They don’t get much bigger than this.
Cheraw, the two-time defending Class 2A state champion and four-time defending lower state champion, are two wins away from another trip to the state title game.
But on Friday, the Braves will face perhaps their toughest challenge since their run began in the form of undefeated Timberland.
Two years after making the Class 3A state championship, the Wolves dropped to 2A this year. And they’ve run over most of their competition.
“I’m very impressed with Timberland watching them on film,” Cheraw coach Johnny White said. “They’re obviously a very talented team and we’re going to have to be on top of our game Friday to come out with a win.”
Timberland has rushed for more than 4,000 yards with a variety of running backs, and the quarterback has also thrown for more than 800 yards. Timberland has scored 539 points in 12 games for a 44.9 points per game average.
“They have a very good offensive line that’s been blowing people off the ball,” White said. “The do a lot of power running, but they also have some option and some spread packages as well.
“They execute their offense very well, and we’re going to have to make some stops and force them to punt the ball.”
On offense, the Braves’ running game powered by Travis Small and Montrell Evans (2,504 yards, 37 TDs combined) will have to rely on the offensive line to open holes against a stingy Wolves’ defense that has allowed just 69 points (5.8 ppg).
“We’ve got to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” White said. “We have a lot of confidence in our running game, and our offensive line has a big challenge ahead of them.”
But don’t think Timberland is taking Cheraw lightly, either.
“They’re defending champions, and we’re champions of nothing except our region,” Timberland coach Art Craig said. “Flip our schedules and we might be 9-3 and they might be 12-0.”
As with Cheraw, a big key for the Wolves will be shutting down the Braves’ running attack, Craig said.
“This might be the shortest high school football game in history with the way these two teams run the football,” Craig said. “But they’re big duo is probably the best we’ve faced this season, and they’ll be a big challenge for us to stop.”
Defensively, the Braves’ linebacking corps also is among the best the Wolves have faced this season, Craig said. Kenyatta Gary leads the team with 156 tackles and four sacks.
“They’re very athletic, they get to the ball and they’re probably the fastest team we’ve faced this season,” Craig said. “I think both offenses and defenses are pretty much even, so it’s probably going to come down to who makes the fewest mistakes.”
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