EnidLIVE’s Colby Talley sat down with Cherokee Head Football Coach Bryce Schanbacher to discuss the team’s against Waukomis.
Schanbacher discussed the gameplan for the Waukomis Chiefs:
“Well, I think it all starts up front. I know you hear that a lot from football coaches, but it really is true. And especially late in the year and when you get into games [where] you have district championships on the line, I think that’s what it boils down to. And we’re going to have to be extremely physical up front. They’ve got very good size on both sides of the ball on their offensive and defensive lines. And they’re physical, we’re going to have to be physical also and do things right, stay disciplined. It’s cliché to say all those things, but you can’t turn the ball over and have to block and tackle. But that’s what you have to do in games like this.”
Schanbacher talked about the takeaway from this season and how much the team had accomplished already, as well as honoring a previous player, Price Poe, who passed away.
“This group of guys…they’re special. They’re really a close-knit group, and they had some pretty lofty goals coming into the season. And there were some things that brought them closer. Unfortunately, we lost a young man last spring [who] was very important to our team and our school, and Price Poe…he is still a big part of our team, and he’s with these guys. When they go out there, he [wore] No. 12 for us. And every time we’ve won a ball game, we have a little victory bell. That’s kind of a tradition here in Cherokee. And every time, when they go over and they ring it 12 times. But these guys are just so close and connected. And I think through that tragedy, it brought them closer, and it’s really shown in the way they’ve played and the way that they’ve worked for each other.“
