The sixth-ranked North Cobb Warriors will seek to all-but lockdown their fourth region championship in five years tonight, and with a little help maybe even clinch it, when they play the Cherokee Warriors, who are suddenly fighting for their playoff lives.

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Our GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia coverage kicks off from Tommy Baker Field in Canton at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV statewide Georgia Public Broadcasting.

North Cobb can clinch the Region 5-6A title with a victory over Cherokee and losses by Walton vs. Etowah and Wheeler at North Paulding. Even if the stars don’t align and all that happens this evening, a North Cobb victory tonight means the Warriors eighth all-time region title is a near inevitability.

Meantime Cherokee finds itself in a tough spot after starting the season 4-2 and 2-0 in the region. Back-to-back losses at Wheeler and vs. Walton by a combined eight points have these Warriors scrapping to make the playoffs. A win tonight would go a long way toward getting Cherokee back in the postseason after missing out last year but would by no means secure a berth.

The Teams

North Cobb (7-0, 3-0 Region 5-6A) has won its first seven games in dominant fashion with those seven wins coming by an average of three touchdowns a game. It’s the Warriors’ first 7-0 season start since North Cobb was ranked No. 1 in the state and went 10-0 in the 2007 regular season only to be upset by defending state champion Peachtree Ridge in the first round of the playoffs that year.

The North Cobb program has gone 43-11 over the last five seasons under 19th-year Head Coach Shane Queen, who is the second all-time winningest coach in Cobb County history behind the legendary Jimmy Dorsey. Queen says concentrating on “the little things and not beating themselves,” has been the focus of the season as the Warriors have been knocked out of the playoffs in either the first or second round six times since reaching the 2016 quarterfinals and nine times since coming within one win of playing for the state championship in 2012 when North Cobb was beaten in the state semifinals. The quarterback back then was a sophomore named Tyler Queen who is now on his dad’s staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Cherokee (4-4, 2-2) is led by 31-year-old Head Coach Adam Holley in his first season after two years as the OC at Calhoun. He also had stops at Cartersville, Lee County and Whitewater where Holley got his first job on his dad Brian Holley’s staff after graduating from West Georgia. Holley played QB for the Wolves after leading Starr’s Mill to the 2010 state championship game as a senior, passing for more than 1,600 yards and rushing for more than 1,100 yards that season.

Holley replaced Josh Shaw who had coached Cherokee for the past 12 seasons. Shaw is now the inside wide receivers coach on Shane Queen’s staff at North Cobb no doubt making this a very interesting game for him and many of his former players who still play for Cherokee.

Learning how to win the close games has been Cherokee’s biggest challenge in Holley’s first season. All four of their losses have been by a TD or less.

This will be the 31st all-time meeting between the two teams with North Cobb leading the series 18-12 having won the last two years by a combined 88-37 and four straight and five of the last six in the series. Cherokee’s last win in the series was 2009 and last home win 1990.

The Match-Up

North Cobb Offense – The Warriors have always been a physical, aggressive, hard-hitting team and that’s reflected in 269 yards-per-game rushing attack that has rolled-up 41 points-per-game. It’s led by third-year QB Nick Grimstead who came on as a sophomore and became the starter when Malachi Singleton got hurt in his senior season. That’s the same Malachi Singleton who came off the bench in the fourth quarter last Saturday to lead Arkansas to a 19-14 upset win over fourth-ranked Tennessee.

Brandon Anderson, North Cobb

Brandon Anderson, North Cobb

Credit: 247 Sports

While Singleton was a four-star QB at North Cobb, Grimstead has not had nearly the same recruiting interest. Primarily because he’s 6-0, 185 pounds, but he’s been no less important to the Warriors’ success. He’s thrown for 1,051 passing yards with 12 TD and no interceptions this season while also rushing for 447 yards and 6 TD. Grimstead has seven offers including Austin Peay, Fort Valley State and Morehouse.

North Cobb’s running game boasts two big running backs in 5-11, 210, freshman Nick Belyeu who’s rushed for 695 yards and 8 TD and just picked-up an offer from App State as a ninth grader. 6-0, 220, junior Quavy Echols has run for 447 yards and 8 TD.  Grimstead’s top pass-catching target is junior WR Steele Ingram 23-542 yards receiving with 7 TD. Ingram has four offers including Miami of Ohio and Coastal Carolina. The offensive line is led by the highest-rated prospect in the game, 6-4, 320, junior 4-star Brandon Anderson who is rated as high as the No. 6 OT in the country in 2026 with 20 offers including Alabama and Auburn. He says he will announce his decision December 14.

North Cobb Defense – The strength is without a question the defensive line but we’ll start with 6-0, 205, senior LB Cooper Negron who is second in the state with 87 total tackles. Negron has four offers including Berry and Sewanee. Now to the DL led by 3-Star Georgia Tech commit Kam Cullins at NG and East Carolina commit Dom Moody at DE. The other DE position is split between Orlando Wilson who is nearly all the way back from an ACL injury last season and offered by Sewanee, and Bryce Wilson who has four offers including Morehouse. The secondary is led by safety Dy’lon Womack who is tied for second in 6A with four interceptions and has 15 offers including Liberty, Kennesaw State and Troy.

Tanner Savasir, Cherokee

Tanner Savasir, Cherokee

Credit: Hudl

Cherokee Offense – Remember last week when we televised Marist at St. Pius? Well Cherokee will pass the ball more than those two teams combined … likely in its first series of the game. And why not when you have the No. 1 passer in the state of Georgia and the Warriors do in senior, three-year starter Tanner Savasir who’s thrown for 2,231 yards. He’s also second in the state with 146 completions and eighth with 20 TD passes. Savasir has also become a threat with his legs, much like his coach was in high school, and is Cherokee’s leading rusher with close to 400 yards which also makes him No.1 in the state averaging 328 yards of total offense per game. Despite all this, 6-0, 200 lbs. Savasir has only three offers from Millsaps, Reinhardt and Point.

Cherokee has six players with at least 16 receptions on the season led by TE Wyatt Tash 30-542 yards receiving and 4 TD. The 6-2, 225 lbs. Tash is fifth in 6A in receiving yards and has an offer from Reinhardt. 6-3, 200 lbs. senior WR Izzy Conway (26-426-3 TD) has been offered by Warner and Sewanee and 6-2, 215, senior Gracen Sexton who also starts at linebacker, has six offers including Berry and Reinhardt and is 20-273 yards receiving with 1 TD. The “little guy” in that receiving corps is 5-10, 165, senior Malakiah Echols who leads the team with 8 TD catches on 30-424 receiving.

6-0, 235, senior RB Christian Irwin has been offered by Millsaps and Reinhardt and leads the team with eight rushing TD. The OL is led by 6-0, 255, senior LT Spencer Kelly who has an offer from NCAA Division III Beloit in Wisconsin.

Cherokee Defense – Will face a serious challenge trying to slow down North Cobb. Cherokee is giving up 30.6 PPG but isn’t without playmakers. Ball-hawking safety Jayce Jones who’s been offered by Sewanee is second in the state and leads 6A with 6 interceptions. Linebackers Brayden Nuckolls and Jayce Carson have combined for 129 total tackles. DE Charlie “Chuck” Dahlen leads the DL with 54 total tackles, 4 TFL and has an offer from Berry

Recruiting Game Guide

North Cobb Warriors

Seniors

Kam Cullins, North Cobb

Kam Cullins, North Cobb

Credit: 247Sports

#8 Kam Cullins – 6-3, 268, Senior – Committed to Georgia Tech June 20th over 26 other offers including SMU and Charlotte – Consensus 3-Star DL 2025

#55 Dominick Moody – 6-4, 267, Senior – Committed to East Carolina June 16th over Georgia Southern – Consensus 3-Star DL 2025

#3 Dy’lon Womack – 6-0, 170, Senior SAF – 15 offers including Liberty, Kennesaw State, and Troy

#1 Sincere Cyrill – 6-2, 185, Senior ATH – Committed to Elon over 4 other offers (Out for the season with knee injury)

#9 Jason Grier – 6-1, 230, Senior LB – Eight offers including Liberty, UMass, and Stony Brook

#15 Nick Grimstead – 6-0, 185, Senior QB – Seven offers including Austin Peay, Fort Valley State and Morehouse

#58 Issac Sikes-Rasby – 6-5, 263, Senior OL – Five offers including West Georgia

#11 Bryce Wilson – 6-2, 245, Senior DL – Four offers including Morehouse

#54 Cooper Negron – 6-0, 205, Senior LB – Four offers including Berry, Sewanee, and Point

#5 Miles Butler – 5-11, 175, Senior ATH – Offered by Sewanee and GMC

#6 Jamauri Major – 6-0, 160, Senior SAF – Offered by Bluffton and GMC

#92 Orlando Wilson – 5-11, 200, Senior DL – Offered by Sewanee

Juniors

#79 Brandon Anderson – 6-4, 320, Junior – Rated as high as ESPN 4-Star and No. 6 OT in the country 2026 - 20 offers including Alabama and Auburn – Announced that he will commit December 14

#4 Sebastian Easley – 6-2, 170, Junior WR – Four offers including Kent State, Miami-Ohio, and UMass

#2 Steele Ingram – 6-1, 180, Junior WR – Four offers including Miami-Ohio, Coastal Carolina, and Eastern Kentucky

Freshmen

#20 Zack Belyeu – 5-11, 210, Freshman RB – Offered by App State

 

Cherokee Warriors

Seniors

#4 Gracen Sexton – 6-2, 215, Senior WR/LB – Six offers including Berry, Sewanee, and Reinhardt

#2 Tanner Savasir – 6-0, 195, Senior QB – Offered by Millsaps, Reinhardt and Point

#24 Christian Irwin – 5-11, 238, Senior RB/LB – Offered by Millsaps and Reinhardt

#5 Israel “Izzy” Conway – 6-3, 205, Senior WR/LB – Offered by Sewanee and Warner

#6 Charlie Dahlen – 6-5, 225, Senior LB/TE – Offered by Berry

#1 Jayce Jones – 5-9, 165, Senior WR/DB – Offered by Sewanee

#74 Spencer Kelley – 6-0, 255, Senior OL/DL – Offered by Beloit

#3 Wyatt Tash – 6-2, 235, Senior TE/LB – Offered by Reinhardt

So, join Wayne Gandy, Wiley Ballard, Hannah Goodin and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the No. 6 North Cobb Warriors play at the Cherokee Warriors. Remember at halftime we’ll highlight this week’s Make That Kid an Offer nominees from around the state.

You can watch Football Fridays in Georgia so many ways. You have traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.

Now if you miss the game live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org. 

Enjoy your October 18, 2024, Football Friday in Georgia!