by Ryan Nixon

Smith County at DeKalb County – Friday, October 11, 2019

The Smith County Owls traveled to Smithville to take on the Dekalb County Tigers, losing 28-24 in a game that could have gone either way until the final seconds.

The Owls were able to take an early lead, with John Ross Hord running into the end zone to give Smith County a 7-0 lead. Dekalb County answered back with a 15 yard rush of their own to make it 7-7.

Cameron Spivey got the lead back for the Owls with a nine yard rush for a touchdown to go ahead 14-7. The Tigers responded by scoring two touchdowns before the half to take a 21-14 lead into halftime.

The Owls were able to tie it back up just three minutes into the third quarter following a big pass by Spivey to Hord that got the Owls to near the five yard line. Spivey was able to run the ball in a couple plays later to tie the game at 21-21.

Both teams offenses weren’t able to get anything going, but the Owls started a long drive that started with about three minutes left in the third quarter and lasted seven minutes. The drive concluded in a field goal by Will Broyles to give the Owls a 24-21 lead with about eight minutes left in the game.

Dekalb County took the ball down and scored in four minutes to take a 28-24 lead with 4:03 left in the game. Zeke Dillon was able to give the Owls good ball position, returning the ball to the 40 yard line. Just two plays later, Spivey was able to connect with Eli Martin for a 22 yard play to get the Owls to the 35. Spivey connected with Martin a few plays later on a 14 yard play to get inside the 10 with a minute left. The Dekalb County defense was able to stop the Owls from finding the endzone, forcing a turnover on downs to end the game.

What’s next for the Owls?

The Owls will host region opponent Cannon County next Friday, October 18th.

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by Ryan Nixon

Gordonsville at Red Boiling Springs – Friday, October 4, 2019

Gordonsville was able to bounce back from a tough stretch to start the season, scoring early and often against Red Boiling Springs, winning 36-12.

After stopping the Bulldogs on the first drive of the game, the Tigers scored on their first offensive play of the game on a 68 yard rush by Jalen Brown, converting the two point conversion to go up 8-0 just two minutes into the game.

Grant Underwood was able to find the back of the end zone just 40 seconds into the 2nd quarter on a rush to give the Tigers a 15-0 lead.

Just a couple minutes later, Peyton Climber connected with Skyshn Washer for a 33 yard touchdown pass to go up 22-0.

The Tigers were able to score one more time in the first half, with Climber finding Pemberton for a touchdown pass with just over 3 minutes left in the second quarter to take a 29-0 lead into halftime.

Skyshn Washer got the Tigers scoring started back just two minutes into the third quarter, running the ball in for a touchdown to extend their lead to 36-0. This touchdown started the running clock due to the mercy rule.

Red Boiling Springs ended the running clock by scoring a touchdown one minute into the fourth quarter to make the score 36-6.

The Bulldogs scored one more time, with just over two minutes left in the game to make the score 36-12. This would wrap up the scoring in the game.

What’s Next?

Gordonsville Tigers will have a bye week next week before hosting Fayetteville on October 18th.

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by Ryan Nixon

Smith County vs Sequatchie County – Friday, October 4, 2019

The Smith County Owls were able to get a big win over region opponent Sequatchie County Indians on Friday night, winning 38-19.

The Owls started early, with the offense getting started on the first drive of the game, scoring on a Cameron Spivey rush from inside the 5 to go up 7-0.

The Owls defense forced a fumble on the Indians first offensive drive, which Spivey scooped up for a nearly 50 yard touchdown to take a 14-0 lead.

Sequatche County took a long drive down to inside the Owls 15, but Smith County was able to stop them and force a turnover on downs. This gave the Owls the ball back with 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

Smith County pieced together a couple big plays to cross midfield, but an interception stopped their momentum and gave the Indians the ball. The Owls defense was able to keep up their intensity and force a three and out.

The Owls offense was able to make up for their turnover, driving nearly 90 yards, scoring on a 35 yard touchdown pass from Spivey to Eli Martin. This wrapped up the scoring for the first half with the Owls taking a 21-0 lead into halftime.

Sequatchie County came out strong to start the second half, scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the half to narrow the Owls lead to 21-7. The Indians forced an interception on the next Smith County drive to get the ball back near half field.

The Indians drove down the field, scoring with just under two minutes left in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 21-13, but the Owls were able to block the extra point attempt.

The Owls were able to drive down, breaking off a long run by John Ross Hord on the first play of the fourth quarter to stop the Sequatchie momentum. This extended the Owls lead to 28-13.

Smith County forced a three and out on Sequatchie’s ensuing drive, but fumbled on the next play to give the Indians the ball back at the Owls’ 45 yard line.

The Smith County defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back with just over seven minutes left in the game. Hord was able to break off a 45 yard rush for a touchdown a few plays later to bring their lead to 35-13 with 5:45 left in the game.

Eli Martin intercepted the ball on the next play of the game to give the Owls possession with just over 5 minutes left in the game. Cameron Spivey broke off a run for nearly 40 yards to the Indians 13 yard line two plays later. The Owl offense stalled out but was able to put points on the board with a 30 yard field goal to extend the lead to 38-13 with 3 minutes left in the game. The Indians tacked on one more score, scoring with 2 seconds left to make the score 38-19.

What’s next?

The Owls will travel to DeKalb County next week, October 12th.

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The Gordonsville Junior High Tigers won the Tri-Counties Conference Championship for the second consecutive season on Thursday night.

The Tigers won 28-0 over Algood to wrap up their second undefeated season in a row.

Early in the game, both teams looked to be evenly matched. The Tigers defense was able to stop every attempt Algood had on offense but wasn’t able to get much going on offense themselves in the first half. The lone score in the first half came midway through the first quarter off of a 34 yard touchdown run by Ethan Madewell to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.

The Tigers offense was able to help the team pull away after halftime. Gordonsville got on a roll in the second half, scoring two plays into the third quarter off of a 52 yard touchdown rush by Madewell for his second touchdown of the night to make the score 14-0.

Gordonsville scored again following a long drive that saw Kyle Adams break off a 30 yard rush. Madewell was able to run the ball in on a 12 yard rush a few plays later to give the Tigers a 22-0 lead.

The Tigers scored one more time, on the last play of the game. Alex Bush ran the ball in from 3 yards out as time expired. The Tigers opted not to attempt the extra points, and won 28-0.

Despite the championship win and the fact that the win was the Tigers 16th win in a row, Gordonsville head coach Mac Petty was proud for another reason.

”A lot of people want to talk about how many wins in a row and how many games we have won,” Petty said on Facebook after the game,”but none of that compares to the smiles on these young men’s face when they accomplish something that they have worked for, or they become a person that their teammates can count on.”

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Here are J.M. Insurance Agency’s picks for High School Football’s Beast of the Week for Week 6!

Smith County:

Kobe Williams | #6 TE/DE

Kobe, a senior, collected 10 tackles with 1 tackle for a loss of yards, and 1 sack during their tough loss to Livingston Academy.

Gordonsville:

Wyatt Pemberton | #16 RB/DB

Wyatt, a junior, collected 4 tackles on defense, and had 6 rushes for 148 yards and 1 Touchdown during their hard loss to Coalfield.

Congratulations to the players named J.M. Insurance Agency Beast of the Week!

by Ryan Nixon

The Smith County Owls and Gordonsville Tigers both suffered defeats in their Homecoming games, with the Owls losing 38-13 to Livingston Academy and the Tigers losing 38-14 to Coalfield.

Smith County vs Livingston Academy – Friday, September 27, 2019

Livingston Academy found the scoreboard early, scoring on their opening drive off of a 15 yard touchdown to go up 7-0. The Wildcats kicked a field goal in the first quarter to go up 10-0.

Livingston scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to go up 31-0. The Owls were able to get on the scoreboard following a 90 yard kickoff return by Eli Martin that put the Owls on the 5 yard line. Cameron Spivey connected with DJ Burk on the next play for a touchdown. This made the score 31-7 going into halftime.

Livingston scored halfway through the third quarter to extend their lead to 38-7, which stayed the score until late in the fourth quarter when the Owls found the end zone off of a 9 yard touchdown run by Windham to make the score 38-13. This would be the last scoring play of the game.

What’s next for the Owls?

The Owls will stay at home next week as region opponents Sequatchie County come to Carthage.

Gordonsville vs Coalfield – Friday, September 27, 2019

Coalfield took an early 6-0 lead, but Gordonsville was able to answer back thanks to a long return by Wyatt Pemberton. This set up a 12 yard touchdown run by Jalen Brown to put the Tigers up 7-6.

Coalfield answered back with two scores of their own to go up 22-7. Wyatt Pemberton broke a 65 yard rush for a touchdown to narrow the score to 22-14.

This would prove to be the last scoring play for the Tigers. Coalfield scored again late in the first half to go up 30-14. They would find the end zone one more time in the game, scoring to start the fourth quarter and go up 38-14.

What’s next for the Tigers?

The Tigers will travel to Red Boiling Springs next Friday night to take on the Bulldogs in a region matchup.

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Here are J.M. Insurance Agency’s picks for High School Football’s Beast of the Week for Week 5!

Smith County:

DJ Burk | #35 TE/DE

DJ, a junior, collected over 10 tackles and recovered 3 fumbles during their victory over York Institute.

Gordonsville:

Peyton Climer | #11 WR/DB

Peyton, a Freshman, collected 3 tackles and had 1 interception on defense and had 3 catches for 22 yards on offense during their tough loss to Clay County.

Congratulations to the players named J.M. Insurance Agency Beast of the Week!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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