BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The last time the Alcoa boys basketball team graced MTSU’s Murphy Center, they had the place rocking. On Thursday, they rocked the arena to sleep. The defending state champion Tornadoes opened their Class 2A … [Read more...]
CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS: Austin-East throws scare into unbeaten Douglass but falls 72-49
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The final statistics were almost too scary on paper to contemplate. And the much-anticipated Austin-East vs. Douglass matchup in the Class 2A quarterfinals never materialized into the heavyweight showdown most … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 1A QUARTERFINAL: Jellico goes cold in second half of Class 1A quarterfinal; Frank Hughes rallies for 77-62 win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Carson Bolton, the standout senior guard at Jellico High School, squatted over in a corner of the court late Wednesday night at MTSU's Murphy Center, just trying to compartmentalize all that had just happened. He … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 4A QUARTERFINAL: Rossview (25-9) pushes past Morristown East in second half for 64-43 win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Checking out of his final high school game with 3 minutes, 32 seconds to go, most certainly wasn't how Kyle Cloninger expected to go out. The Morristown East senior guard — the program's all-time leading … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 4A QUARTERFINALS: Cookeville (31-3) ousts Maryville, 70-60, with second-half surge
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Perhaps Maryville High School senior center Alex Akard, with that booming voice of his that emits from a 6-foot-9 frame, said it best Wednesday, following the Rebels' first-round loss in the Class 4A state … [Read more...]
TSSAA announces 2024 Mr. and Miss Basketball Winners
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — To say East Tennessee was well represented Tuesday at the 2024 Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards at MTSU would be a tremendous understatement. Not only was the list of finalists littered with area talents, but the … [Read more...]
Former Alcoa head football coach Gary Rankin to be inducted into National High School (NFHS) Hall of Fame
BY JOHN BRICE TSSAA Correspondent Perhaps the earliest footnote in a career full of milestones and shattered records, Gary Rankin heeded the advice of his father as he first launched his prep coaching career decades ago at his high school alma … [Read more...]
Dustin Peels steps down as head football coach at Wartburg Central
BY JESSE SMITHEY The job posting hit the TSSAA website on Sunday. … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A GIRLS SEMIFINALS: Cocke County’s historic run meets an emotional end in loss to Dyersburg
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Be it by a head coach or by a player from the Cocke County girls basketball team Friday night, every tear shed in the postgame was understandable. The Lady Red's historic season had just concluded at the hands of … [Read more...]
2024 Class 2A SEMIFINALS: Loretto denies Gatlinburg-Pittman’s bid to get to title game, 55-52, in overtime
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Trying to make history is never an easy task. The Gatlinburg-Pittman High School girls basketball team can attest to that. During Friday's Class 2A State Semifinal against Loretto, the Lady Highlanders held … [Read more...]