By JESSE SMITHEY Beating Maryville in a high school football game has been no easy task, especially during the last two decades. The Rebels claimed 13 state titles and four runner-up finishes in the last 20 years, a span which also included … [Read more...]
Alcoa football star Isiah Cox getting SEC offers; where do the Vols stand?
By JESSE SMITHEY Scholarship offers are coming in at a steadier pace for Isiah Cox these days. More so, they’re getting more and more noteworthy, too. … [Read more...]
McMinn County football flashing brighter on the recruiting radar
By JESSE SMITHEY Bo Cagle, the longtime football coach at McMinn County High School, enjoyed a 9-1 mark in the regular season last fall. The lone loss came to eventual 6A state champion Maryville, and the Cherokees managed to host a playoff … [Read more...]
NEXT BIG THING, part VI: West Valley Middle eighth-grader Brooks Wright commits to Vols baseball
By JESSE SMITHEY Brooks Wright wasn't even halfway through his eighth-grade year this year at West Valley Middle School when he started hearing from University of Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello. That's what happens when you've been … [Read more...]
All-American and MLB Draft prospect Ryan Hagenow preparing for anything and everything
By JESSE SMITHEY It was sometime around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when Ryan Hagenow walked into an unassuming baseball facility sandwiched between a Waffle House restaurant and a Harley Davidson shop on Lovell Road. The senior from Farragut High School … [Read more...]
NOT DONE YET: TSSAA Board of Control unanimously favors to keep hopes alive for basketball and spring sports
By JESSE SMITHEY While basketball and spring sports seasons in the NCAA have long since been terminated by the Coronavirus pandemic, the TSSAA Board of Control wasn't ready Tuesday to wipe the high school state basketball tournaments or Spring … [Read more...]
Area Mr. Basketball finalist survives gunshot
An area high school basketball standout was shot Friday night and is recovering at home today. … [Read more...]
WHAT’S NEXT: How basketball teams and spring sports teams are handling COVID-19
By JESSE SMITHEY The TSSAA Board of Control will convene, via a conference call, at 3 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday to discuss a variety of topics stemming from the effects of COVID-19. The main discussion is likely to be centered around the fate of … [Read more...]
Freeman Pinkney resigns as Catholic girls’ basketball coach
By JESSE SMITHEY The Catholic girls' basketball program made history this past season. But they'll have a new coach for 2020-21. … [Read more...]
Despite state tourney loss, Oneida girls basketball seniors establish standard for future
By JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO -- Marv West and his daughter Kendyl had a deal. Marv, as head coach of the Oneida girls' basketball program, would coach Kendyl during her high school career. When the two walked off the court from practice or … [Read more...]