Daily Dive: Cherokee Bluff exits week one looking like a contender

Cherokee Bluff answered the biggest questions posed following the Bears’ historic 2024 season. The 2024 season saw the Bears make it past the second round of the playoffs for the first time. However, the team lost a lot of key players, leading to some questions entering the season. A 31-21 victory over Lumpkin County, however, answered most of those questions.

The biggest question entering the season was who would replace Brooks Brien after the most successful passing season in school history. The offseason saw a battle between senior Cooper Dean and sophomore CJ Payne. Dean left camp as the starter, and in his first game, he had a solid performance, completing 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

A huge help for the team is at the skill positions, where the Bears return a lot of talent. Wide receiver Malcolm Millsap caught both of the team’s touchdowns and had over 100 yards. Running back Jackson Pirkle also rushed for over 100 yards on the night. Relieving some pressure from Dean.

On the other side of the ball, there were some major questions, mainly centered around the front seven, with the team losing nearly its entire linebacker corps after last season, including four-year starter Connor Griffin. After giving up 14 points in the second quarter, the defense settled down, holding the Indians to only seven second-half points.

While the secondary had its struggles, especially early in the game, it showed the ability to create turnovers, intercepting two passes from Lumpkin County quarterback Mason Hester.

The only major question moving forward will be how the Bears defend bigger wide receivers. The Bears struggled to stop 6-foot-4 receiver Martin Hulsey, who accumulated 108 yards and two touchdowns. This will need to be addressed if the Bears want to contend for a state title.

While there is still undoubtedly a long way to go, and many more questions for the Bears to answer, the team leaves Week 1 with far more of its offseason questions answered than unknown, and should be viewed as a dangerous team moving forward.

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