Emma Woodlee has spent much of the fall working her way back into championship form. This week, the Warren County High School junior will get an opportunity to show just how far she's come when she makes her third consecutive appearance at the TSSAA State Cross Country Championships.
There are championship implications on the basketball court, too. West's unbeaten boys will finally meet Dibrell in a showdown between the top two teams in the elementary league, while Boyd Christian's undefeated girls face a difficult stretch against Hickory Creek and Irving College. The Warren County Sports Authority will also spotlight Monday's Morrison at Centertown boys rematch as its Champion Chevy GMC Elementary Game of the Week.
Warren County Middle School basketball is back in action after the Pioneer boys opened with two convincing victories, while the Lady Pioneers look to rebound from their first loss. The WCMS wrestling team has three competitions scheduled, including its home debut Thursday, and Boyd Christian's middle school basketball teams will head to Van Buren County for a rematch Friday.
Football fans will have plenty to follow Thursday night as well. Warren County will host LaVergne in the Nurserymen's Bowl at Nunley Stadium, with the Pioneers looking to build on consecutive victories over Howard and Glencliff. The Warren County Way will have its full sponsored football preview later in the week.
This Week in Sports is presented by Security Federal Savings Bank. The Warren County Way thanks Security Federal for its continued support of local athletics and its commitment to helping showcase Warren County's athletes throughout the year.
Woodlee chasing her best at state
Emma Woodlee has spent much of her junior season fighting to get back to her best. Now, with one race remaining, the Warren County standout may be running better than ever.
Woodlee will make her third consecutive appearance at the TSSAA State Cross Country Championships Thursday, Nov. 5, after delivering a school-record performance at the Section 4-AAA Championships last week. Her third-place finish on her home course at Warren County High School secured another trip to state and provided a fitting reward for a season filled with challenges.
The junior clocked a time of 19:54 at sectionals, breaking her own school record and delivering the kind of performance she had been working toward throughout the fall. It was a long road to that breakthrough.
Woodlee opened the season with a victory at the Coffee County Invitational, running 22:19 on Aug. 31. But injuries and setbacks made it difficult to build on that early success. Woodlee was in a walking boot at times during the fall and was unable to finish some races in September.
For a runner who had already qualified for state twice, the early struggles were frustrating. But Woodlee continued competing, and her results began trending in the right direction as the postseason approached.
She ran 21:21 to finish sixth at the Meet in the Middle Invitational, followed by a 21:00.20 performance at the Tree City XC Invitational. By Oct. 15, Woodlee was back in the winner's circle, capturing first place at Sewanee in 21:31.
That late-season resurgence set the stage for her biggest performance yet.
Running in front of the home crowd at sectionals, Woodlee broke the 20-minute barrier and earned her place among the state's best once again. Her 19:54 effort was more than a minute faster than either of her previous state championship performances.
The difference is significant considering where Woodlee has finished in state before. As a freshman in 2024, she placed 84th in 20:56.77. Last fall, she finished 106th with a time of 21:04.53 at Shelby Farms, where course she’ll be getting familiar with again this week.
“We are going Wednesday to preview and practice on the course before she competes on it Thursday,” said coach Jeremy Wilheim about the final plans for Woodlee.
The TSSAA State Cross Country Championships will be held Thursday at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, with Woodlee scheduled to race at 2:50 p.m.
Oly Cathcart has helped the Lady Broncos dominate elementary play so far this fall.
Can anybody catch the Lady Broncos?
If any team is ever going to trip up Boyd in the girls 3-5 grade league, this week could be the time. The Lady Broncos will play their toughest challenges on back-to-back nights this week, facing rival Hickory Creek on Monday before finally clashing with Irving College in a makeup game Tuesday against the second-place Lady Tigers.
Slowing down the Lady Broncos (7-0) means slowing down the league's top scorer, Sky Wright, along with terrific forward Juliette Ferguson and do-everything guard Oly Cathcart. Wright has dazzled in every gym she's walked into in Warren County this season, pushing Boyd to big wins every single night. Ferguson and Cathcart have been right alongside her, giving the Lady Broncos three dangerous scoring options and plenty of ways to attack opposing defenses.
Hickory Creek (5-3) knows all about Boyd's firepower, but the Lady Hawks have some weapons of their own. Kimber Lowe and Hattie Scott have been consistent contributors, while the Lady Hawks have shown they can make life miserable for opponents defensively. They held Irving College to just 11 points Thursday, only to fall 11-9 when their own offense went cold in the fourth quarter.
Tuesday's matchup with Irving College (6-1) could be even bigger. The Lady Tigers have emerged as one of Boyd's biggest threats, and they'll have the advantage of playing at home. Willow Hertwig is coming off the winning basket against Hickory Creek, while Sophia Stubblefield and Hadlee Green have been important pieces of Irving College's attack. The Lady Tigers won't have to wait any longer to find out how they measure up against the league leaders.
And Lynlee Taylor is making sure nobody forgets about Centertown.
The 7-1 Lady Warriors are right in the thick of the championship chase and will be watching Boyd's difficult stretch closely. Taylor has been a difference maker, scoring 15 points in last week's victory over Eastside, while Mia Higgins stepped up with eight in a comeback win over Hickory Creek. Centertown gets its own rematch with the Lady Hawks on Thursday after using a third-quarter shutout to beat them 21-12 last week.
There's also an interesting battle developing in the middle of the standings. Bobby Ray (3-4) has won two straight, getting contributions from Nyla Millraney, Emmalyn Taylor and Devyn Gennings. The Lady Stars will visit Eastside (3-4) on Tuesday in a matchup of teams trying to turn recent success into a winning record. Mia Rodriguez and Haven Hicks have been two of the Lady Bulldogs' biggest offensive threats.
Morrison (2-6) will try to get back on track after a frustrating offensive week, while West (0-7) and Dibrell (0-7) are still hunting for their first victories. The Lady Wizards and Lady Wildcats will get a chance to change that when they meet Thursday in a makeup game.
Coach Bryson Elrod and the Wildcats had a week off to get prepped for a matchup with West this week.
West-Dibrell to clash for first place this week
West has been the team to beat in the boys 3-5 grade league all season, but the Wizards are about to get one of their biggest challenges yet. A Thursday makeup game against Dibrell will pit the league's last unbeaten team against a group of Wildcats looking to make the championship race a whole lot more interesting.
The Wizards (7-0) have been rolling behind the dynamic backcourt of Cam Chadwell and Princeton Scott. Chadwell has been a scoring machine and terrific distributor, while Scott has made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. The duo combined for 30 points in last week's 38-10 victory over Boyd, with Chadwell scoring 19 and Scott adding 11. Throw in the contributions of Malik Ellis, Byron Keyes and DJ Ramirez, and West has plenty of weapons to keep opponents guessing.
Dibrell (6-1) will get its shot at the Wizards on Thursday in a makeup game that could have major implications in the championship chase. The Wildcats have been one of the league's most consistent teams, with River Rice and Jeb Culwell among the players who have helped keep Dibrell near the top of the standings.
Before Thursday's showdown, there's another big game that deserves plenty of attention.
Centertown (6-2) will welcome Morrison (4-4) on Monday in a rematch that the Warriors have been waiting two weeks to play. The Eagles stunned Centertown at home in their first meeting, pulling out a victory in a game that went down to the wire. Morrison hasn't slowed down since, winning three straight games after starting the season 1-4.
Trey Hawkins has been at the center of the Eagles' resurgence, scoring 19 points in Thursday's victory over Bobby Ray. Sawyer McCormick and James Starkey have also provided important contributions as Morrison has climbed back to .500.
Centertown has plenty of firepower of its own. Colt Bratcher scored 16 points in last Monday's 34-28 victory over Hickory Creek, while Easton Parker, Noah Simpson and Greyson Eubanks give the Warriors several options offensively.
The Warren County Sports Authority has selected Monday's Morrison at Centertown rematch as its Champion Chevy GMC Elementary Game of the Week. The broadcast will begin at 7 p.m., with the WCSA showcasing another big elementary basketball battle as part of its Growing Champions! coverage presented by Champion Chevy GMC.
Hickory Creek (4-4) will also be looking to make some noise this week after coming agonizingly close to knocking off Irving College. Po Haywood scored 16 points in Thursday's 26-25 overtime loss, but the Hawks couldn't finish off the Tigers after building an eight-point halftime lead. Hickory Creek will visit Boyd on Monday before getting another shot at Centertown on Thursday.
Irving College (4-3) is coming off that dramatic overtime victory, with True Lusk and Ryan Yates helping fuel the comeback before Nathaniel Johnson delivered the winning free throw. The Tigers will travel to Morrison on Thursday in another matchup between teams trying to climb the standings.
Boyd (2-5) will try to build some momentum against Hickory Creek, while Bobby Ray (0-7) and Eastside (0-7) continue searching for their first wins. The Stars and Bulldogs will meet Tuesday in a matchup that guarantees one of those teams a breakthrough victory.
Isaiah Grayson has the Pioneers off to a 2-0 start to the middle school season.
WCMS basketball back in action
Warren County Middle School basketball will get another shot at Tullahoma East Tuesday as both teams return home after opening their seasons with a pair of games last week.
The Pioneers are off to a 2-0 start under coach Isaiah Grayson, cruising past Tullahoma West 59-25 and Tullahoma East 47-20. Brody Chisam has been a force offensively, scoring 35 points in the two victories, while Cooper Murphy has added another scoring threat.
"We had a slow start to this game as we were rushing with the ball too much. However, defensively we were pretty solid all night," Grayson said following Thursday's victory. "These guys followed the game plan and executed defensively."
The Lady Pioneers split their opening games, dominating Tullahoma West 35-12 before running into trouble at Tullahoma East in a 40-18 loss. Warren County fell behind 16-0 early and couldn't recover despite showing improvement after halftime.
"We know what we need to work on, and we will be ready to go next Tuesday," coach Tyra Rubio said.
Both teams will host Tullahoma East Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. before traveling to Cannon County Friday for another 6 p.m. doubleheader.
WCMS wrestling to make home debut
Warren County Middle School wrestling will compete three times this week, including its home debut Thursday, as the Pioneers continue their pursuit of a third consecutive region championship.
Coach Ben Matheney's squad opened the season last week in Cookeville before competing Saturday at the Mustang Dual Tournament at Spring Station. And the long-tenured leader of the program saw his team get off to a familiar start this year to last year, when the program ultimately was one of the best in the state.
"We won all three against Cookeville schools, but had a rough go yesterday (in the tournament) and went 1-3. (It was a) Similar start to last year and we’re hoping to have the same results this year as we keep going," Matheney said.
The Pioneers will face Tullahoma and Cascade Tuesday at Tullahoma beginning at 5 p.m. before welcoming Soddy Daisy to Warren County High School Thursday for their home opener at 4 p.m. Warren County will wrap up the week Saturday at the Spring Station Individual Tournament.
Seventh grader Moni Harris has helped the Lady Broncos middle school program start 2-0.
Boyd looking for repeat, revenge
Boyd won't have to wait long to see how its middle school teams handle a rematch. The Broncos and Lady Broncos travel to Van Buren County Friday, with the girls looking for a sweep and the boys hoping to turn the tables on the Eagles.
Bella Hastings and Moni Harris gave the Eaglettes plenty of problems in Boyd's 40-31 home victory. Hastings poured in 21 points and Harris added 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Lady Broncos recovered from an early 6-0 deficit. Hastings helped finish the job by going 6-for-6 at the foul line in the second half.
The duo has powered Boyd's 2-0 start, which began with a 49-13 victory over Winchester Christian. Friday brings the Lady Broncos their first road test after opening with two home wins.
Boyd's boys will be chasing their first victory after falling to Winchester Christian and Van Buren County. Sixth grader Ryder Reed led the Broncos with 10 points in their home opener against the Lions.
THIS WEEK IN SPORTS
Monday, Nov. 2
Eastside at Dibrell, 6 p.m.
Hickory Creek at Boyd, 6 p.m.
Morrison at Centertown, 6 p.m.
West at Bobby Ray, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3
WCMS wrestling at Tullahoma, 5 p.m.
WCMS basketball vs. Tullahoma East, 6 p.m.
Bobby Ray at Eastside, 6 p.m.
Boyd at Irving College, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 5
WCHS cross country at Class AAA State Meet, 2:50 p.m.
WCMS wrestling vs. Soddy Daisy, 4 p.m.
WCHS football vs. LaVergne, 7 p.m.
Dibrell at West, 6 p.m.
Hickory Creek at Centertown, 6 p.m.
Irving College at Morrison, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6
WCMS basketball at Cannon County, 6 p.m.
Boyd MS basketball at Van Buren County, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
WCMS wrestling at Spring Station Individual Tournament
