This Week in Sports: Aug 10-15
Brent Carden photo
The preseason is quickly giving way to the real thing and this week Warren County’s fall sports calendar starts to fill up in a hurry.
The WCMS football team already has a win under its belt after an impressive 44-14 victory at DeKalb County and now takes its show on the road again Thursday to face Jasper. The WCMS volleyball team, off to a 3-1 start in Year 2 under coach Bethany Mesaros, gets another crack at Upperman Monday after the Lady Bees handed Warren County its only loss of opening week.
The WCMS soccer team, which fought off rainouts and rain delays on opening week to earn its first win against Coffee County Friday, also is back on the road twice this week.
At home, Boyd volleyball officially gets underway Monday after both the middle school and high school teams spent the preseason testing themselves against quality competition.
Golf and cross country also join the action, making this one of the first weeks where local fans will have something to follow nearly every night.
The high school calendar will get even busier soon, but for now, the middle school athletes and Boyd volleyball teams are taking center stage in another packed This Week in Sports.
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest storylines for Week 2 of 2026-27 school sports.
Pioneers hoping for 2-0 start
If the pieces fit that well in Week 1, imagine what the WCMS Pioneers may look like after another week of putting them together.
Coaches love to say a team's biggest improvement comes between its first and second games. If that's the case, Warren County could be scary Thursday night.
The Pioneers will make their second straight road trip to start the season when they travel to Jasper Thursday, Aug. 13 for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff against the Warriors. Warren County will be looking for a 2-0 start after making quite the opening statement last week, rolling into Smithville and pounding border rival DeKalb County 44-14.
There wasn't much Warren County didn't do well in its debut.
The Pioneers scored on six of their first seven possessions, led 36-6 by halftime and had the running clock going in the second half. They forced turnovers, swarmed to the football defensively and showed off a backfield coach Ben Matheney believes is the deepest he's had at WCMS.
That depth could be something the Warriors get a heavy dose of Thursday.
Mikhail Wilcher looked like a man amongst boys at times in Smithville. Once the powerful back got his shoulders square and started churning downhill, DeKalb defenders struggled to keep him from dragging the pile. Wilcher scored twice in the first half, but he was far from Warren County's only weapon.
Brent Carden photo - Mikhail Wilcher ran through the Saints last week for WCMS.
Bryson Carroll flashed his explosiveness with a 42-yard touchdown run. Gabe Rowland found the end zone as well, while he and Brody Chisam also scored on 2-point conversions.
Matheney wasn't exaggerating when he talked about the number of options Warren County can roll through its backfield.
"Offensively, I was very happy with the run game," Matheney said. "Some years it takes a couple games for things to really click and I thought we were really rolling last night. We had several different plays have long runs and find the end zone. This is by far the most depth we've had in the backfield."
It all begins with Dallas Gater - the Pioneer quarterback who is the piece that makes everything else particularly difficult to defend. Gater can hurt teams with his legs, something DeKalb learned quickly when he broke free for a 56-yard touchdown on Warren County's opening drive. He later added another rushing score just before halftime, escaping pressure and reaching the pylon to put the Pioneers ahead 36-6.
But Jasper can't afford to sell out against the run.
Warren County didn't need to unleash much of its passing game last week, but Gater showed throughout the preseason he can make teams pay through the air. He provided another glimpse in Smithville with long completions to Gus Bouldin and Chisam that set up scores.
The scary part for Jasper is Warren County believes there's plenty it can clean up.
The passing game still has room to become more consistent. The defense was aggressive from the opening snap against DeKalb, but Matheney saw the tackling improve as the night progressed. Even special teams provided another positive when the Pioneers kicked deep and covered well.
Most importantly, Matheney saw a group beginning to understand how all those pieces fit.
"It just shows the team is locked in and trusting what we are asking of them," Matheney said. "They also are seeing how the pieces come together on both sides of the ball, so they better understand their role on the field. They are confident, so they play that way."
Boyd ready to turn preseason work into wins
The preseason tests are over. Now, it is time for the Boyd Lady Broncos to see how all that work translates when the matches start counting.
Both Boyd Christian volleyball teams will open their regular seasons Monday at home against Franklin Road Academy, beginning what will be a busy opening week inside J.K. Stanley Gymnasium. The middle school match is scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by the high school match at 6 p.m.
For both teams, Monday's opener comes after getting plenty of opportunities to compete during the preseason.
Coach Kenny Chisam's middle school Lady Broncos played six matches at the Tree City Playday, finishing 3-3 in sets while getting an extended look at his team before the season begins.
Chisam made it clear afterward that he was less concerned with the final record than how his team responded throughout a long day of volleyball.
"You don't judge a team by one day. You judge a team by how it responds to adversity," Chisam wrote following the playday. "Tonight, we showed up. We battled. We competed."
Chisam knows there is still plenty of room for his Lady Broncos to grow, but he came away encouraged by the competitiveness his team showed.
"What makes me proud isn't just the wins. It's the grit, determination and fight these girls are going to show every time they step on the court," Chisam wrote. "I don't expect them to quit. I expect them to encourage one another, compete until the final point and give everything they have. That's the attitude I expect from this team."
After opening against Franklin Road, Boyd's middle school team will have a couple of days to get back into the gym before returning home Thursday, Aug. 13 against Riverside at 5 p.m.
“We’ve had a really good summer of conditioning and practices. The girls have worked extremely hard, and we’ve spent a lot of time building fundamentals, improving as a team, and getting ready for the season,” added Chisam. “We’re excited that our home opener is tomorrow against Franklin Road. Monday’s game will be a big test for us, especially since they were one of the toughest teams we faced last year. It will give us a good opportunity to see where we stand and how all that hard work over the summer is going to translate onto the court.
“I’m proud of the effort the girls have put in, and now we’re ready to get out there, compete and see how it goes.”
The high school Lady Broncos will have an even busier opening week under new coach Emily Davis.
Boyd has already packed plenty of volleyball into the preseason. The Lady Broncos competed in the Tree City Invitational on Aug. 1, then traveled to Gatlinburg for Attack at the Rock on Aug. 8. The overnight trip provided another opportunity for Davis to test her team against quality competition while also giving the Lady Broncos time together away from the court.
"It was a great experience for the girls," Davis said. "They improved as the day went on against some very tough teams. Although the outcome was not straight wins, we came out of this stronger and more prepared for the district games coming up! They are having a blast here."
There will not be much time for Boyd to ease into the regular season.
After Monday's 6 p.m. home opener against Franklin Road, the Lady Broncos will hit the road Tuesday, Aug. 11 to face Lancaster Christian at 7 p.m. Boyd will then return to J.K. Stanley Gymnasium Thursday for a 6 p.m. matchup with Riverside.
Three matches in four days should give Davis an immediate look at how much her Lady Broncos gained from their two preseason weekends.
For Chisam's middle school squad, the message heading into opening week is just as simple. A 3-3 playday was never supposed to be the finished product.
"This is only the beginning," Chisam wrote. "I believe in this team, and I know we're capable of accomplishing great things. The best volleyball is still ahead of us."
Beginning Monday, both Boyd teams get their first chance to prove it.
WCMS Volleyball rolling early
Year two under coach Bethany Mesaros is off to a hot start for the Warren County Middle School volleyball team, and the Lady Pioneers won't have to wait long to find out how much they've grown during an impressive opening week.
Warren County will take a 3-1 record on the road Monday for a rematch with Upperman, the only team to knock off the Lady Pioneers during their first four matches. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Jackets, last year's TMSAA Class 2A state runner-up, escaped McMinnville with a 25-22, 25-18 victory Tuesday, but the final score didn't tell the entire story. WCMS stood toe-to-toe with one of the state's top middle school programs, building leads in both sets and holding advantages as late as 20-19 in the first and 16-14 in the second.
Now the Lady Pioneers will get another measuring-stick match, this time on Upperman's home court.
Mesaros has plenty of reasons to believe her team will be ready for the challenge.
Ellie Dixon has quickly emerged as a force at the net, leading Warren County with eight kills in its season-opening victory over Westwood before continuing to hammer away against Upperman. Dixon has shown she can impact matches from anywhere on the floor, even ripping a back-row kill against the Lady Jackets during Tuesday's showdown.
Behind Dixon is an active Warren County back row that has made keeping the ball off the floor a priority. Libero Lyvia Wilson has been an anchor defensively, routinely extending rallies with diving saves while also providing pressure from the service line. Fallon Youngblood has been another weapon, both serving and setting, including a five-ace, five-assist performance in Thursday's dominant victory over White County.
Khloe Howell has provided another presence at the net, recording four blocks against White County after finishing with a team-high two blocks in the season opener. Maebry Yates, Emma Boon and others have also contributed during a balanced start that has seen Warren County win in different ways.
The Lady Pioneers showed their fight immediately, rallying from eight points down to win the opening set against Westwood before eventually taking the match in three. They followed their lone loss to Upperman by overwhelming White County 25-7, 25-14, then proved they could carry their success away from home by sweeping Coffee County 25-19, 25-16 Friday.
Four matches in five days produced three victories and gave Mesaros an early glimpse at a team capable of competing at a high level. Week two will offer another chance to prove it.
After Monday's rematch with Upperman, WCMS will return home Tuesday to face Stone Memorial at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Pioneers will finish the week on the road Thursday when they travel to Avery Trace for another 5:30 p.m. match.
Full Schedule
Monday, Aug. 10
WCHS golf in Early Bird Invitational, 9 a.m.
Boyd MS volleyball vs. Franklin Road, 5 p.m.
WCMS volleyball at Upperman, 5:30 p.m.
WCMS soccer at Avery Trace, 6 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball vs. Franklin Road, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 11
WCMS cross country at Mt. Lion Lamb, 5 p.m.
WCMS volleyball vs. Stone Memorial, 5:30 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball at Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13
WCMS cross country in Cookeville Jamboree, 5 p.m.
Boyd MS volleyball vs. Riverside, 5 p.m.
WCMS volleyball at Avery Trace, 5:30 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball vs. Riverside, 6 p.m.
WCMS football at Jasper, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 14
WCMS soccer at Upperman, 6 p.m.
