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Cherokee Bluff lost in controversial fashion to Flowery Branch.
A high school football team in the state of Georgia was dealt a controversial loss in its second game of the season. Cherokee Bluff fell 10-9 to Flowery Branch. They were stripped of an opportunity to put points on the board late in the action.
Officials appeared to skip a crucial third down on one of the team’s final possessions. It robbed the Bears of a chance to make a field goal attempt a bit more manageable.
Three points could’ve changed the result. Cherokee Bluff would certainly like to have the down back.
Officiating gaffe impacts high school football game.
Both of these schools compete in Flowery Branch, Georgia, located in the northern part of the state in Gainesville. The city is positioned 45 minutes northeast of Atlanta and roughly an hour west of Athens.
The programs are separated by a 10-minute drive.
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Cherokee Bluff hosted Flowery Branch in high school football action.
Cherokee Bluff is considered the 172nd-best high school football program in the Peach State. The 4A school hosted Flowery Branch in its second game after going 6-5 last year.
The Falcons, meanwhile, are ranked 132nd in Georgia. They compete at the 5A level and are fresh off a seven-win campaign in 2025.
Both teams entered the contest at 0-1 having lost their season openers. Cherokee Bluff would fall to 0-2 in controversial fashion.
In last night’s Cherokee Bluff vs. Flowery Branch game, Bluff led 9-3 with around four minutes to play when they were flagged after a second-down incompletion.
The penalty was marked off, but it would appear the real punishment was skipping third down entirely and going straight… pic.twitter.com/46mEgkJrl0
— Fired Coaches of Georgia (@FiredCoaches) August 29, 2026
Cherokee Bluff was robbed.
With 10 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter, the Bears had the ball and the lead with a chance to add to their advantage. Cherokee Bluff was threatening from inside the redzone to put the game out of reach. An officiating mistake potentially took points off the board.
The Bears were up 9-3 at the time. A first down run got no positive yards. A second down incompletion followed. Cherokee Bluff would not get a third down opportunity.
The down marker on the sidelines went from 2nd to 4th-down. It forced a field goal attempt, which the Bears missed.
Flowery Branch scored on its next drive to take a 10-9 lead. That would wind up being the final score.
Now, there is no guarantee that the Bears would’ve connected on the field goal had it been closer. They’d already missed an extra point in the contest.
Still, a third down opportunity could’ve made it more manageable. It could’ve also resulted in a first down to keep the drive alive.
We will never know thanks to the officiating error. Cherokee Bluff is now 0-2 with their losses coming by a combined five points. Brutal.