STEVENSON, Ala. -- With 10:41 to go in its Alabama Class 4A football playoff game Friday at North Jackson, the Cherokee County band started playing "Respect."

At that point, there was no need: The Warriors had earned it on the field.

Cherokee County racked up 637 yards of total offense against the Chiefs and advanced to the state semifinals with a 56-32 victory.

The Warriors (12-0) will face Deshler, which defeated Midfield 32-6 on Friday.

The Chiefs matched the Warriors in the early going offensively, with the score 21-14 going into the second quarter, but Cherokee County scored 14 that period.

"We tried to tell our guys all week that they were going to make plays, that we were going to have to make some with them," North Jackson coach Shawn Peek said. "We were fine with (scoring with them), but we knew we were going to have to make a stop."

But in the first half the Chiefs couldn't -- save for a fumble by Cherokee's Colin Perry at the North Jackson 1 while diving for a touchdown.

Quarterback David Blanchard was a terror both running and passing, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 258 yards and three scores. His favorite target was Gabriel Chambers, who had 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Clemson University signee Darren Fife finished with 141 yards rushing and 42 receiving yards and two scores, while Desmond Brown chipped in 66 yards rushing, 33 receiving and two touchdowns of his own.

"We just couldn't get them on the ground," Peek said. "People think that football is complicated these days, but it's still about blocking and tackling. They did what we thought they were going to do. They're real fast. We thought if we could get them bottled up and take good angles, we'd have a chance, but we couldn't get them to the ground."

North Jackson had a solid night through the air. Quarterback Will Richard finished with 418 yards passing and four scores in his final game. His third touchdown pass, a 27-yarder to Kahne Cooper with 3:18 to go in the third quarter, cut the margin to 42-26, but Cherokee County responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive culminating in a 24-yard run by Fife to expand the lead to 23 points.

"I'm proud of the way we played tonight," Peek said. "The guys battled to the end."