school team in Alabama was in 1892 when Central Birmingham (Phillips) lost to Alabama 56-0 on November 11.