This Week in Sports: Aug 31 - Sept. 5

**Brent Carden Photo -** The Lady Pioneers were having fun last week against Smyrna at home. Pictured are, from left, Maelee Turner, Ali Young, Reese Reinitz, Aubrey Oleksik and Natalie Payne.

The calendar is flipping to September and several Warren County teams are already reaching important points in their seasons.

The WCHS volleyball team will get two big opportunities at home to see where it stands in District 7-AAA, WCMS football will finally return to action after a postponement slowed down its early season momentum and the WCHS Lady Pioneer soccer team will look to build on a strong start to district play. Cross country, golf, WCMS volleyball and soccer and both Boyd volleyball teams will also be busy throughout the week.

And while the Warren County Way will have a full preview later in the week, the WCHS Pioneers will be back at Nunley Stadium Friday night. Warren County will host Hunter's Lane at 7 p.m. as the Pioneers continue looking for their first victory of the season.

Every Sunday, Security Federal Savings Bank presents This Week in Sports, a look at what's ahead for Warren County teams and the complete local sports schedule for the upcoming week.

Measuring-stick matches await Lady Pioneers

A 4-2 start has already given the Lady Pioneers reasons to believe they can make some noise in District 7-AAA. The next two nights may provide an even better indication of where Warren County stands.

The Lady Pioneers will welcome Lebanon to Charlie Dalton Gym Monday at 6 p.m. before Stewarts Creek comes to town Tuesday for another 6 p.m. matchup. Both matches carry plenty of weight for a Warren County squad that is already 3-1 in district play.

Lebanon has been viewed as one of the teams to beat in District 7-AAA, making Monday a true measuring-stick match for the Lady Pioneers. Tuesday won't provide any relief either.

Warren County and Stewarts Creek battled for third place in the district last season, with the Lady Pioneers ultimately finishing third during a 16-10 campaign. Getting both teams at the Dalt on back-to-back nights gives Warren County an opportunity to make an early statement in the district race.

Coach Erin Blalock's team should enter the two-match home stand with some confidence after showing it could respond to adversity last week.

Warren County started the season 3-0 before suffering consecutive road losses to Coffee County and Cookeville. Instead of allowing the skid to linger, the Lady Pioneers responded Thursday with one of their most complete performances of the season, sweeping Smyrna 25-16, 25-11 and 25-17.

“The girls really came in determined to turn this week around tonight,” Blalock said following the victory. “Our serve receive was much better tonight and it showed in how we were able to execute our style of play.”

Better passing allowed Warren County to get more hitters involved against Smyrna. Aubrey Oleksik and Brynlee Chisam were effective at the net, Natalie Payne came through with several big blocks and the Lady Pioneer back line kept rallies alive throughout the sweep.

It was the kind of team effort Warren County displayed during its 3-0 start and one it will need again against two of its biggest district tests.

“The girls had to contend with a lot of unconventional returned balls but worked to keep every ball up and never gave up on it,” Blalock said after the Smyrna win.

Monday and Tuesday are only the beginning of a huge week. Warren County travels to White County Thursday at 6 p.m., then heads to the Choo Choo Classic Friday and Saturday.

Before worrying about the tournament, the Lady Pioneers will get two nights at the Dalt to find out how they stack up in the district race.

**Brent Carden photo -** When the Pioneers were last on the field, they were shutting out Bridgeforth at home. Tuesday, WCMS head back on the road to Lewisburg.

Pioneers ready to be dangerous again

The wait to get back on the field lasted longer than WCMS expected.

Warren County was scheduled to host Tullahoma last Tuesday in one of its biggest games of the season, but the battle was postponed. That left the Pioneers sitting at 3-0 and gave them a rare off week in August without a game.

Now they'll finally get another chance Tuesday.

WCMS will make the long trip to Lewisburg for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff looking to continue a start that has included victories over DeKalb County, Marion County and Bridgeforth.

Warren County opened with a 44-14 victory on the road against the Saints, went to Jasper and won 30-14 and wrapped up August with a dominant 38-0 victory at Nunley Stadium.

The Jasper game is the one coach Ben Matheney has been pointing back to this week.

Warren County led just 8-6 at halftime before taking control in the second half. With another long road trip awaiting Tuesday, Matheney wants the Pioneers ready from the opening kick.

“Team goals are high this week. Last time on the road we had a slow start, so the focus is start better,” Matheney said. “With a two-hour bus ride, our pregame will be shortened.”

The postponement also forced the Pioneers to quickly shift their attention. Warren County had spent considerable time preparing for Tullahoma before finding out it wouldn't get the opportunity to play.

“After so much focus on a big game like Tullahoma, the coaching staff did a really good job getting the boys prepared mentally to move on to Lewisburg,” Matheney said.

As the TMSAA is still working to form postseason in football - leaving the Pioneers without any real route to the playoffs this fall - Matheney has continually stressed the importance of treating every opportunity like it's the biggest one.

“We treat every game as a championship game, because we don't have any real postseason this year,” Matheney said.

The message this week has been even simpler.

“The word I've focused on with this group is ‘dangerous,’” Matheney said. “I want them to understand when they are playing to their full potential, in all phases of the game this team is dangerous.”

District race heats up for Lady Pioneers

Warren County has found its footing quickly on the soccer field and now gets a chance to strengthen its position in the district.

The Lady Pioneers will travel to Franklin County Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their second District 7-AAA matchup before returning home Thursday to face Tullahoma at 6:30 p.m.

Warren County enters the week 3-1 overall and 1-0 in district play after putting together consecutive victories over Smyrna and Lincoln County.

The Lady Pioneers bounced back from their lone loss at Riverdale by blanking Smyrna 4-0, then went on the road and opened district play with a 3-1 victory over Lincoln County.

Noelle Bratcher provided the biggest offensive spark against the Lady Falcons, scoring all three Warren County goals to give coach Todd Willmore's team exactly the district start it wanted.

Bratcher's emergence has added another weapon to an attack that has already received production from Addi Steakley, Emory MacDonald, Giselle Escamilla and Izzy Rodriguez this season.

The next challenge is turning one district victory into two.

Franklin County gets the first shot at slowing Warren County Tuesday. The Lady Pioneers will then have a quick turnaround before facing Tullahoma two nights later.

Runners get more chances to compete

Monday will be a busy afternoon for Warren County cross country.

Both WCMS and WCHS will compete in the Coffee County Invitational, with the middle school runners scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. and the high school races following at 5 p.m.

For WCMS, simply getting another opportunity to race is welcomed.

The Pioneers have had an unusual beginning to the season. Their opening meet at Sewanee featured issues with an improperly marked course that resulted in runners taking wrong turns, while a scheduled middle school race in Cookeville was later canceled because of the heat.

Coach James Clark, who took over just before the season, has been working to find additional opportunities for his runners as the season progresses.

“I'm looking to add more races,” Clark said. “I would like to add three more meets if possible. We will have to see what I can manage at this late stage.”

The WCHS runners won't have to wait long for another opportunity after Monday. They'll be back in action Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Big Soddy Gulf Meet.

“We know this week will be a good test for our team, especially with the heat and having two races close together after a longer break following our first meet,” said coach Kelsea Turner. “We’re going to focus on staying hydrated, managing the heat and making sure our athletes are listening to their bodies. We’ll also use the week to work on recovery between races and not overdo it in practice.

“The biggest thing is that we want to compete smart, stay healthy and see where we are as a team. Having two meets this week gives our runners a great opportunity to gain experience and continue building confidence as we move further into the season.”

The Lady Pioneers have already shown promise this season, winning the team championship at Community in their opener. Two-time state qualifier Emma Woodlee finished second individually in 23:14, while Jolene Meadows placed fifth as Warren County put five runners in the top 15.

Lady Pioneers regain momentum

WCMS volleyball and WCMS soccer regained some swagger late last week.

After consecutive losses snapped a six-match winning streak, WCMS volleyball bounced back Friday by sweeping Cannon County 25-19 and 25-14. The victory improved the Lady Pioneers to 10-4.

Ellie Dixon led the attack with seven kills, while Khloe Howell added two. Fallon Youngblood finished with 10 assists and Warren County also got eight combined aces from Howell, Dixon, Maebry Yates and Emma Boon.

WCMS will try to carry the momentum into another two-match week, traveling to Stone Memorial Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before getting a quick rematch with Cannon County Thursday at 5 p.m.

The Lady Pioneer soccer team didn't let their first loss linger either. After seeing their season-opening winning streak snapped by Coffee County, WCMS responded Thursday with a 4-1 district victory over White County. LB Guthrie scored twice in the victory, while Finn MacDonald and Abigail Laxson also found the back of the net.

Warren County will be back home Monday at 6 p.m. to face Stone Memorial.

Lady Broncos looking to bounce back

Both Boyd volleyball teams will try to get back in the win column this week after suffering losses at Legacy last week in Murfreesboro. The Boyd middle school team enters the week 1-5, while the high school Lady Broncos are still searching for their first victory at 0-7.

Both teams will have two opportunities this week. Boyd hosts 931 Volleyball Monday, with the middle school match at 5 p.m. and high school action following at 6 p.m.

The Lady Broncos will travel to TN Heat Thursday with the same 5 p.m. middle school and 6 p.m. high school start times.

Busy week awaits Pioneer golfers

Three matches in four days will give the WCHS golf teams plenty of opportunities to find consistency as the postseason continues getting closer.

Warren County opens Monday at 4 p.m. with a nine-hole match against Coffee County at WillowBrook Golf Club. The Pioneers return home Tuesday to face Coffee County and Tullahoma at 1 p.m. at McMinnville Country Club, then travel to Old Fort Golf Course Thursday for a 1 p.m. matchup with Riverdale.

Senior Noel Davis continues to lead the Pioneer boys. Davis dipped below 80 in both matches last week, even claiming low-medal honors in Sparta. The Lady Pioneers have also shown improvement with Gabbi Molloy continuing to pace the girls.

This Week in Sports

Monday, August 31

WCHS golf at Coffee County, 4 p.m.
WCMS cross country in Coffee Co. Invitational, 4:30 p.m.
WCHS cross country in Coffee Co. Invitational, 5 p.m.
Boyd MS volleyball vs. 931 Volleyball, 5 p.m.
WCHS volleyball vs. Lebanon, 6 p.m.
WCMS soccer vs. Stone Memorial, 6 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball vs. 931 Volleyball, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, September 1

WCHS golf vs. Coffee County/Tullahoma, 1 p.m.
WCMS volleyball at Stone Memorial, 5:30 p.m.
WCHS volleyball vs. Stewarts Creek, 6 p.m.
Boyd elementary basketball vs. Northfield, 6 p.m.
WCMS football at Lewisburg, 6:30 p.m.
WCHS soccer at Franklin County, 7 p.m.

Thursday, September 3

WCHS golf at Riverdale, 1 p.m.
WCHS cross country in Big Soddy Gulf Meet, 3:30 p.m.
WCMS volleyball vs. Cannon County, 5 p.m.
Boyd MS volleyball at TN Heat, 5 p.m.
WCHS volleyball at White County, 6 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball at TN Heat, 6 p.m.
WCHS soccer vs. Tullahoma, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, September 4

WCHS football vs. Hunter's Lane, 7 p.m.
WCHS volleyball in Choo Choo Classic, TBD

Saturday, September 5

WCHS volleyball in Choo Choo Classic, TBD