Lady Owls Soccer Hosts Greenbrier on Senior Night
Submitted by Vivian Schaffers
Senior Gracey Angel 
Senior Ashley Bush 
Senior Brennan Rigsby
Senior Jaynada Wallace 
Senior Allexis West
Thursday, August 27, 2020 the Lady Owls hosted the Greenbrier Lady Bobcats for a varsity and jv game. It was also Smith County’s Senior Night. The game was only a few minutes into action when the Lady Owls were awarded their first set piece of the night. Eighth grader, Kiley Jenkins, took the kick. The ball flew over the wall, easily past the keep and found it’s home in the net. This was Kiley’s first high school goal.Off to a good start, leading one to nothing, SC went back to work. About half way through the half Eighth grader Aubrey Felice sent the ball up to Sophomore Brianna Solomon. The goalie came out to fall on the ball but Brianna beat her, fell over the keep and had a front row view of the ball rolling into the net to give her, her first goal on the season. While the Lady Owls dominated the rest of the half and came close several times, the half would close with SC 2, Greenbrier 0.The half was dedicated to to honoring our Senior Lady Owls. The Seniors this season are: Allexis West, Brennan Rigsby, Jaynada Wallace, Ashley Bush and Gracey Angel. The second half was full of energy. The lady Owls continued to frustrate the Lady Cats. There were two more goals added and they both would come from Junior Biz Davis. Goalie Anna Vining and that back line secured a clean sheet and SC won the game 4-0.
The JV followed the Varsity game and a few things were very visible in this game. There were some nerves, of course, it was interesting to see that this jv team seemed more comfortable playing together than would be expected, chemistry. Most importantly, the future of the team promises to be incredibly bright.This game was physical, there was a yellow card awarded to the Lady Cats. This game was full of teamwork and focus. SC would score once in each half, both goals brought to you by Junior McKayla Pace. However, this game would be called with seven minutes left due to lightning. Goalies Eden Daniel and Karsyn Bucy kept the goalkeeping staff in clean sheets on the night and the Lady Owls won this game 2-0.
Next up will be SC Lady Owls hosting Upperman on Tuesday September 1st at 6 PM. We hope to see so many supporters there cheering on this great bunch of student athletes. Please wear a mask and help us social distance in order to keep everyone safe, comply with the TSSAA terms and allow the girls to continue this season. Thank you all for the support and care.
Gordonsville beats Smith County 28-0, notching first shut out in the series since 1995
The Gordonsville Tigers beat the Smith County Owls 28-0 on Saturday night. The win over the Owls marked the Tigers second win over their rivals in three years, and back to back wins at Owl Stadium.
The Smith County Owls started off strong, kicking and recovering an onside kick on the opening kickoff, and the Owls were able to get the passing game going early, driving to the 25 yard line, but a fumbled snap recovered by Gordonsville gave the Tigers the ball at the 40 yard line.
The Tigers were able to piece together some big plays in the rushing game on their first drive, which was capped off by Tyler Gregory running it in to give Gordonsville a 7-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first quarter.
The Owls were stopped on their next drive, but we’re able to punt it to the 10 yard line to pin the Tigers back. The Tigers were able to make a couple plays. The Owls were able to get the ball back following an interception by Johnny Lyda, but the Owls were stopped and forced to punt on the ensuing drive.
Neither team was able to get their offenses going on the next two drives, with both teams being forced to punt. The Tigers were able to block the Owls punt and get the ball back to start their drive in the red zone and they scored a couple plays later on a 12 yard rush by Darrel Holt with 1:49 left in the first half to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead.
The Owls were able to drive down and attempt a 45 yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced back out, and the Tigers kept their 14-0 lead going into the half.
Smith County got the ball back after half time, but the Tigers defense was able to force a three and out, and Gordonsville got the ball back around midfield. The Tigers offense was able to get going on the ensuing drive, with Darrel Holt running it in for his second touchdown of the night with 5:41 left in the third quarter to take a 21-0 lead.
The Tigers defense was able to pick up another stop, and the Gordonsville offense kept their foot on the gas, with Tyler Gregory running it in to score his second touchdown of the night to extend the lead to 28-0 with 11:13 left in the game.
The Owls connected on a 50 yard pass play, but turned the ball over on the next play to give the Tigers the ball back, and the Tigers were able to drive down field and keep the clock moving to end the game and secure the win over the Owls, 28-0.
What’s Next for the Tigers?
The Tigers will be on the road again next week to take on Pickett County on 9/4
What’s Next for the Owls?
The Owls will be at home again next week to take on Upperman on 9/4
SCHS vs GHS football game delayed
The annual rivalry game between the Smith County High School Owls and Gordonsville High School Tigers has been postponed until Saturday, August 29th, at 6:00 pm. The one-day delay is due to the forecasted inclement weather of a tropical depression from the remnants of Hurricane Laura.
Limited tickets are still available for pre-sale before the game. If any tickets remain available, they will be sold prior to the game on Saturday. The gates will open up at 5:00 pm.
Be sure to follow the Smith County Insider’s sports page for coverage of the Owls and Tigers all season long.
Tickets on sale for 2020 SCHS vs GHS game
The Smith County Owls and Gordonsville Tigers will meet for their annual rivalry game at Owl Stadium on Friday night. Tickets are $7 each and go on sale today through Friday from 8:30 am- 2:30 pm at the Smith County High School Library or the front office at Gordonsville High School. Only 1,500 tickets will be sold for this year’s game due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions. If tickets do not sell out during the pre-sale, remaining tickets will be available at the gate. COVID-19 Safety precautions will be in place for all games by both schools this season.
Lady Owls soccer team ties Stone Memorial in season opener
Junior, Biz Davis, winning a header challenge against Stone Memorial with Junior, Ally Hall watching on. 
8th grader, Aubrey Felice, trapping a ball surrounded by Lady Panthers
Submitted by Vivian Schaffers
The SCHS Soccer program has been highly anticipating the return of soccer to the pitch. The men’s team had their season lost to the pandemic and it was of great concern that the same thing would happen to the women’s team. When the TSSAA gave the green light for sports it was a very good day. It does come with conditions in order to keep everyone safe. Temperature checks will take place on entering the field, masks must be worn by all fans and of course social distancing are all part of the new normal. This is a small price to pay to allow these student athletes the ability to do what they love, in front of the people they love.
On Tuesday August 18th the Lady Owls hosted Stone Memorial for the season opener. The Lady Panthers are a very good team and have proven to be worthy opponents in the past. They were a strong challenge for the first game back from the break. Both teams had a lot of nerves coming into the competition, which is understandable after such a long time since getting to play and the uncertainty of the current environment and what it would look like to start up again.When the teams took the field you could feel the excitement and energy. From the starting whistle both teams came out fast and physical. The Lady Owls pushed hard and had several near misses on goal, alas it would be Stone Memorial who would strike first. With 28 minutes left on the clock in the first half the Lady Panthers made it a 1-0 game. Smith County rose to the challenge and stepped up their game and went to work on the task of answering that goal. They did just that with 12 minutes left on the clock. Gracie Green extracted the ball and made a beautiful pass down the pitch to Biz Davis. Davis who was double teamed by defenders sent the ball hard past the keeper into the back of the net to pull the game to a tied score. For the rest of the half it was an exciting battle but the score at the half would remain 1-1. When the game resumed in the second half neither team would give an inch. Both sides tested the Goalkeepers without result, both sides saw a yellow card, and both sides gave the fans quite a show. When the clock had seven minutes left the weather gave way and the game had to be called for lightning. So the refs put this one in the books at a tied score.
There was a lot to be proud of for your Lady Owls. They looked great, worked hard, and showed us a great foundation not only for this season but for the future. They have five Seniors this year but have brought in six Freshman and have two 8th graders from Gordonsville who are playing up this year. Plus the Junior and Sophomore classes both look strong, so there is a lot of depth to reach into and that is always a promising thing to have.
The next game day will be Thursday, August 27, vs Greenbrier. Varsity will kickoff at 6 PM and will be followed by a JV game. We hope to see you all there, masked up and full of SCP!!
Tigers fall short to Watertown
The Gordonsville High School Football season started off on the wrong foot with a 14-7 loss to the Watertown Purple Tigers in an exciting defensive battle.
Gordonsville went down early with Watertown scoring on their second offensive drive, but missed the field goal. Gordonsville was able to bounce back and score a touchdown on the following drive, scoring on a four yard rush by Tyler Gregory. The converted PAT put the Tigers ahead 7-6 in the first quarter.
The rest of the first half saw both teams make some big plays, but each teams defense was able to step up and keep each other out of the end zone.
The defensive play for both teams stayed consistent through the third quarter as well, with Gordonsville maintaining their 7-6 lead through three, but Watertown’s running game picked up in the fourth quarter and Watertown scored a touchdown and a two point conversion to take a 14-7 lead early in the fourth.
Watertown made a stop against Gordonsville, and drove down to the five yard line on the following drive, but Gordonsville was able to make a stop and force a turnover on downs with just under four minutes left in the game.
Watertown was able to get the ball back on the next play in the red zone, but the Tigers defense was able to stop them to get one more opportunity on offense with two minutes left in the game.
Gordonsville drove past midfield, but they were unable to to keep their momentum and score to tie the game, falling to Watertown 14-7.
What’s next?
The Gordonsville Tigers will take on the Smith County Owls in their annual rivalry game on August 28th.
Owls season off to a difficult start
The Smith County Owls opened their season hosting the Macon County Tigers.
Their game started on the wrong foot, giving up a safety early in the game to go down 2-0, and the Tigers were able to score on the ensuing drive but the Tigers weren’t able to tack on any more points and kept their lead at 8-0 rather than stretching it to a two possession lead.
Macon County was able to force a turnover on the Owls next drive and drove down the field to extend their lead to 16-0.
The rest of the first half went about the same way, with Macon County taking a 36-0 lead into halftime.
Macon County kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, notching another touchdown to extend the lead to 43-0.
The Owls were able to get on the board and notch their first touchdown of the 2020 season midway through the fourth quarter following a big rush by Luke Dillon to make the score 43-7.
What’s next?
The Smith County Owls will take on the Gordonsville Tigers in their annual rivalry game on August 28th.
DTC3’s ‘Football Game Night’ kicks off tonight as Gordonsville hosts Watertown
The high school football season is set to kick off tonight, August 21, and DTC Sports will have LIVE coverage from Gordonsville High School, as the Big Blue Tigers take on long-time rival, the Watertown Purple Tigers.
The telecast will get underway at 6:45 p.m. with the pre-game show, and the game is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. Join Tom Duggin, Chris Vance and J.R. Smith for all the action!
Watertown comes in to Friday night’s game having won back-to-back Region 4-2A Championship while posting a 22-4 overall record the last two seasons. Coach Gavin Webster’s club has high expectations again this season, despite only 11 starters returning. However, among those starters are veteran starting QB Brayden Cousino, all-around playmaker Quanterrius Hughes-Malone, the RB/LB duo of Jordan Carter and Jordan Cason, plus several more skill players along with size and strength in the trenches. Watertown is picked to finish second in Region 4-2A, but their goals include three-peating as Region champs, and getting past Trousdale County in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. It should be another great year for the Purple Tigers, who have won five straight against Gordonsville, including last year’s 19-13 thriller in Watertown.
Injuries beset the 2019 edition of the Gordonsville Tigers, as roughly two dozen players missed time over the course of last season. Those injuries led to a 1-5 start to the season, but as players began to heal up, the Tigers went on an improbable run to the Class 1A Quarterfinals, where their season ended at the hands of long-time playoff nemesis, South Pittsburg. Due to the injuries, many young players were forced into game action last season, and that should pay huge dividends for Big Blue this season. The team’s top two rushers and most of the offensive line is gone from a year ago, which would typically spell doom for a small school program, but with the experienced gained from last year, the growing pains may not be as difficult. Despite missing seven games, sophomore QB Matthew Albritton showed flashes of being a special player down the stretch, and he still has enough talented skill players to make the offense lethal. The Tigers are picked first in Region 4-1A, along with Clay County, and if the experience from last year paid off, Gordonsville will be a team to watch this season.
Tune in for Watertown at Gordonsville on Football Game Night, Friday night at 6:45 p.m. on DTC channel 3, www.dtc3.tv, or on the DTC Communications Facebook page.
The schedule of LIVE football games to be televised by DTC Sports this season include:
Week 1 August 21 Watertown at Gordonsville
Week 2 August 28 Gordonsville at Smith County
Week 3 September 4 Upperman at Smith County
Week 4 September 11 Community at Cannon County
Week 5 September 18 Clay County at Gordonsville
Week 6 September 25 DeKalb Co. at Cannon County
Week 7 October 2 Livingston Academy at DeKalb County
Week 8 October 9 DeKalb County at Smith County
Week 9 October 16 Smith County at Cannon County
Week 10 October 23 Upperman at Watertown
Week 11 October 30 Cumberland County at DeKalb County
DTC Sports plans to air each game LIVE on DTC channel 3, online at www.dtc3.tv, and via Facebook Live on DTC Communications’ Facebook page, each Friday night, starting at 6:45 p.m. Replays of each game will air exclusively on DTC Channel 3 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:00 p.m., and Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m.
In addition, DTC Sports is also planning to air five tape-delayed games during the course of the 2020 season. Those games will be recorded and will be scheduled to replay in the following days. The games that are scheduled to be tape-delayed include:
Week 2 August 28 Nolensville at Watertown
Week 4 September 11 Watertown at DeKalb Co.
Week 5 September 18 York Institute at Smith Co.
Week 7 October 9 Grundy Co. at Cannon Co.
Week 10 October 23 Jo Byrns at Gordonsville
Air dates and times for these games will be announced in the days following filming.
Again, the schedule is subject to change, and LIVE telecasts are contingent upon connection availability and may also be affected by any sudden changes due to COVID-19.
High Schools to Follow TSSAA COVID-19 Guidelines for Fall Sports
The Smith County Owls and Gordonsville Tiger football teams will return to the field of play August 21st for the start of the 2020 high school football season; however, the atmosphere surrounding the games will be different due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Smaller crowds with social distancing, along with facial coverings and temperature checks for spectators, will be the norm for the upcoming season due to the TSSAA’s new guidelines for athletics this fall.
The following protocols will be in place for compliance with the TSSAA COVID-19 Sports Regulations:
- Everyone must have their temperature checked before entering a facility. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will not be admitted.
- At each contest, a COVID-19 symptom checklist shall be displayed prominently at the spectator entrance(s) instructing that anyone who is experiencing any of the posted symptoms during the preceding seven days must not be admitted.
- The capacity of facilities limited to 50%
- Facial coverings required for entry
- Social distancing encouraged
Both schools will play their full ten game regular-season schedules. The TSSAA plans to start the playoffs on November 6th with the Blue Cross Bow held from December 3rd-5th. Smith County opens at home against Macon County. There will be a pre-sell from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the school building. Gordonsville opens their season at home against Watertown. Tickets for $7 each will be sold at the gate at both schools until 50% capacity is reached.
Smith County High School Football 2020 season preview
Smith County Owls are looking to build on their 7-5 season from last year, which saw them make it to the second round of the playoffs. While coronavirus changed up the amount of time that the Owls were able to train during the offseason, Smith County seems to have a bunch of size and strength despite not being able to work out as they would in a normal year.
Probably one of the biggest storylines to watch for this year will be how well the Owls size is able to help them in other areas, such as making up for a lack of experience in other areas.
Schedule:
August 21 – Macon County – Home
August 28 – Gordonsville – Home
September 4 – Upperman – Home
September 18 – York (Homecoming) – Home
September 25 – Livingston – Away
October 2 – Sequatchie – Away
October 9 – DeKalb County – Home
October 16 – Cannon County – Away
October 23 – Stone Memorial – Away
October 31 – Grundy County – Away
