On a chilly Friday night, the Alpharetta Raiders stayed hot and are now headed to the second round of the state playoffs.
Miles Smith scored two touchdowns, and Rustin Suter came up with multiple big plays in key situations to lift Alpharetta to a 21-18 win over Cherokee in the first round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs at the Raiders’ stadium.
Alpharetta has won 10 straight games since dropping its opener to Milton and will host McEachern next week in the second round.
Smith scored on a 5-yard run in the first and a 35-yard catch and run in the third quarter that put the Raiders (10-1) up 21-9.
Cherokee rallied back in with nine straight points in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. Warriors’ dual-threat back Brittain Brown caught a swing pass from quarterback Spencer Ashley, slipped a tackle and raced 42 yards for a score to cut the deficit to 21-16 with nine minutes left.
Cherokee got within a field goal on a safety off an errant Alpharetta snap that went through the end zone with seven minutes to play.
But the Alpharetta defense came up with stops on Cherokee’s last two possessions, and Michael Kolesar sealed the win with an interception. Matt Moore also had an interception to thwart a second-half Cherokee threat, and standout defensive end Andrew Butcher had three sacks for the Raiders.
Alpharetta quarterback Austin King completed 18 of 34 attempts for 302 yards with touchdowns to Smith and Suter, who had a big night.
Suter caught seven passes for 167 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown on a 3rd and 24 in the first half. Suter also caught a 42-yard pass late in the fourth quarter to help the Raiders chew up the clock.
Alpharetta took a 14-9 lead into the locker room, after an exciting back-and-forth first half. Smith scored on a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter. Cherokee regained the lead with a 7-yard touchdown scamper by Ashley. Butcher blocked the extra point, but the Warriors lead 9-7 early in the second quarter. Alpharetta answered with an 8-play, 72-yard drive, capped by King’s touchdown pass to Suter.
Cherokee (7-4) was making its first playoff appearance since 2007. The Warriors’ seven wins matched their win total from the past three seasons combined.
About the Author
