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The Cherokee Chiefs are a young football team; but they’re young, poised and tenacious, and they continue to take teams by surprise this summer.

This time it was Morristown West they faced off with in their jamboree at Larry Williams Stadium on Friday, and they showed the Trojans that they’re no easy out.

They started the day on defense, and after two incompletions and a stuffed run, the Chiefs forced a Trojans three-and-out.

“I was very pleased with that first series defensively,” said Cherokee head coach Josh Hensley. “Overall I’m very pleased with our effort on that side.”

On the offensive side, Cherokee struck oil early with a 24-yard completion from sophomore quarterback Landon Jeffers to fellow sophomore Rowe Fletcher.

Senior running back Kalija Sexton then got things going on the ground with a 5-yard carry, before Jeffers again connected with Rowe to give the Chiefs a fresh set of downs. Jeffers has looked sharp this summer going into his sophomore campaign with Cherokee.

“I was very impressed with his vocalness, very impressed with his leadership,” Hensley said. “We’ve got to keep him healthy; I was a little aggravated at how many times he had to break the pocket, but we’ll get that straightened out on the offensive line as we prepare for next week.”

They went back to Sexton, the running back picking up six and then 11 yards on the ground before a holding penalty moved the Chiefs way behind the sticks and they were unable to convert a first down, giving the ball back to the Trojans.

“Certainly would’ve liked to get in the end zone down there, but we took a bad penalty,” Hensley said. “It is what it is, we’ll get that stuff cleaned up, sharpened up for next week. That’s what these things are for.”

On the ensuing drive, West was able to find more success. The Chiefs gave up 14 yards on the ground on the first play of the drive, and busted coverage on play number two allowed West’s Malakhi Isom to connect with Bereket Evans for a 71-yard touchdown.

“That second series we had two guys get out of place back-to-back; we’ve got to get little things like that corrected and straightened out, but we’ll get there,” Hensley said.

A carry from Sexton for no gain and a pair of incompletions for Jeffers on drive number two ended the Chiefs’ day offensively, but Hensley was pleased with how his guys fared.

“I was very pleased with how physical we chose to be,” Hensley said. “Coming into the jamboree it’s really hard to get fired up for just a quarter or a half of football, so I was happy with our guys for dialing in there for a bit.”

West’s lineman had a considerable amount of size on the guys up front for the Chiefs, but they made up for it with intensity.

“I felt like we played physical up front, obviously made a lot of mistakes but that’s a good football team,” Hensley said. “Coach Sanders does a really good job, but I’m proud of the guys for the way they competed and represented our community tonight.”

The Chiefs get the season kicked off this Friday, August 18 at home against Cocke County.

“We’re just going to focus on ourselves, focus on getting better,” Hensley said. “You know, sharpening the knife and making sure we’re getting mentally and physically prepared and staying dialed in mentally and emotionally. We feel like we have a good opportunity this season, we’ve just got to dial in, believe in and stay locked in. Trust in it, believe in it, and we’ll be fine.”