The 2024 High School Lady Owls Soccer season is ready to kick off.  The Home Opener is Tuesday August 13th versus Stone Memorial. 

The Lady Owls have been working very hard to be ready for a great run.  They are led by a great coaching staff: Head Coach Nicholus Bussell, Assistant Coaches Lisa Reece, Mallory Hunt and Shyenne Kemp. 

There are seven Senior Lady Owls: Emma Butler, Katie Flynn, Aubrey Felice, Briley Grisham, Averi Hopkins, Kiley Jenkins, and Madelyn Hula.  Your Lady Owl Captains for the season are Aubrey Felice and Kiley Jenkins.  You are not going to want to miss coming out to watch these ladies play.  Bring all the SCP to the Soccer Complex and support these hard working student athletes as they make a run to meet some big goals for the season.  (photos and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers)

Smith County High School Owls Soccer finished the regular season with a record of 9-2-2, which included winning the Smoky Mountain Cup at Gatlinburg.  This is one of the most resilient groups we have seen, every obstacle was a training ground and they learned each lesson and became stronger.  It was not a bad season for a first year coach and Coach Wes Kemp didn’t stop there. 

The Owls finished first in the District which led to them playing Cannon County in the District Semi-final on May 7th.  The other side of the district semi-final was Jackson County vs York Institute.  Jackson County won 1-0 which advanced them to the Championship game.  Then Smith County won 7-0 against Cannon County, sending them forward.  Jarrain Smith scored the first two goals with assists from Abi Martinez on both.  The third goal came from Blake Baird assisted by Aldrin Jimenez and they would finish the half with Jimenez scoring the 4th goal with an assist from Baird.  The second half started with Blake Baird scoring with an assist from Aldrin Jimenez.  Jimenez scored with an assist from Jarrain Smith.  The punctuation mark came from Santos Damian, his first goal as an Owl, assisted by Gavin Kemp.  The Goalkeeping duo of James Bunn and Jacob Vandebiezen kept a clean sheet in the win.

The Championship game was to be played at Jackson County but the storms caused problems with the Cannon County venue and the game was set forFriday May 10th.  However, extenuating circumstances caused the game to be canceled with no time to make it up.  Going off of the stats from the tournament it was Smith County who would be crowned Champions.  

Region play starts on Tuesday May 14th.  Smith County will play at home vs the loser of Liberty Creek and Whitehouse Heritage.  Jackson County will travel to the winner of that game.

Congratulations to the Owls, Coach Kemp and Coach Bussell for all of the accomplishments this far.  Keep up the great teamwork!

Article and photo submitted by Vivian Schaffers

On April 16th Smith County hosted Macon County in a packed park.  The first half started with a quick goal by Senior Blake Baird with an assist from Jarrain Smith. It wasn’t until the 11 minute mark that Macon County came back with the only goal they would score and it was a penalty kick. 

In the second half the frustrations came out and it got a bit chippy.  Less than 15 minutes left on the clock Aldrin Jimenez sent a shot to Blake Baird who was in front of the net. As he got the shot off the Macon County Goalie took him down.  The shot was on goal and headed in when a Macon County player grabbed the ball.  The goal was given to Smith County and a red card to Macon County.  In the minutes after the ref gave another Macon player a double yellow, which is red.  The next goal also came from Blake Baird off of a pass from Jarrain Smith.  This gave Baird his third hat trick of the season.

It was a wild game full of excitement but no one saw the next goal coming.  The defense left their mark when Senior Diego Vanegas sent a ball to Captain Adyn Elliott who scored the final goal of the game.  Smith County wins 4-1 and lifts their stats to 6-1-1. 

Photos and articles submitted by Vivian Schaffers

The high school boys soccer season is always a time of chaos between weather and illness delaying or rescheduling games across the region.  After two and a half weeks of no game, the Owls came back strong.  They had their first District win against Jackson County 3-0 goals coming from Aldrin Jimenez assisted by Michael Martin, Blake Baird with an assist from Tatum Poindexter and Blake Baird finished it off with a goal on a penalty kick.  Next Cannon County came to Smith County for their first match since Cannon came back into our district.  This would be the Owls first mercy ruled game of the season winning 9-0! Blake Baird had a hat trick, Abi Martinez and Jarrain Smith each netted a penalty kick, Gavin Kemp, Terence Davis and Aldrin Jimenez each scored and there was an own goal.  Assists came from Terence Davis, Adyn Elliott, Diego Vanegas, Bradley Pickett and two from Aldrin Jimenez.  

Smith County now leads the district and has an overall record of 5-1-1.  Next up is Macon County and York Institute both home games. Come out and support these hard working student athletes, they are very fun to watch. 

Article and photos submitted by Vivian Schaffers

After an opening game against Livingston Academy that ended in a 2-2 draw, the Smith County Owls high school soccer team traveled to Gatlinburg.  The annual Smoky Mountain Tournament is a high level match up of schools from many states.  Each year college scouts come to watch the action across seven fields. The Owls started their weekend on Friday night matching up against Concord Christian.  The Owls won 2-1. On Saturday the opponent was East Robertson. The Owls won 4-1. On Sunday the Owls faced Munford High School and won 4-2. The Smith County Owls won their division which also included Macon County and Seymour High School. Our boys brought home the trophy just months after the Lady Owls brought home their own trophy from the same tournament’s fall edition.

Thursday March 21 the Owls traveled to #6 Friendship Christian.  Senior Blake Baird started off the scoring with an assist to Terence Davis.  That would be the last time the Owls saw the back of the net.  Friendship scored twice for the win 2-1.  The first loss is always tough but there is a lot to be learned from that game and now the Owls can move forward and focus on District play.

Spring break will be quiet but on April 2 the Owls will travel to Dekalb County to make up a game that was earlier scheduled.  Then on April 4 we host York for our Home Opener and the beginning of District play.

photos and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers

High school soccer is back. The Smith County High School Owls begin their 2024 Campaign with a third less players and a new Head Coach.  The Owls find themselves in a rebuilding year having graduated quite a bit of talent over the last couple of years.  This season the Owls have 19 players, three of which are Seniors: Abimelec Martinez, Blake Baird and Diego Cruz Vanegas.  There is some solid leadership throughout the team and a hunger to move forward.

The Owls have also seen Head Coach Kit Jenkins leave his position to take another as Assistant Principal at SCHS.  After a near decade as Head Coach for the men’s side and assistant coach for the women’s side, Coach Kit has brought so much to the programs.

The Owls new Head Coach is Wesley Kemp.  Coach Kemp graduated from Smith County High School in 2018. He then signed on scholarship to play soccer at Bethel University. He is now back home in Smith County, teaching Chemistry at SCHS and assuming the Head Coach slot for the Owls Soccer. He is also recently engaged to his high school sweetheart, Lady Owls Assistant Coach Shyenne Newton.

We recently spoke to Coach Kemp about coming full circle and he seems happy and excited about the future. We asked about his impression of the program.  Coach Kemp said the biggest change is in the players. When he played here most of the players played soccer as a second or third sport, now the players are majority dedicated soccer players, which is exciting.  When asked if there was a big shift from playing in college to coaching high school players Kemp explained that there is not that much difference.  The high school boys have the ability and skill it just takes a big more patience when asking them to learn new skills or positions.  Then we discussed expectations he has for his team this season. He brings a realistic winning mentality to the position, understanding it is a smaller team. He points out that a smaller squad can have a stronger sense of ownership and more motivation to show what they are capable of.  Coach Kemp is leading his team with the belief that yes they may not be the best team yet, they have growth ahead, but they team goal is set pretty high. The Owls soccer faithful believe they can accomplish big things and will be very happy with the Coach’s style and mentality. We encourage everyone to come out and support this team. If you do not know soccer yet, you will be very pleasantly surprised at the competitiveness, the skill, the athleticism and how exciting the game is. If you do know soccer, come give these young men the support that propels them forward. Ending with a final statement from Coach Kemp, “When you see it, you will know. So come watch our games.”

Articles & Photos submitted by Vivian Schaffers

Smith County Lady Owls Soccer Team’s season has ended. On October 17th they hosted White House Heritage in the Region 3 Semifinals. The first half of the game was toe to toe for the whole 40 minutes. The 14 minute mark saw a Lady Owl Penalty Kick awarded that was taken and scored by Senior Brooklyn Sensabaugh. The half ended with a score of 1-0, Lady Owls in the lead.

The second half was exciting to watch.  WH Heritage scored with 20 minutes left on the clock to tie 1-1. They would score again at 16 minutes. Both sides were very physical so Junior Aubrey Felice decided she would use her speed and skills to score just 10 seconds later to tie it back up 2-2.  With just under 10 minutes left WH Heritage scored and seemed sure they had clinched the win. Two minutes later Felice again answered the score with one for the Lady Owls. The end of the regulation game left the contest tied 3-3.

They headed into a 10 minute Overtime period.  After three minutes, most of which was the Smith County back line in a battle to protect the net, WH Heritage sent a shot through that just barely escaped Keeper Catie Belle McCarter.  Three minutes left in the OT Brooklyn Sensabaugh took a free kick from near the half, it went off a defender’s head and went high, giving Felice time to come in to finish off the goal.  The first OT ended 4-4.

The second 10 minute OT was heating up, both sides were very tired but both wanted the win.  The OT would end scoreless which sent the contest into a penalty kick shootout.

Each side chose 5 players to take the pk shots against the opposing keeper, taking turns between teams.  Lady Owl Aubrey Felice was the first to shoot.  She shot low to the right corner and scored. Then McCarter faced the challenge of stopping the WHH player, which she did.  Senior Brooklyn Sensabaugh was next.  Her shot stretched the keeper, hit the cross bar and bounced back out.  McCarter also was beat by the next shot and they stood at 5-5.  Freshman Chloe Gill stepped forward for her turn, but was stopped.  McCarter stopped her next opponent.  Addie Cripps shot low, the keeper dove and just tipped the ball sending it inches to the side of the net.  McCarter dove for the next one, had a stop but it bobbled on into the net, giving WH Heritage a 6-5 lead.  Smith County sent forward the 5th shooter, Freshman Aubree Spain.  If she misses it is over, she makes it it is tied back up.  She sent the ball hard right, keeper went down, it hits her leg but goes on through for the score and the tie of 6-6.  WH Heritage puts forward their 5th shooter.  Despite McCarter’s best effort the ball is a solid score, giving White House Heritage the win 7-6.

Smith County ended with a record of 12-2-2 (5-0-1), a Smoky Mountain Cup Championship, District Championship, many individual district awards and the pride of accomplishing what many thought they could not.  They stepped up, owned the pitch all season, embraced sportsmanship, determination and each other as a team/family.  These endings are always heartbreaking, as is sending our Seniors on to their next chapters.  This county can be very proud of this team, how much they accomplished and how well they represented their schools, this county, their home. Thank you so much to everyone who supported these young ladies this season.  Fans make all the difference.  The parents have been phenomenal, Lee Rice is amazing, the coaching staff: Nicholus Bussell, Lisa Reece, Shyenne Newton and Mallory Dillon, they did wonderful with this bunch. The SROs who are always present, provide the feeling of safety and encouragement. The Administrators from both schools, thank you for your support and your continued encouragement and for allowing these girls to play together and be One Team.  (photo and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers)

The Smith County Lady Owls Soccer Team hosted the 5A District Tournament.  Tuesday, October 10 the Semi-finals included a game between Jackson County and Cannon County in which Cannon won 8-0, sending Cannon County into the District final.  Next Smith County played York Institute. Smith County won 6-0 with four goals coming from Senior Captain Brooklyn Sensabaugh and two more from Junior Aubrey Felice, assists from Sensabaugh, Briley Grisham and Madelyn Hula led to the Lady Owls advancing into the District final.

Thursday October 12 the District Championship game between Smith County and Cannon County would end in a 4-1 win for Smith County. Senior Brooklyn Sensabaugh started the scoring two minutes into the game followed by a hat trick from Junior Aubrey Felice.  The Lady Owls are the 2023 5A District Champions. This is the sixth District Championship in the 7 years as head coach for Nicholus Bussell.  Coach Bussell is the first to give the credit to the players and he has taught them the motto one team and effort wins, which has proven to be true.  Every girl on this team has stepped up in a big way this season after losing a large Senior class last year.  Each girl in every role, on the pitch or the sideline, has played a huge part in the success they have had.  

Tuesday October 17th the Lady Owls will host the Region Semi final against White House Heritage at 6 PM.  A win in that game would break the three year run as Region runner up and be a huge next step in this program.  (photos and article submitted by Vivian Schaffers)

Smith County HIgh School and Gordonsville High School celebrate homecoming and selected above representatives as Homecoming representatives. SCHS Homecoming Soccer representatives for 2023 are Haygen Miracle and Brooklyn Sensabaugh. Gordonsville High School Soccer representatives for 2023 are James Bunn and Madelyn Hula.

The Lady Owls finished their regular season. The District wrapped up with the Lady Owls in first place with a record of 5-0-1 (9-1-2 overall) followed by Jackson County 4-2 (8-5 overall) Cannon County 1-4-1 (1-10-2 overall) and York Institute 1-5 (3-6-1 overall).

Smith County’s tie came with Cannon County after cancellations that left the girls with a 12 day stretch with no game .  However they came back strong when they hosted York and won with the mercy rule of 9-0 with 12 minutes left on the clock.  This game was Senior Night and Senior Brooklyn Sensabaugh was on fire with four goals and an assist to her credit.  Aubrey Felice also recorded a hat trick and 2 assists. Freshman Chloe Gill had a goal and two assists. Aubree Spain netted a goal. Two more assists, one each for Senior Abbi Williams and Sophomore Addie Cripps.

The Lady Owls hosted Jackson County for the final regular season district game.  Smith County won by 6-0 with 16 minutes left on the clock.  The game was cut short due to a Jackson County injury, with the player having to leave via ambulance. Fortunately it was shared that the player will be okay.  Aubrey Felice had two goals and an assist, Brooklyn Sensabaugh netted a goal, Aubree Spain scored twice, Chloe Gill scored once with an assist as well and Goalkeeper Catie Belle McCarter logged another assist along with Briley Grisham who had an assist to her credit as well.

The District Tournament will be played the week of October 9-13.  You can follow the Smith County High School Lady Owls Soccer Team facebook page for updated information on the post season.

Senior Night vs. Cannon County celebrated their three senior players pictured below.