by Ryan Nixon

Gordonsville at Clay County – Friday, September 20, 2019

The Gordonsville Tigers fell to 1-4 on the season Friday night, and 1-1 in region play, as they lost 35-6 to the Clay County Bulldogs.

The Tigers were able to answer with a score of their own with nine minutes left in the second quarter off a two yard touchdown rush up the middle by Wyatt Pemberton. A failed two point conversion left Gordonsville down 8-6. This remained the score until halftime.

After halftime, Clay County put their foot on the gas and didn’t look back. The Bulldogs struck halfway through the third quarter to go ahead to a 14-6 lead. The Tigers weren’t able to respond, giving up three more unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the final score 35-6.

What’s next for the Tigers?

The Tigers will look to bounce back from their losing streak with a win next week against Coalfield during homecoming. Injuries have been the biggest storyline of the Tigers and have hurt the team’s depth. Gordonsville will need some new faces to step up in the coming weeks to try and get back on track.

by Ryan Nixon

Smith County at York – Friday, September 20, 2019

The Owls moved to 1-1 in their region (3-1 overall) on Friday night when they traveled to York to take on the Dragons. A scoreless first half turned into an exciting, high-scoring second half, when the Owls finally caught their groove.

Neither team was able to get much going on offense in the first half, with neither team finding the scoreboard.

The Owls were able to strike quick in the third quarter, scoring a 94 yard touchdown on a pass from Cameron Spivey to Eli Martin to make the score 7-0.

York answered back with a score of their own but missed the extra point, causing the Owls to still lead 7-6.

In the fourth quarter, the Owls found the end zone again thanks to getting the ball from a D.J. Burk fumble recovery around the 25 yard line. Spivey was able to connect with Martin for their second touchdown of the game to give the Owls a 14-6 lead.

Smith County forced a fumble, which Burk recovered for his second fumble recovery of the night, on York’s next drive, and the Owls found the end zone a couple plays later off of a John Ross Hord touchdown rush to give the Owls a 20-6 lead.

York struck back on the next play, returning the kickoff for a touchdown. Smith County was able to stop the 2 point conversion attempt, to make the score 20-12.

Smith County answered with a kickoff return for a touchdown of their own as Zeke Dillon made an 85 yard return to put the Owls up 27-12 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Owls found the end zone off a short quarterback run by Spivey to take a 34-12 lead. This wrapped up the scoring, but the Owls were able to force another fumble on the last play of the game, which was recovered by Burk for his third fumble recovery of the game.

What’s next for the Owls?

Smith County will look to keep this momentum going next week as they take on Livingston for the Owls’ homecoming game.

On Friday, September 13, 2019, the Smith County Lady Owls Soccer team traveled to Gatlinburg. This was their first time participating in the Smoky Mountain Cup Tournament.  This is a prestigious tournament with teams from multiple states.  The competition is fierce and the backdrop is breathtaking.

Saturday morning the Lady Owls faced Harriman High School. These young ladies demonstrated their “One Team” motto in a convincing fashion.  Every Owl played. Goalie Anna Vining had the first half shift and handed the net over to Goalie Eden Daniel for the second half. Six Lady Owls scored while the defense and Goalkeeper team protected the clean sheet, allowing nothing in the net.  The goal scorers were:  Biz Davis, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Brianna Solomon, Mallory Dillon, Kaytlin Patterson, and McKayla Pace.  Smith County 6 – Harriman 0

Saturday afternoon Smith County took to the pitch to take on Gatlinburg-Pittman High School.  This game was hard fought but the Lady Owls dug deep and pulled together. Lizzie Harper scored with an assist from Gracie Green.  This was the only goal of the game for either side.  Smith County 1- Gatlinburg-Pittman 0

Sunday morning would be the big test.  Going head to head with Marion County High School, Kentucky.  These two teams were tied for first place, evenly matched, and battling in the Championship game.  The score was tied at 0 after the first half.  The Lady Owls pulled together and fought hard.  Finally, Lizzie Harper found the net with an assist from Kaytlin Patterson which would end up being the winning goal as the defense and goalkeeper  Anna Vining kept the clean sheet intact once again.

The team bonded, grew, had fun and even saw a bear near their cabin, but getting to come home Champions was priceless.  The Smith County Lady Owls are sitting at 8-0 (3-0) and have only given up one goal in eight games.  

Head Coach Nicholus Bussell and Assistant Coaches Kit Jenkins and Lisa Reese were extremely impressed by how well the team came together and fought in this highly competitive tournament. 

Here are J.M. Insurance Agency’s picks for High School Football’s Beast of the Week for Week 4!

Smith County High School had a bye week this week. They’ll face off against York on Friday.

Gordonsville:

Coach Mac Petty, Beast of the Week Austin Shaeffer, and Seth Dillehey – J.M. Insurance

Austin Shaeffer | #28, RB

Austin, a freshman, had 10 carries for a total of 50 yards during their tough loss to Trousdale County.

Congratulations on being named Beast of the Week, Austin!

by Ryan Nixon

Gordonsville at Trousdale County – Friday, September 13, 2019

Gordonsville lost to the Trousdale County Yellow Jackets 49-0, to make their record 1-3 (1-0 in region) this season.

The Tigers offense was able to move on the Yellow Jacket defense in the first half, but Gordonsville shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. 

The Tigers turned the ball over halfway through the first quarter, and Trousdale County was able to take advantage of this to take an early 7-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets scored again with 1:25 left in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. The Tigers threw a pick six about 40 seconds later, resulting in a score of 21-0 with 43 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Yellow Jackets were able to add two more touchdowns in the second quarter, including another pick six, to give Trousdale a 35-0 lead going into halftime.

The Yellow Jackets scored two more touchdowns in the second half to win 49-0.

What’s next for the Tigers?

Gordonsville travels to region opponents Cannon County next Friday, September 20th. The Tigers will look to move to 2-0 in the region.

Here are J.M. Insurance Agency’s picks for High School Football’s Beast of the Week for Week 3!

Smith County:

Coach Scott “Murf” Murray, Beast of the Week Jared Grisham, and Seth Dillehey – J.M. Insurance Agency

Jared Grisham | #50 LB/RG

Jared, a senior, Collected 8 tackles, with one for a loss of yards, during their tough loss to Upperman High School.

Gordonsville:

Seth Dillehey – J.M. Insurance Agency, Beast of the Week Jalen Brown, and Coach Mac Petty

Jalen Brown | #31 RB/DB

Jalen, a senior, collected 4 tackles, with one for a loss of yards, 17 rushes for 208 yards, and 2 TD’s during their victory over Pickett County.

Congratulations to the players named Beast of the Week!

by Ryan Nixon

Gordonsville vs Pickett County – Friday, September 6, 2019

Gordonsville won their first game of the season in a blowout victory against the Pickett County Bobcats, winning 42-18 at home.

Gordonsville was able to stop Pickett County’s offense from getting anything going on the first drive, but the Tigers fumbled to give Pickett County the ball back just a couple plays later.

Pickett County drove into Tigers territory, but the Gordonsville defense was able to hold the Bobcats offense scoreless. The Tigers were able to get their offense going on the next drive, scoring off of a 47 yard Wyatt Pemberton rush to take a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The Gordonsville defense continued to dominate the Bobcats offense on the next possession, forcing a fumble on third down. The Tigers took a 13-0 lead a couple plays later following a 66 yard touchdown rush by Jalen Brown.

The Tigers extended their lead to 21-0 halfway through the second quarter following a trick play running back pass by Grant Underwood to Josh Haire for a 35 yard touchdown pass. Brown was able to run the ball in for a two point conversion.

The Tigers were able to get an interception around midfield on the next drive, but a fumble around the 5 yard line stopped them from extending their lead. The Gordonsville defense was able to force a turnover on downs at the Pickett County 11 yard line with 48 seconds left in the half. Haire found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night off a 5 yard rush to extend the lead to 28-0 going into halftime.

Jalen Brown opened up the scoring in the second half, scoring off a 4 yard rush to give the Tigers a 35-0 lead.

The Bobcats were able to break off two big plays on their next offensive possessions, connecting on a 73 yard touchdown pass and a 69 yard touchdown pass, but the Tigers were able to make sure the Bobcats didn’t convert either 2 point conversion. This put the score at 35-12 with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Tigers stopped any attempt at a comeback by scoring in the fourth quarter off of an Austin Shaffer rush to make the score 42-12. The Bobcats scored one more touchdown before the game ended to make the final score 42-18.

What’s next for the Tigers?

The Tigers will be playing on the road next week when they travel to Trousdale County.

by Ryan Nixon

Smith County at Upperman – Friday, September 6, 2019

Following a week in which everything seemed to go right, everything seemed to go wrong for the Owls when they traveled to face the Upperman Bees. Smith County lost 42-0 in their first region game of the season.

Smith County fumbled on their first play of the game to give Upperman the ball at the 3 yard line. Despite the Owls taking a stand, the Bees were able to score on third down to take an early 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game.

Upperman kept the momentum going scoring again on their next drive, taking a 14-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. On their next possession, Smith County was able to drive down to inside the 5 yard line, but were unable to score on the long drive.

The Owls defense got their first stop of the night on the next drive, but weren’t able to get anything going on offense. Upperman took a 20-0 lead on the next drive with a 28 yard rush with just over 3 minutes left in the second quarter. Upperman scored one more time in the first half to take a 27-0 lead into halftime.

Upperman found the end zone on their first drive of the second half and converted a 2 point conversion to take a 35-0 lead. The Bees scored one more touchdown in the fourth quarter to win the game 42-0.

What’s next for the Owls?

The Owls have a bye week next week before traveling to face York on September 20th.

An Informational Meeting about Smith County Middle School Tennis will be held in the SCMS cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2019.

The meeting is open to any interested Smith County students in 5th through 8th grade, including students in all K-8 and Gordonsville schools. 

No tennis experience is necessary for a child to play!

Here are J.M. Insurance Agency’s picks for High School Football’s “Beast of the Week” for Week 2!

Smith County:

Seth Dillehey – J.M. Insurance, “Beast of the Week” Kobe Williams, and Coach Scott “Murf” Murray

Kobe Williams – #6 | TE/DE

Kobe, a Senior, collected 9.5 Tackles with 3 for a loss of yards, and racked up 3 sacks during their rivalry win over the Gordonsville Tigers.

Gordonsville:

“Beast of the Week” Wyatt Pemberton and Seth Dillehey – J.M. Insurance

Wyatt Pemberton – #16 |  WR/DB

Wyatt, a Junior, collected 3 tackles and had 40 receiving yards on offense during their rivalry loss to the Smith County Owls.

Congratulations to the players named “Beast of the Week”!