AJ Swann Airs It Out, Leads Cherokee To 52-6 Win Over Mays In Season Opener

The 2021 Georgia High School Association football season officially kicked off Wednesday with the 30th Annual Corky Kell Classic as the Cherokee Warriors took on the Mays Raiders in the opening game of the four day event. Both teams would get off to slow starts as the first quarter would come to an end with the Warriors leading 3-0, however Cherokee did have a drive that ended with missed field goal. However, in the second quarter, Cherokee quarterback, Maryland commit, AJ Swann would give the Warriors the spark they needed after connecting with Caleb Richardson on touchdown pass lifting Cherokee to a 10-0 lead.

Later in the period, the Warriors would get a boost from their defense when a bad snap by the Mays center would go over quarterback Quintavious Johnson’s head and lead to a scoop and score by Toby Thompson and Cherokee would take a 17-0 lead. Mays would finally get some offense going when Johnson would throw a touchdown strike to Saulamon Evans, but a failed two point conversion would have the Raiders trailing 17-6. On the other side, Swann would continue his air attack throwing three more touchdowns, two to Aiden Moore, as the Warriors would take a 38-6 lead into the locker room at the half and go on to pick up the 52-6 win.

Following the game, Cherokee head coach Josh Shaw spoke on Swann’s movement in the pocket allowing the Warriors to settle in after their few first possessions were not what they were hoping for. “Well to be quite honest with you, our first three of four drives tonight were not real stellar, but AJ was able to escape the pocket and we’re still trying to figure out the pieces up front,” Shaw said. And with only four returning offensive starters, Shaw says he believes that things will “come together” as his younger players “gain experience”. Swann would finish with four touchdowns and one interception in the win for the Warriors, who will face Sequoyah in a region match up next Friday.