Stories from Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Home team listed first First game at 5:30 p.m., followed by second game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1 A-Plus vs. Nichirin, Elks vs. Chapel Hill Farm Center

Martin Methodist signee's determination led her to college grant Anyssa Strong won't back down, in life or on the pitch. Epitomizing her strength as a fierce All-District 9A/AA defender for the Forrest Lady Rockets, Strong had a much bigger hurdle to conquer when her son Brentlyn was born in between her freshman and sophomore years. "It was hard, it took me away from soccer and I didn't like it, but I had to do it," an emotional Strong said. "Some people that have kids don't come back to school and I didn't want to be that person, I wanted to play soccer and I wanted to come back to school because I knew I still had things coming for me in life."

Forrest's Boone Sweeney had an outstanding senior season at Forrest, winning the Class A Mr. Football award and the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) all-state football player was also an All-District 9A backstop on the baseball team that capped off back-to-back district titles and region tournament titles that earned the Rockets a state tournament berth. After Forrest made an early exit from the Spring Fling on Wednesday, Sweeney got the opportunity to attend the Farm Bureau Health Plans' All-Midstate Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards banquet on Thursday at the Music City Center in Nashville.