Today’s interviewee is Cherokee coach Joshua Shaw, whose team won 21-15 last week over then-No. 3 Rome of Class 6A. It was Cherokee’s first victory over a ranked team since 2013 (Etowah). Cherokee is 3-0 after an 8-4 season in which the Warriors lost two Region 4-7A games by a total of seven points, costing them the region title. They beat Region 2-7A champion Westlake in the first round.
Joshua Shaw, Cherokee head coach
1. How was the Rome game won? What were the key points in the game? “Our players rose to the occasion and believed that they could win the game from the opening kickoff. I think battling through some adversity a week earlier [down 20-14 at half against Sequoyah] is what gave them the confidence that they were a good team and could compete with a team like Rome. We had a couple different turning points in the game. Beyond the first two drives (scored 14 points) where A.J. Swann and Adarrius Harshaw played about as perfectly as they could, the first turning point was Austin Trimble intercepting a pass in the end zone with 12 seconds before halftime. They had first down at the 4 and threw a fade to No. 5 [Jay Wise] that Trimble made a great play on. Had Rome scored there and then received the opening kickoff to begin the second half, I think the outcome might have been different. The second turning point was the first play of the fourth quarter. They had a second-and-goal from the 6-yard line, and [defensive coordinator] Davis Harvey sent our Jack [linebacker] on a blitz. The Rome QB was running a bootleg into the blitz, and Will Ross sacked him for an 18-yard loss. This forced Rome to kick a field goal.”
2. What does beating a successful program like Rome’s do for your team? “We lost two close games last season by a total of six points, one in OT. If we win either of those games, we would have won the region title for only the second time in school history. Instead, we ended up the No. 4 seed. I scheduled Rome because I knew it would be a great test to get us ready for our region schedule and the type of team we would see in the playoffs, especially with the addition of Milton [in Region 5-7A]. A program like Rome and coach like John Reid carry a lot of weight in this state. They are two years removed from back-to-back state championships, so it was a tremendous opportunity for our program to receive some recognition and prove ourselves.”
3. What would you tell people who aren’t familiar with Cherokee about your team? You had a QB, WR and RB who were first-team all-region last year. We’re particularly curious about them. "Our program’s motto is the 3 T’s … Together, Toughness and Turnovers! Our players believe in that and play like that. We also have some extremely talented players top to bottom. We may not have a bunch of five-stars, but we have a lot of players that are extremely skilled.
[As for the QB, WR and RB ... ] “All three are some of the best I have had at their positions and will not pay a dime for college. A.J. Swann is like having our offensive coordinator [Justin Pearce] on the field. Rarely does he make a bad decision, and there isn’t a throw that he can’t make. The second TD to Adarrius vs. Rome, he was falling backwards and still had the strength to get the ball to the back corner of the end zone. Keith Adams Jr. is an extremely powerful back. He has tree trunks for legs and is a punishing runner and has added an additional gear this season, which is evident by his long TDs already. Adarrius Harshaw is probably the fastest kid in this region. He runs great routes, has great hands and is tough as can be. Rarely can he be covered man to man. And all three are only juniors.”
4. In 2019, you were close to a region title but finished fourth, then beat region champion Westlake in the playoffs. How have those experiences affected or motivated the current team and its goals? “We were extremely disappointed to not have won the region last year. This is Cherokee’s 65th year of football, and we have only one region championship in school history. So it hurt to be that close and know that we didn’t ‘finish.’ Going on the road to upset Westlake did take away some of the disappointment. It has been something we have talked about all offseason, and it definitely has been motivation for our players and coaches. We have goals to ‘finish’ this season, with a region title and to host a playoff game.”
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