Aubrey Oleksik and the Lady Pioneers have plenty of motivation and momentum going into the district tournament.
Every week, The Warren County Way takes an in-depth look at the upcoming schedule for school sports with the This Week in Sports feature. We thank Security Federal Savings Bank for sponsoring our weekly look at everything happening in local sports.
Fall break will make for one of the lightest schedules of the year, but there is still plenty at stake for the teams that will be competing.
Postseason play begins for both WCHS and Boyd Christian volleyball, while the Lady Pioneer soccer team will get one final regular-season tune-up before turning its attention to the postseason. Boyd Christian will also stay busy with its elementary basketball and cross country programs while most Warren County teams take the week off.
The WCHS football team will be among those enjoying the break this week. The Pioneers are off Friday before returning to action following fall break. Last week brought to an end the seasons for WCMS volleyball, football and soccer, as well as the WCHS golf teams.
Check back on the WC Way website for stories on their final outings.
Lady Pioneers peaking at the right time
Warren County couldn't have picked a much better time to start playing its best volleyball.
The Lady Pioneers will enter the District 7-AAA tournament at 14-12 overall after closing the regular season with four consecutive sweeps. Warren County knocked off White County, DeKalb County, Cannon County and Shelbyville without dropping a set, a dramatic turnaround for a team that sat at 6-10 earlier this season.
“The season has certainly had highs and lows but we hope we have learned from all of those, and we go into the postseason playing our best,” coach Erin Blalock said.
The District 7-AAA tournament will be played Oct. 5-6 at Smyrna High School. Warren County is scheduled to take the court Monday at 4 p.m. against the winner of White County and LaVergne.
The Lady Pioneers finished 7-7 in district play and have already proven they can beat several teams in the tournament field. Warren County swept LaVergne during the regular season and split its two meetings with White County and defending district champion Cookeville.
“We know what it will take to be successful against the district teams because we get all too familiar with them throughout the season,” Blalock said. “It will come down to execution of the little things. When little things are put together, big plays can and will happen.”
After an up-and-down regular season, Warren County enters tournament time with momentum, confidence and 12 consecutive set victories.
Izzy Rodriguez and the Lady Pioneers will be looking for a road win in Sparta Tuesday.
One more tune-up for Lady Pioneers
One final test awaits the Lady Pioneers before the postseason arrives.
Warren County will wrap up an impressive regular season Tuesday when it travels to Sparta to face White County at 6 p.m. The Lady Pioneers will enter the finale 11-2-1 and riding a five-match winning streak after rallying to beat Soddy Daisy 2-1 Thursday.
The latest victory continued what has become the defining trait of coach Todd Willmore's team: finding ways to win.
Warren County fell behind Soddy Daisy less than three minutes into the match before settling down defensively and mounting a second-half comeback. Gisell Escamilla tied the match before senior Maci McBride delivered the winner with a long-range blast for her first goal of the season.
It followed another 2-1 victory over Notre Dame on Senior Night and gives Warren County an opportunity to enter postseason play with six straight wins.
More importantly, the Lady Pioneers have been tested in just about every way imaginable this season. They've won shootouts, survived defensive battles, rallied from deficits and exploded offensively when needed. Warren County owns victories over Franklin County, Tullahoma, Columbia Central and Notre Dame among a schedule that has repeatedly challenged the Lady Pioneers.
Tuesday offers one final opportunity to sharpen everything before the stakes rise. White County will be looking to play spoiler while celebrating its own Senior Night in Sparta.
After that, Warren County can finally turn its full attention toward the postseason. Warren County will host its district semifinals battle next Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
Brit Ralph and the Lady Broncos start postseason play Tuesday.
Lady Broncos get another shot at Franklin Road
Boyd Christian couldn't have drawn a more fitting opponent to start the postseason.
The Lady Broncos will see the same team Tuesday that they faced to begin the Emily Davis era, giving Boyd a chance to see just how far it has come during the first-year coach's debut season.
No. 8 Boyd will face top-seeded Franklin Road Christian at 6 p.m. in the opening round of the TSIAA South District tournament. Franklin Road has swept the Lady Broncos twice this season, including a 25-11, 25-11, 25-11 victory in their late-September meeting.
The results haven't always shown it, but Boyd has made strides throughout a season featuring a young roster adjusting to a new coach. The Lady Broncos broke through for their first victory against Lighthouse Christian, added another win against Greater Things and recently showed their growth by taking the first two sets on the road against 931 Volleyball before eventually falling in five.
Now comes the ultimate measuring stick.
Franklin Road showed Boyd where it stood when the season began. Tuesday gives the Lady Broncos a chance to show how much has changed since then. An upset would send Boyd into Thursday's district semifinals against the winner of No. 4 Lancaster Christian and No. 5 Riverside Christian Academy.
A loss wouldn't end the season, either. Boyd will still have the Division II state tournament awaiting the following week, but before turning its attention there, the Lady Broncos get one more shot at the team that provided their starting point.
No break for unbeaten Lady Broncos
Boyd Christian won’t be taking a break from basketball just because the rest of the elementary league is.
While Warren County schools are out for fall break and the 3-5 grade league takes the week off, Boyd, the league’s lone private school, will continue playing. The Lady Broncos will host Upper Cumberland Tuesday, Oct. 6 before traveling to face Cannon South Thursday. Both games begin at 6 p.m.
The extra action comes with Boyd riding plenty of momentum. The Lady Broncos have emerged as the early leader in the elementary league, starting 4-0 in league play while overwhelming opponents with relentless defense and a growing list of offensive weapons. Boyd also had a win in the first week of September against Northfield Elementary.
Sky Wright has been at the center of the hot start. The returning standout opened the season with 18 points against Bobby Ray, added 12 against Dibrell and most recently poured in 13 in Thursday’s 29-6 victory over Morrison.
But Boyd has been far from a one-player show.
Juliette Ferguson scored a season-best nine points against Morrison, while Oly Cathcart has continued to provide scoring and toughness. Kayla Brewer led the way with eight points in a 25-6 victory over previously unbeaten Centertown, while Nora Long and Cathcart added five apiece. Kenna Brewer, MK Wright, Britta Burger and Adrianna Helton have also contributed during the unbeaten start.
The defense has been even more impressive. Boyd has surrendered just 23 points in four elementary league games and has yet to surrender double-digits in any of its five matchups.
Through two weeks, Boyd and Hickory Creek have set the pace in the girls league. Boyd sits atop the standings at 4-0, while Hickory Creek is 3-0 behind the strong play of Kimber Lowe and Hattie Scott. Irving College is also unbeaten at 2-0, while Centertown is 2-1. Bobby Ray and Eastside are both 1-2 after breaking into the win column Monday, while West is 0-2 and Morrison and Dibrell are 0-3.
On the boys side, Centertown is the lone 3-0 team, powered by Greyson Eubanks, who has scored 33 points through three games. West and Irving College are both 2-0, while Dibrell and Hickory Creek sit at 2-1. Morrison picked up its first victory Thursday, racing out to a 22-2 lead before beating Boyd 35-21 to improve to 1-2. Boyd is 1-3, while Bobby Ray and Eastside are both 0-3.
While the elementary league takes the week off for fall break, the WCMS sixth-grade teams will be doing the same. Both squads entered the break with some early momentum after the Lady Pioneers and Pioneers opened their seasons Thursday by sweeping Cannon County on the road with convincing victories.
The WCMS sixth-grade teams will return to action Tuesday, Oct. 13 when they make their home debuts against Coffee County.
Young Broncos keep running through fall break
While fall break will make for a lighter week of sports around Warren County, the Boyd Christian cross country team will keep moving. The Broncos will return to action Monday, Oct. 5 in Hermitage for another TSIAA meet, continuing a season that has largely been about learning on the run for coach Mickey Ralph’s young program.
“We're as young as we can be,” Ralph said. “(We have) 15 total runners and 13 are brand new to the sport. It's been going well.”
The improvement from those newcomers has been noticeable as the season has progressed.
Brooklyn Conner has made one of the biggest jumps. Conner finished the high school girls race in 46:29 in the first TSIAA meet Sept. 8, then posted a 36:17 in Week 4, cutting more than 10 minutes off her time.
Clint Shay has made similar strides for the high school boys. Shay ran 30:37 in Week 1 before improving to 26:21 in Week 3 and finishing Week 4 in 26:45. Blayne Springer also dropped from 29:44 in the opening meet to 25:48 by Week 3.
Karsyn Bain has shown steady improvement in the middle school girls division, dropping from 21:26 in Week 1 to 20:08 in Week 3 and 18:39 in Week 4. Ava Duncan also improved from 29:39 in Week 3 to 28:33 a week later.
Boyd's youngest runners have been gaining experience as well. Jasper Bain, Jax Wiener, Branson Mayfield and Silas Duncan all competed in the lower elementary boys race in Week 4, while Addie Smith, Bellame Conner and Laurel Mayfield represented Boyd in the upper elementary girls division.
This week in sports
Monday, Oct. 5
Boyd Cross County in TSIAA meet, 3 p.m.
WCHS volleyball in District 7-AAA tourney, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
WCHS volleyball in District 7-AAA tourney, if advanced, 2 p.m.
WCHS girls soccer at White County, 6 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball vs. Franklin Road Christian, 6 p.m.
Boyd elementary basketball vs. Upper Cumberland, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Boyd elementary basketball at Cannon South, 6 p.m.
