Stories from Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The Forrest Rockets dominated the Region 4AA football awards banquet, landing nine players on the All-Region Team, plus Head Coach and Staff of the Year and Jackie Abernathy won Director of Schools Award. "It was an honor to have nine players make the All-Region Team and each one of them deserves it," said Forrest head coach Matt Kriesky, who along with Kyle Stacey, Brent Johns, Lance Horton and Eli Stephenson made up the coaching staff that guided the Rockets (10-2) to an undefeated league record, Region 4AA title and a second-round playoff berth.

The Forrest Rockets traveled to Centennial on Thursday and suffered a sweep, losing 39-31 to the host Cougars before falling in a close match 42-39 to Kenwood. Forrest started on a good note versus Centennial as Nikolas McGuiggan (285 pounds) pinned Noah Schwartz.

The second-seeded FMS Lady Rockets faced an inspired Cascade squad in Monday night's second round of the Duck River Valley Conference Tournament and the Lady Champions gave the Chapel Hill girls all they had before Forrest pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 34-26 win. "My father always said 'an ugly win is still a win' and I am going to give Cascade all the credit, they made us play that way," FMS coach David Junkins said. "It is good to survive, Cascade brought it tonight."

Two of middle Tennessee's finest gridiron programs met on the hardwood Thursday night in West Nashville with Pearl-Cohn winning the hoop battle 74-47 in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. "We should have tried to slow them down more," shooting guard Malek Sain stated. "They could jump and get off the floor and we weren't rebounding. They were just way more athletic than we were. They were just hitting a bunch of their shots."

The Cornersville Lady Bulldogs traveled to Santa Fe on Friday night, looking to make it two wins in a row and an undefeated district record following a 27-point drubbing of Hampshire earlier in the week after starting the season 0-5. Cornersville (1-6, 1-1) gave the Lady Wildcats all they could handle in the early district match up, leading 36-35 with three minutes left in the game before Santa Fe (3-5, 2-0) went on a 10-1 to end the game with a 45-37 victory.

Cornersville hit the road for the second game in a row Friday night at Santa Fe, looking to build on the close 10-point loss it suffered at the hands of the Hampshire Hawks on Tuesday. The elusive first win of the season would have to wait until another night as the senior laden Santa Fe squad jumped out to an early lead and did not let up until the 71-36 Bulldog blow out was complete.

It was a short trip to Unionville Friday night, but it must have been a long one home for the Forrest hoops squads as the girls lost the first game 52-39, before the Vikings completed the sweep with a 64-45 win over the Rockets. The Lady Rockets never got anything going as the Viqueens reeled off 12 straight points to start the game and never looked back.

Funeral services for Ernest Levoy "Butch" Fitch, age 71 of Fayetteville, were set for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 at 11 a.m. at Higgins Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Prospect Cemetery. Mr. Fitch passed away Wednesday Dec. 9, 2015 in Huntsville Hospital...

Mr. Velda "Red" Flener, age 81, of the Wheel comunity of Bedford Co., died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. A native of Morgantown, KY, Mr. Flener was a son of the late Hillory and Enola Flener. He was a retired brick mason and served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps...

Dan Harvey Allen, age 78, of Lewisburg, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Maury Regional Medical Center. Mr. Allen was a native of Marshall County, Tennessee and son of the late Robert Harvey and Nannie Bell Barton Allen. He was retired from Inter City Products and was a member of Church Street Church of Christ...