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success in school history over the last
decade. Coach Smith says, “We have
played Centre more than anybody in
history. It was a huge rivalry when I was
in school and growing up. It was always
the first game and there was a lot of hype
and build up during the summer.” Smith
adds, “To make a rivalry the two teams
should not like each other and both teams
have to do their part (i.e. winning).” The
winning part on each side has always
been there. Cherokee County leads the
series, but only by a 37-34-3 margin.
Though Piedmont has won six straight
in the series, previous to that Centre won
four in a row and 8 of the last 10.
Cherokee County Coach Tripp Curry is
far from a stranger to the series. Though
he did not participate as a player, he
is the second longest tenured coach in
Warrior history. Curry begins his 16th
year as Head Coach, so he has as good
of an insight as just about anybody into
this game. Coach Curry says, “We (the
coaches) try to treat it as just another
game, but the communities don’t. It is not
just another game to them. Social media
has made it even bigger in my opinion.”
Steve Smith agrees, “My kids know more
about their players than I do. There are no
secrets anymore because of social media.”
The rivalry takes on a bit of a twist the
next two years. The two schools will still
open the season on the same field on the
same night but will each face different
opponents. In what is being billed as the
first ever “Border Battle”, the two Alabama
teams will meet squads from the state
of Georgia on August 19th at The Field
of Champions in Piedmont. Cherokee
County will face Rockmart, Ga at 5:30
p.m., followed by Piedmont taking on
Cedartown, GA at 8 p.m. Both games are
full, regular season contests and create an
Alabama vs Georgia high school football
doubleheader. Coach Smith explains
how the event came about, “I wanted to
do something a little different. We are in
a seven team region the next two years,
which means we needed to find four
non-region games. I talked with Coach
Hendricks at Cedartown and Coach
Curry about the idea. Coach Hendricks
has a good relationship with the new
34 | 2016 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine
coach at Rockmart and talked to him
also and we were able to work it all out.”
Next year Cedartown will host the Border
Battle and the teams will swap opponents
with Piedmont playing Rockmart and
Cherokee County battling Cedartown.
Because the Warriors are coming to
Piedmont the first week, the Cherokee
County and Piedmont contest will be at
Bobby Joe Johnson field in Centre for the
second year in a row. That also means
the Warriors and Bulldogs match-up will
move to the second game of the season
for the next two years.
Piedmont is the favorite to repeat as the
3A champion and Centre (losing only
three players off last year’s team) is a likely
pre-season Top Ten pick in Class 4A and
is expected to make a run at the Super
Seven also. The only other time that these
two towns have anticipated a football
season like 2016 was in 2009. That year
Cherokee County defeated Piedmont
42-17 at Centre in the season opener.
The Warriors went on to a perfect 15-0
record and won the school’s only football
state championship. Piedmont only lost
one other game after the opening loss
and then rolled to a final 13-2 record and
also won the school’s first ever state title.
Both of those teams were led by two of
the most remarkable quarterbacks in East
Alabama history. Centre’s Coty Blanchard
was the Class 4A All-State quarterback,
4A Back of the Year and Player of the
Year, and was the state’s Mr. Football.
Piedmont’s Chase Childers was Class 3A
All-State and was the MVP of the Class
3A Championship Game. With the 2016
teams returning great talent, experienced
QBs, and comparisons to the 2009 squads,
it is only natural that the focus falls on the
two returning quarterbacks.
Leading the two teams into the Border
and Highway Nine Battles will be two
of the top quarterbacks in not only East
Alabama, but the entire state as well.
Piedmont senior signal caller Taylor
Hayes and CCHS junior gunslinger Tyren
Dupree are already two of the finest
talents in each school’s history. Hayes was
Class 3A All-State, Super Seven Class 3A
MVP, and the Pigskin Roundup All-Star
Team quarterback in leading the Bulldogs
to the 3A State Championship in 2015.
Dupree burst on the scene last season as
the Warriors had a turnaround campaign,
improving from 4-6 in 2014 to 7-5 and
were a touchdown away from advancing
to the Class 4A quarter-finals.
Hayes is 5’11, 190 and is an All-State
baseball player also, who is trying to lead
his team to back-to-back championships.
“Taylor is a fierce competitor. He is a
great player in all sports. Every night he