This Week in Sports: Oct. 12-17

Fall break is over and the sports schedules are picking back up, with postseason soccer, the return of middle school and elementary basketball and one final championship opportunity for Boyd Christian volleyball highlighting the week ahead. As always, our This Week in Sports Feature is presented by Security Federal Savings Bank.

The biggest game of the week comes Tuesday night when the WCHS Lady Pioneers begin their postseason journey at home. Warren County enters the District 9-3A soccer tournament riding a six-match winning streak and needing just one more victory to guarantee a spot in regional competition.

Basketball will also return to the spotlight. Warren County Middle School's sixth-grade teams will play three home games this week after opening their seasons with victories before fall break, while the county's elementary league resumes Tuesday following a week away from competition.

Boyd Christian will also be chasing postseason success as the Lady Broncos head into the Division II TSIAA state volleyball tournament. The school will have runners competing in the TSIAA elementary cross country championships Monday as well.

And, of course, Friday night means Pioneer football. Warren County (3-4) will return to Nunley Stadium for homecoming against Cannon County, looking to snap a two-game losing streak following its open week. The annual homecoming parade will begin at 2 p.m. in downtown McMinnville before the Pioneers kick off at 7 p.m. We'll have a full preview of the matchup later in the week.

Let’s get to the big matchups this week!

Lady Pioneers one win away from region berth

Warren County has spent the last two months finding ways to win. Tuesday, the Lady Pioneers will need to do it one more time to extend their season.

A spot in the region tournament will be on the line when Warren County hosts Franklin County Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the District 9-AAA semifinals. The Lady Pioneers enter the postseason with a 12-2-1 record and a six-match winning streak, but they'll be facing an opponent that has already pushed them to the limit once this season.

Warren County and Franklin County battled through 80 scoreless minutes Sept. 1 before the Lady Pioneers prevailed in a dramatic penalty-kick shootout. Freshman keeper Kinsley Simpson made the decisive save in sudden death after Maci McBride had converted a must-make attempt and Addisyn Watson followed with another successful kick.

That victory was part of an impressive regular-season run for coach Todd Willmore's team, which also knocked off Tullahoma, Columbia and Notre Dame while developing a reputation for its gritty defense and ability to deliver in tight matches.

The Lady Pioneers have been just as dangerous offensively. Noelle Bratcher enters the postseason with a team-leading nine goals after scoring a first-half hat trick in Warren County's 5-0 regular-season finale at White County. Addi Steakley has seven goals while Emory MacDonald and Gisell Escamilla have six apiece.

Warren County has been just as dominant defensively, recording seven shutouts along the way. But none of those numbers will guarantee anything Tuesday.

Franklin County, the 2024 Class 2A state champion, has already shown it can keep Warren County off the scoreboard. The Lady Pioneers know firsthand how difficult it can be to break through against the Rebelettes.

This time, the stakes are even higher.

A victory would send Warren County into the district championship matchup with either top-seeded Shelbyville or Columbia and guarantee the Lady Pioneers a spot in the region tournament. A loss would bring an impressive season to an abrupt end.

**Photo provided** - The WCMS girls started their season with a win at Cannon County right before fall break.

Sixth-grade Pioneers return for busy week

Warren County Middle School's sixth-grade basketball teams didn't have much time to build momentum before fall break interrupted their seasons. Now they'll have plenty of opportunities to get back into the swing of things.

Both the Pioneers and Lady Pioneers opened their seasons with road victories over Cannon County Oct. 1, giving each team a perfect start before the scheduled break.

The sixth-grade teams will return to the court Tuesday, Oct. 13, when they welcome Coffee County to Warren County Middle School for a 6 p.m. matchup. That will be just the beginning of a busy week.

Warren County will also host a pair of Saturday contests, welcoming Cannon County back for a 9 a.m. matchup before facing Upperman at 1 p.m.

The three-game week should provide an early measuring stick for both programs, which will be looking to build on their successful debuts. Saturday's matchup with Cannon County will also offer another opportunity to see how the sixth-grade teams have progressed since their season-opening victories.

**Oly Cathcart and the Lady Broncos spent fall break for most WC schools winning out of conference matchups with Upper Cumberland and Cannon South.**

Elementary basketball returns from fall break

After a week away from the court, Warren County's elementary basketball league returns Tuesday with several unbeaten starts still intact and the early standings beginning to take shape.

Boyd Christian leads the girls division at 4-0, while defending champion Hickory Creek remains perfect at 3-0 and Irving College sits at 2-0. On the boys side, Centertown leads the way at 3-0, with West and Irving College also remaining unbeaten through their first two games.

The Lady Broncos didn't let fall break interrupt their winning ways. While the rest of the county league was idle, Boyd stepped outside county competition and picked up two more victories, defeating Upper Cumberland 25-9 Tuesday before rolling past Cannon South 45-2 Thursday.

The two victories gave Boyd seven wins this season, though only the 4-0 start in elementary ball counts toward the league standings.

Sky Wright has been the driving force behind the Lady Broncos' unbeaten start, leading the team in scoring, assists, steals and rebounds through the first part of the year. She’s had plenty of help too.

Oly Cathcart, Juliette Ferguson and others have flashed big potential as Boyd entered fall break following a 25-6 victory over previously unbeaten Centertown Sept. 28 and a 29-6 win over Morrison Oct. 1.

The Boyd boys also stayed busy during the break, dropping their matchup with Upper Cumberland before bouncing back to defeat Cannon South 19-17 Thursday.

Boyd will be on fall break this week, giving the rest of the league a chance to get back into the flow while the Broncos and Lady Broncos take a breather.

The 3-5 grade league will return Tuesday, Oct. 13 with West traveling to Centertown and Dibrell visiting Eastside. Three more matchups are set for Thursday, Oct. 15 as Bobby Ray travels to Irving College, Hickory Creek visits Dibrell and Morrison heads to West. All games begin at 6 p.m. with both girls and boys teams competing.

Tuesday's matchup at Centertown could be one of the most interesting on the boys side. The Warriors enter the week as the league's lone 3-0 team, led by Greyson Eubanks, who scored 33 points in his first three games.

West has been equally impressive, opening 2-0 behind Cam Chadwell, Princeton Scott and Byron Keyes. The Wizards have already knocked off Hickory Creek 27-13 and shut out Eastside 41-0, setting up a showdown between two teams that have yet to lose.

The girls game will feature a Centertown squad looking to bounce back from its first loss. The Lady Warriors started 2-0 before falling to Boyd 25-6 and will look to improve on their 2-1 record against a West team still searching for its first victory.

Eastside will also be looking to build on some momentum Tuesday when Dibrell comes to town. The Lady Bulldogs broke a lengthy losing streak with a 26-9 victory over West before the break, getting 12 points from Mia Rodriguez and eight from Haven Hicks. Dibrell enters at 0-3, but Lyla Wood and Piper Hall have provided offensive production for the Lady Wildcats.

On the boys side, Dibrell has bounced back from an opening-night loss to Centertown with consecutive victories, including a 48-10 win over Boyd and a 26-12 decision over Bobby Ray. Jeb Culwell and Jean Garcia have helped lead the turnaround as Dibrell enters at 2-1. Eastside will be looking for its first victory.

Thursday's action will give Irving College a chance to protect two unbeaten records when Bobby Ray comes to town. The Lady Tigers are 2-0 behind Sophia Stubblefield and Hadlee Green, while the boys are also 2-0 after wins over Morrison and Eastside. Bobby Ray's girls enter at 1-2 after Emberlyn Taylor scored 12 points in a comeback victory over Dibrell, while the boys are still seeking their first win.

Hickory Creek will bring two winning teams to Dibrell Thursday. The Lady Hawks are 3-0 behind Kimber Lowe and Hattie Scott, while the boys are 2-1 after bouncing back from a loss to West with a 34-19 victory over Morrison. Noah Mallett scored 10 points in that win, while Caleb Lippe added eight. Dibrell's girls will be looking to break into the win column, while the boys will have an opportunity to test themselves against another winning team.

Morrison's trip to West rounds out Thursday's schedule. The Eagles picked up their first boys victory before the break, beating Boyd 35-21 behind a fast start and nine points from Trey Hawkins. Sawyer McCormick and James Starkey added eight each. West will be looking to stay unbeaten, while the Lady Eagles of Morrison will be searching for their first win against a West girls team also hoping to get into the victory column.

Lady Broncos make final push at state

Boyd Christian's high school volleyball team isn't ready to call it a season just yet. The Lady Broncos will get another opportunity to extend their year Tuesday when they travel to face United Christian in the opening round of the Division II TSIAA State Tournament.

Boyd enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed and will face fifth-seeded United Christian at 6 p.m. The Lady Broncos are looking to bounce back from a first-round loss to Franklin Road Christian in last week's district tournament, which ended their district championship hopes but left one final opportunity to make a postseason run.

It's been a season of growth for Boyd under first-year coach Emily Davis, whose team has continued to battle through a difficult schedule while showing improvement along the way.

The Lady Broncos picked up a five-set victory over Lighthouse Christian earlier in the season and also defeated Greater Things in three sets. Boyd also came close to another breakthrough against 931 Volleyball, taking the first two sets on the road before falling in five.

For Davis, the state tournament represents another chance for her players to show the same effort and determination they've displayed throughout the season.

"I feel like that they have worked so hard to get to where they are now, and my only goal is for them to finish out the season with that same determination we started with," Davis said.

A victory Tuesday would send Boyd into Thursday's state semifinals against the winner of No. 6 Legacy and No. 7 DCA. The semifinal matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the Division II state championship set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Welch College.