LB Guthrie and the WCMS Lady Pioneers enter the week looking to claim the district tourney championship.
Fall sports are reaching the point where every week seems to bring something bigger.
For two Warren County Middle School teams, that means the postseason has arrived. The WCMS soccer team will take a 9-3 record into the District 7 semifinals Tuesday, while the Lady Pioneer volleyball team begins its double-elimination tournament Monday as the No. 3 seed.
WCHS golf will also put its season on the line Monday at the District 9-AA Championship, while WCHS volleyball enters another important week after putting together its best stretch of the season.
There will be plenty of new beginnings too. Elementary gyms across Warren County will come alive Monday with the return of 3-5 grade basketball, while WCMS cross country will honor the woman who started its program when it hosts the Patty Kelly Invitational Tuesday.
WCMS football will try to respond from its first loss while dealing with a significant injury and WCHS football returns to Nunley Stadium Friday looking for its fourth straight victory when Stone Memorial comes to town. The Warren County Way will have a full preview of the Pioneer football matchup later this week.
Every weekend, Security Federal Savings Bank presents This Week in Sports, an in-depth look at what's ahead for Warren County teams and the complete local sports schedule for the upcoming week.
Postseason arrives for Lady Pioneers
There wasn't much separating WCMS girls soccer from perfection during the regular season.
The Lady Pioneers finished 9-3 while scoring 51 goals, recording five shutouts and never losing a match by more than one goal. Now, none of those numbers matter unless Warren County can keep winning.
WCMS opens the District 7 tournament Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against Algood with a spot in Friday's championship match in DeKalb County on the line.
Warren County enters the postseason playing some of its best soccer. The Lady Pioneers followed an 8-0 victory over DeKalb County with a 5-0 eighth-grade-night win over Cumberland County, scoring 13 unanswered goals while posting consecutive shutouts to finish the regular season.
LB Guthrie scored twice against Cumberland County to finish the regular season with 22 goals. Finn MacDonald added two more and Abigail Laxson also scored in the victory.
Big offensive nights have been common. WCMS had back-to-back seven-goal victories early in the season and later erupted for eight goals against Stone Memorial and DeKalb County.
Coach Sally Willmore doesn't want the postseason to change the approach that helped her team get there.
“Our message has pretty much stayed the same,” said Willmore. “Focusing on what we do well, giving our best effort throughout the whole game, and controlling what we can control each match!”
A victory Tuesday would send Warren County to the District 7 championship Friday in DeKalb County.
Coach Bethany Mesaros is hoping for more celebrations with her team this week in the district tourney.
Lady Pioneers get fresh start in tournament
The regular season had its share of highs and lows for the WCMS volleyball team. Now the Lady Pioneers get a fresh start.
Warren County finished the regular season 13-7 and earned the No. 3 seed in the eight-team double-elimination tournament hosted by regular-season champion Upperman. The Lady Pioneers will open tournament play Monday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 6 Stone Memorial.
WCMS closed its regular season with three matches last week. Warren County opened with a 25-23, 25-15 victory over Algood before falling in straight sets at Westwood and against Prescott.
Monday's tournament format gives Warren County some room for error, but a victory would provide the much easier path. If the Lady Pioneers beat Stone Memorial, they will advance to a winner's bracket matchup Wednesday at 6 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 Prescott and No. 7 White County.
A loss would send Warren County into an elimination match Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
The winner's bracket final is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m., with the championship Friday at 6 p.m. A second championship match would follow at 7:30 p.m. if necessary.
Elementary gyms come alive again
The squeak of sneakers, bouncing basketballs and packed elementary gyms are back in Warren County.
The 3-5 grade basketball season tips off Monday, beginning another two-month run that will put the county's youngest hoopers in the spotlight. Nine local schools will compete this fall with the regular season running through early November before the postseason tournament begins Nov. 12.
There will be plenty of familiar faces chasing championships.
Boyd enters the boys season as the defending county champion after coach Brian Reed led the Broncos to both the regular-season and tournament championships last year. Bobby Ray finished second during the regular season and as tournament runner-up.
On the girls side, everybody will be trying to unseat Hickory Creek. Shea Panter's Lady Hawks completed an undefeated season last year and finished it by capturing the county tournament championship. Boyd was the tournament runner-up.
Eight games are scheduled this week, with four Monday and four Thursday. All elementary games begin at 6 p.m.
WCMS set to honor program founder
Tuesday's cross country meet will mean more than times and finishing positions for Warren County Middle School.
WCMS will host the Patty Kelly Invitational at 5 p.m., a meet named in memory of the coach who started the Pioneer cross country program. Kelly died unexpectedly in 2022 at age 39.
Coach James Clark said Franklin South and DeKalb County are scheduled to join Warren County and hopes the event can continue growing in future years. WCMS will also recognize its eighth graders at 4:30 p.m. before racing begins.
The meet comes after both WCMS and WCHS competed Saturday at the Burnett Invitational in Cookeville.
Ella Aycock led the WCMS girls with a 14th-place finish in the two-mile race in 17:16.30, cutting nearly 2 minutes, 40 seconds from the time she ran at the Coffee County Invitational. Alyssa McCay followed in 16th at 17:29.70 as the Lady Pioneers finished seventh as a team.
Jonah Gutierrez paced the WCMS boys in 13:51.05, good for 19th place and an improvement from his 14:17 at Coffee County. Benjamin Banaszak was 27th in 14:22.11 as the Pioneer boys finished sixth.
At the high school level, Emma Woodlee made her return after being unable to finish earlier in the week at Woodland Park. The two-time state qualifier immediately moved back to the front of the Lady Pioneer pack, placing 17th in 23:28.06.
Elizabeth Meadows finished 28th in 24:49.55, Caroline Douglas was 35th in 26:30.69 and Claire Randall placed 44th in 27:43.96 as the WCHS girls finished sixth.
Shiloh White led the Pioneer boys with a 20:45.42, another improvement after running 20:48.77 at Woodland Park. Warren County finished 10th in the boys standings.
Cookeville swept the high school team championships at Burnett. CSTHEA sophomore Claire Martz won the girls individual title in 20:49.08, while Cookeville junior Levi Detwiler won the boys race in 16:12.82.
After Tuesday's special home meet, Warren County's middle school and high school runners will be back together Saturday for the Tree City Invitational at 10 a.m.
Brent Carden photo
Pioneers face adversity after first loss
For the first time this season, WCMS football has to respond to a loss.
The Pioneers saw their perfect start end when EO Coffman pulled away for a 41-22 victory at Nunley Stadium. Warren County fell to 5-1 after opening the season with five consecutive victories.
Now the Pioneers will have to respond without one of their biggest difference makers. Mikhail Wilcher, Warren County's powerful fullback and a disruptive presence on defense, will miss the remaining games with a shoulder injury.
“Good teams are gauged by how they handle adversity,” said coach Ben Matheney. “We’ve had our fair share this past week, but it’s got to be next man up.”
Warren County still has plenty to play for. The Pioneers travel to Harris Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup before returning home Saturday to face Tullahoma at 9 a.m.
“We’ve got to take care of the small things Tuesday and that’s what we’ve focused on the past couple practices,” said Matheney. “We’ve still got a chance to be conference champions, and we’ve got to play like that.”
Lady Pioneers look to build on breakthrough stretch
WCHS volleyball finally found the run coach Erin Blalock had been looking for.
The Lady Pioneers won four consecutive matches before falling at Lebanon Thursday, a stretch that included victories over LaVergne, Van Buren County, Cookeville and Smyrna.
None was bigger than the five-set victory over Cookeville.
Warren County's win over the Lady Cavaliers was its first in 14 years, providing a landmark moment during a season where Blalock has repeatedly challenged her team to find consistency.
The Lady Pioneers followed it by sweeping Smyrna before Lebanon ended the streak with a 25-21, 25-12, 25-16 victory.
Warren County enters this week 10-11 overall and 6-6 in District 7-AAA.
The Lady Pioneers will have two more opportunities to build momentum this week, traveling to Stewarts Creek Tuesday at 6 p.m. before returning home Thursday to face White County at 6 p.m.
Five Pioneers tee off with season on the line
There are no more tune-ups for the WCHS golf team.
The postseason begins Monday when five Pioneers travel to Lakewood Golf Course in Tullahoma for the District 9-AA Championship, where Warren County will try to keep its season alive against a field featuring Lawrence County, Coffee County, Tullahoma, Shelbyville, Franklin County, Lincoln County and Columbia.
Unlike most of the regular season, when Warren County's golfers have competed together in matches around the area, Monday will be a long morning of watching the leaderboard develop one Pioneer at a time.
William Davis gets Warren County started at 9:10 a.m. Davis will play alongside Conner Worley of Franklin County, Kobey Whaley of Lincoln County and Will Goodman of Columbia.
Aiden Van Vuuren follows at 9:30 a.m. before Sawyer Caten tees off at 9:50. Ryder Hobbs will begin his round at 10:10, then Aden Johnson will be Warren County's final golfer on the course when his group tees off at 10:30.
The staggered starts mean more than an hour will separate Warren County's first and final tee times, but all five Pioneers will be chasing the same thing: a chance to advance and extend their season. Warren County has the opportunity to advance to the region as a team or individuals.
This Week in Sports
Monday, Sept. 21
WCHS golf in District 9-AA Championship, 9 a.m. (Tullahoma)
Boyd cross country in TSIAA meet, 3 p.m.
Boyd MS volleyball at 931 Volleyball, 5 p.m.
Boyd at Bobby Ray, 6 p.m.*
Centertown at Dibrell, 6 p.m.*
Eastside at Hickory Creek, 6 p.m.*
Morrison at Irving College, 6 p.m.*
Boyd HS volleyball at 931 Volleyball, 6 p.m.
WCHS soccer vs. Spring Hill, 6:30 p.m.
WCMS volleyball vs. Stone Memorial, 7:30 p.m. (Upperman)
Tuesday, Sept. 22
WCMS cross country in Patty Kelly Invitational, 5 p.m.
Boyd MS volleyball vs. TN Heat, 5 p.m.
WCMS soccer vs. Algood, 5:30 p.m.
WCHS volleyball at Stewarts Creek, 6 p.m.
WCHS soccer at DeKalb County, 6 p.m.
Boyd HS volleyball vs. TN Heat, 6 p.m.
WCMS football at Harris, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 23
WCMS volleyball tournament at Upperman, 6 p.m. (if WCMS wins Monday)
Thursday, Sept. 24
Boyd MS volleyball at Franklin Road, 5 p.m.
WCHS volleyball vs. White County, 6 p.m.
Bobby Ray at Centertown, 6 p.m.*
Dibrell at Boyd, 6 p.m.*
Hickory Creek at West, 6 p.m.*
Irving College at Eastside, 6 p.m.*
Boyd HS volleyball at Franklin Road, 6 p.m.
WCHS soccer vs. Columbia, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 25
WCHS football vs. Stone Memorial, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26
WCMS football vs. Tullahoma, 9 a.m.
WCMS cross country in Tree City Invitational, 10 a.m.
WCHS cross country in Tree City Invitational, 10 a.m.
*Elementary 3-5 Grade basketball games
