ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. -- The McMinn County Cherokees defeated rival McMinn Central 36-16 at the Chargers' packed stadium Friday night, but it wasn't as easy as the final score looks.
While many fans said they expected a breakaway game for the Cherokees, they fell behind 16-6 in the first half.
The Chargers' Denzel Boyd scored back-to-back touchdowns late in the second quarter, but that was the last they would score for the night.
The Cherokees made a successful rally in the second half, with transfer running back Kelvin Wells scoring two touchdowns and Dre Sanders adding another after scoring one touchdown in the first quarter.
"A win is a win," Cherokees coach Bo Cagle told his team after the game. "We learned something about ourselves today, though."
The game could have made history, said Chargers fan Mike McKinney.
"This is the first time in a long time that a win was doable," McKinney said.