The Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards were presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans earlier this month at Marathon Music Works.

Gordonsville High School freshman Kailey Plumlee was a finalist for Softball player of the year. Plumlee is a pitcher and was a major asset in the Tigerette’s battle in the 2022 State Tournament. Plumlee was also honored by the Tennessee Softball Coaches Association as 2022 TSCA Miss Softball for Middle Tennessee.

 Sophie Linder, GHS junior, received the female golfer of the year award. Linder, has won three straight state championships and won the 2021 Class A state title at 8 under for 36 holes. Her state tournament score this year was the best in state history. 

The Smith County Owls Soccer team has wrapped their regular season with a record of 12-1-1 and a district record of 6-0.  These young men have come together this season and accomplished big things so far, like winning the Championship Smoky Mountain Cup and bringing home the hardware. 

Outside of District play they have faced off with some tough 2A teams and shown great teamwork and leadership.  The only loss they suffered this season was to Stone Memorial and even that one was a 4-3 loss under difficult conditions.

This last week of the regular season saw the Owls travelled to Jackson County for a make up game and won 6-0.  The next night they travelled to 2A Livingston and again won 6-0. 

The District 7 Tournament will be hosted this year by Watertown and will begin on Tuesday May 10th.  Watertown will play at 5 pm against Jackson County and then at 7 pm the Owls will take the Pitch to play York.  On Thursday May 12th the Championship game will be played at 6 pm with the winners from Tuesday, followed by the District Award Ceremony. 

The SC Owls have played hard and well this season and they would love to have a strong presence in the stands during the District tournament to fire them up and help them secure their place in the next round.  So please travel with us  and be sure to bring your SCP! (submitted by Vivian Schaffers)

The weather had an impact on the first scheduled district game which was rescheduled to May 2nd. The second game was on Thursday, April 14th at Watertown.  The day was beautiful, it did get a bit chilly by the end of the night but the Owls flew home warm with both Varsity and JV wins. 

The first meeting between these two varsity teams ended with Smith County winning 5-0.  This time Watertown would have home field advantage,  However, Smith County travels well. The Owls often show up with more fans than the home team.  On that note, the Seniors, speaking for the team, had this to say about the fans. “All of us truly appreciate the fans watching us and coming to all our games.  They may not know this, but because of them we are fired up each and every game.  It pushes each and every one of us to do better every single time.  We love our fans just as much as we love the game.  We would like to thank them all for the endless support.  Thank you!”

It was obvious in this game how fired up and focused Smith County was.  Nine minutes into the game Tanner Pierson found himself in the corner when he made the most beautiful pass across the front of the net to connect with Mo Abou Rahma.  Mo took the shot, beating the goalie and opening the door to a string of goals.  A minute later Colby Boyce would take a free kick sending the ball to the box where Tanner Pierson was set up to take a direct shot past the keeper for score number two.  Three minutes off the clock watched Boyce pass the ball up through four defenders and Abou Rahma coming from the outside to make another goal scoring connection, his second, team third.

Watertown tried to enter Smith County territory but was immediately shut down by Ro Ortiz and then Bolt Ortiz finished sending it back down field.  After some back and forth Boyce took a shot from the side, the keep jumped, missed it flew over him to meet with Rylan Bates who finished it to score the Owls fourth goal.  With three minutes left in the half Gavin Huddleston took a corner kick, Christian Santiago tried to head it in, but a defender deflected it where Mo Abou Rahma was waiting to send it solidly into the corner of the net. This gave Mo a hat trick and set the score at 5-0.  Oh but it only took thirty seconds for the ball to end up on the foot of Lolo Ortiz who sent it from half pitch to Colby Boyce.  Boyce took it to the net facing the keeper with three defenders surrounding him and easily ended the half with a score of 6-0.

The second half started with the closest Watertown would get to scoring but between quick actions of the defenders and SC Keeper Kory Debord the goal attempt was thwarted.  Nine minutes in Colby Boyce sent the ball up from the half mark to Mo Abou Rahma.  Mid box he fired a shot that left the keeper in a pile while the ball secured the goal.  Twelve minutes on the clock Blake Baird earned a penalty kick which he landed dead center in the back of the net.  One more goal would end the game.  This would come with a minute left when Mo Abou Rahma would battle two defenders and manage to shoot through them, past another defender and the keeper to secure a 9-0 win for Smith County.

The last meeting of the JV saw Watertown win but this time Smith County was to be the victor.  Smith County won 2-0, both goals coming from Blake Baird, the first being assisted by Eric Richel.  Next the Owls will play Stone Memorial at home on Monday April 18th and then Thursday April 21 they will host Jackson County for the Owls Senior Night.  Head Coach Kit Jenkins said, “Thank you for all the support.  It means so much to us to see so many fans at our games to cheer the boys on.”  So let’s pack the park and show them SCP Love and Pride! (Photos and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers)

SC Men’s Soccer has been enjoying a great season so far.  Now District play has begun.  The Owls started with two home games against district rivals Watertown and York.  April 5th  Watertown travelled to Smith County. It had rained all day and the pitch was ready for a splashing good game.  The first half saw the Owls score twice.  Gavin Huddleston took a corner kick which assisted Colby Boyce in the first goal. Then Mo Abou Rahma scored with an assist from Christian Santiago.  The Owls defense held Watertown scoreless through the whole game. In the second half Smith County would add three more goals to the final score of 5-0.  The first goal was by Tanner Pierson, only 30 seconds later Mo Abou Rahma would score with an assist by Gavin Huddleston and the final goal was by Colby Boyce with an assist by Abou Rahma.  

The JV game followed but Watertown would win that one 2-1.  The lone Smith County goal came from Sophomore Eric Richel. Beyond the mud we saw some shining moments of growth from this young JV team. 

April 7th district opponent York was hosted by the Owls for what was scheduled to be a Varsity game.  This would end up being a game played by everyone and full of memorable moments.  On first glance the final of 9-0 would seem self explanatory but it was so much more. One might expect with a score like that to see York get frustrated and forget about sportsmanship.  York showed up, gave their best and was a great example of grace.  Hats off to the players and the coaching staff. 

On the Owl side of things the score was 5-0 in the first 15 minutes of the game.  The coaches started subbing in JV players and still scored a sixth goal by halftime.  These first six goals were scored in order of: 1. Christian Santiago, assist from Colby Boyce 2. Tanner Pierson, assist from Christian Santiago. 3. Colby Boyce, assist from Tanner Pierson 4. Pierson, assist from Boyce 5. Boyce, assist from Abou Rahma 6. Pierson for the hat trick with assist from Eric Richel.

After the half the Owls needed 3 goals to mercy rule and be done. However, this coaching staff loves the game of Soccer and finds ways to make it allow for the most play and the fairest path.  Smith County Senior Captain Ro Ortiz just happened to have a birthday on this day.  Ortiz is a defender, however, they flipped the field and moved him to Striker and the forward to the back line.  Goal seven took a few tries but ultimately Ortiz would score his goal.  Goal eight was scored by Senior Will Vance and the final goal would come from another Senior defender, Eligio Tolentino with 1:26 on the clock and he was assisted by Will Vance. This game was incredibly fun to watch.  They played almost the entire clock, defenders were able to have the opportunity to score, the JV received quite a bit of playing time, and again, this might not have been such a meaningful game to so many had York not shown the mature demeanor and sportsmanship that they did.

Smith County is now 7-0-1 (2-0 in district) They sit in first place for the region and 5th place overall.  Off to a strong start, they just need to continued to play as #Oneteam and stay healthy.  The Owls now go on the road for district games at Jackson County  and a rematch against Watertown.  This is an exciting team with a lot of skill, we hope you will come out and support them. (Photos and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers.)

Freshman Owl Soccer Goalkeeper James Bunn recently earned his US Soccer Grassroots Referee Certification.  This is the first level in the five level Referee Pathway required to obtain this certification. Courses must be completed and then be certified by the State Referee Committee.  James is now qualified to officiate competitive, small-sided or recreational youth matches and amateur adult matches. The future is exciting for this young man as he grows in the high school soccer program and in his referee path. Pictured above includes the officiating crew in James Bunn’s first game to work after certification. Terence Davis is also a Freshman Owl Soccer player.

March 18, 2022 the high school Men’s soccer team travelled to Gatlinburg, making the annual trek to play in the Smoky Mountain  Cup.  This year Varsity won all three of their games and they came home as Smokey Mounty Cup, Mount Collins DivisionChampions.

The Varsity’s played Concord Christian for their first game and won 3-1.  The Smith County goals came from Tanner Pierson scoring on a penalty kick, then Christian Santiago scored on a beautiful, hard fought shot, and Pierson would come back to score the third with an assist to Mo Abou Rahma.  Concord Christian would only manage to get one goal against the Owl defense.

Next the Varsity faced Campbell County.  The Owls won 2-0.  The first goal was Mo Abou Rahma assisted by Tanner Pierson.  The second goal was Christian Santiago assisted by Rylan Bates. The Smith County Varsity faced Kingston for the final tournament game.  The Owls seemed at ease, knowing they just had to play this game like every game, together.  They were correct, winning 2-0.  Both goals scored by Tanner Pierson.  The first one being assisted by Freshman Lolo Ortiz. 

The JV team had 2 losses and one draw but gained vital experience for the Freshman ladened side of the team.  JV first faced McMinn County and lost 3-2.  The goal scorers in this game for Smith County were Sophomore Eric Richel and Freshman Terence Davis with an assist to Will Vance. JV took on Stone Memorial in a 4-1 loss.  The lone goal scored by Smith County came from Senior Will Vance.  Finally, JV faced Dekalb county. This one would end in a draw of 1-1.  However the game ended on a foul in the box that should have led to Smith County getting a penalty kick.  The refs chose to forego the penalty and end the game.  The goal scored for the Owls was by Blake Baird with the assist going to Adam Allmon.

On Thursday March 24th, after returning from the mountains, Smith County traveled to Friendship Christian for a varsity game, winning 4-0.  They goals were scored by Colby Boyce and Tanner Pierson, two each.  This team is fun to watch, they are generous with one another, have great leadership and seem to have a genuine love for the game and for team.  There is a break in the action for Spring Break and then back with a two home game stand to begin District play on April 5th and 7th.  

The 2022 season for the Smith County Men’s Soccer Team is underway. Head Coach Kit Jenkins and Assistant Coach Nicholus Bussell put the team through their paces in the preseason. The Owls scrimmaged 2A Wilson Central followed by 3A Lebanon High School. It was a good chance for the coaches to assess the team in a tough environment and an opportunity for the team to find their chemistry in game situations. There has been a lot of growth in a short time, which is exciting. The Owls lost a lot of experience with last season’s graduating class. But this year’s team is showing a lot of leadership and unity.

There are eight Seniors this season, three of which are Captains: Colby Boyce, midfielder, Ro Ortiz, defender, and Mo Abou Rahma, striker. They bring knowledge and skill to their respective positions. The remaining five Seniors are Xander Ratledge, defender, Kory Debord, Goalkeeper, Will Vance, midfielder, Aaron Wheeley, defender, and Eligio Tolentino, defender. All of these Seniors are really stepping into the role of mentor and leading by example.The nine Juniors are really showing their ability and willingness to play big, keep learning, to grow and to lead.

The Juniors are: Josh Allen, striker, Tanner Pierson, Midfielder, Christian Santiago, defender, Gavin Huddleston, midfielder, Bolt Ortiz, defender, Rylan Bates, midfielder, Jordan Gutierrez, defender, Stephen Laszlo, midfielder, Jonathan Santiago, Goalkeeper.The Sophomores are: Blake Baird, midfielder, Abi Martinez Defender, Eric Richel, midfielder.There are eleven Freshmen this season: Thai Phan, defender, Adam Allmon, striker, Jarrain Smith, midfielder, Adyn Elliott, midfielder, Lolo Ortiz, midfielder, Juan Cisneros, midfielder, Gerardo Olvera, defender, Terence Davis, midfielder, Dylan Allen, defender, Tatum Poindexter, defender, James Bunn, Goalkeeper.

The season opener was also the home opener for the Owls on March 15th against 2A Macon County. The first goal of the night and season was scored by Tanner Pierson and three minutes later Pierson would score again on a free kick. Macon County scored their only goal of the night on a penalty kick but Smith County answered it a few minutes later when Captain, Mo Abou Rahma would score with the assist going to Tanner Pierson. Varsity won 3-1 with Pierson being named Man of the Match.The JV took the pitch with another Smith County win of 1-0. The lone goal of the game being scored by Freshman Adyn Elliott on a corner kick by Black Baird.

March 17th Smith County traveled to 2A Portland. Varsity took to the pitch first. Smith County Captain Colby Boyce would score first, finishing a free kick taken by Tanner Pierson. Later Boyce would send a beautiful pass across to Freshman Jarrain Smith who would score his first high school goal. The third goal for the Owls would come when Gavin Huddleston took a corner kick that would find Captain Mo Abou Rahma who netted it for the score. Portland had been down only scoring one goal until the final few minutes when they scored again and the draw would come on an own goal by a Freshman Owl. The final being 3-3. The JV game never got that close with Smith County winning 4-1. At the half the score was 0-0 but the second half heated up. Sophomore Eric Richel scored five minutes into the half. With 18 minutes on the clock Sophomore Blake Baird scored the second goal. Then at the 10 minute and 8 minute marks, Freshman Terence Davis would net back to back goals.

At a recent pre-season practice, the team was surprised to see Tempo the Coyote, mascot of the MLS Nashville Soccer Club coming down the ramp with a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed coyote. He was on a mission to assist SCHS Soccer player Jordan Gutierrez score a prom-date with Eden Daniel.

During a water break, at the end of the soccer field, Tempo held a sign behind Jordan as he got one knee to ask her to prom. She said yes. It was a unique “prom-posal” and a fun memory for all who enjoyed the taking pictures, dancing, playing soccer and hanging out.

The Nashville Soccer Club will celebrate the grand opening of the new MLS stadium on May 1st. SCHS Soccer will host their home opener on March 15th vs. Macon County.

On Saturday, November 13, DTC Sports filmed the 2021 Tri-County Youth Football Championships at Jackson County High School.

The games include the following championships:
Flag Championship – Trousdale Co. vs Gordonsville
Junior Championship – Smith Co. vs Gordonsville
Senior Championship – Smith Co. vs Watertown

Congratulations to all the Smith County and Gordonsville teams on their success this season!

You can watch all of the championship games below courtesy of DTC Sports.