Cherokee flag football coach Tom Stringfellow wasn’t exactly sure how his team would fare after graduating 13 seniors from last year.

More than halfway through the regular season, Stringfellow can say the Warriors are ahead of schedule.

Cherokee won a program-record 11 games last year and beat Valdosta in the Division 4 state playoffs before falling in a hard-fought battle with Central Gwinnett. With an almost completely revamped roster, Stringfellow’s group is 9-4 in the early stages of region play and is riding a four-game winning streak.

“We’ve replaced those 13 seniors with some girls that don’t mind putting in the effort and training,” Stringfellow said. “They’ve been a very pleasant surprise to be as young as we are.”

After a three-game losing skid in early October, the Warriors have won seven of eight and have allowed just six points per game across their last four victories.

Offensively, Stringellow’s returners were far and few between, but the mix of veterans and fresh faces has been a recipe for success thus far.

“It starts with quarterback Gracie Mayo and Jenna Howell,” Stringfellow said. “Jenna was our leading receiver last year, but outside of her we lost pretty much all of our skill players. Gracie picked up where she left off from last year as far as the quarterback spot goes. Her completion percentage is now up to around 60 percent, which is where we want it. It’s up from about 45 percent last year, so she’s made huge strides there. As far as the playmaking on the edge, that’s going to be Jenna coming both out of the slot and the edge.”

Mayo has thrown for 1,389 yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding 563 rushing yards in her junior season, while Howell – only a sophomore – leads the Warriors with 53 receptions and 747 yards. 

The name Stringfellow predicts to be the future face of the program is freshman Abby Tyler. Fourth in receiving yards with 130 (behind Howell, Maddie Snyder, 204 yards and Lily Davis, 146), Tyler has been among the many bright spots in Canton this year.

“As far as the youngsters coming in, the one that really stands out is Abby,” Stringfellow said. “It’s her first year of playing flag football. We found her through a lacrosse connection, and I’ve just been really impressed with her. She had the game-winning touchdown against Denmark and she’s really coming on strong, especially in the last three or four games.”

A common theme across the last two seasons has been the Warriors’ ability to respond to losing streaks. Cherokee lost its first four games of 2024 before winning 11 of 14 to finish the year. The 2025 team has answered another early-season blip with its best stretch of play to date.

“I think that speaks to our leadership,” Stringfellow said. “The five seniors on this year’s team, as well as the juniors who stepped into a leadership role, either by accident or just by necessity. When we lost those 13 seniors last year, we had to have somebody fill that gap, and the junior and senior classes have done that really well. They’ve figured out that football is a little bit like life. You’re going to have points that are really high and really low. You can’t spend too much time on either one of them. That’s allowed us to be a more balanced football team.”

Fresh off a 21-6 win over River Ridge, Cherokee hosts Woodstock Thursday before facing Clarke Central and North Oconee next Tuesday.