Sports and Outdoors

If anyone on the planet understands what Forrest softball represents it’s the Lady Rockets’ new head coach, Shelby Stinnett. “I’m excited and I’m humbled,” said Stinnett. “This is something I have looked forward to since I was eight when I used to be handed over top of the dugout.” “A lot of people don’t know it, but in elementary school I used to beg my parents to go to the ballgames, I would cry if I didn’t get to go to the Forrest softball games.”

The next to the last week of regular season football has all three county teams playing at home Friday night with the 2017 Class A state runner-up Cornersville Bulldogs leading the docket at Frog Bottom as they attempt to complete a perfect regular season with a win over the Huntland Hornets. “I am very proud of the success that this team has had so far this year,” Cornersville coach Gerard Randolph said. “It is fun watching these young men go and play our brand of football. I want nothing more than to have them finish the regular season on a high note.”

uck River Raceway Park Feature Results Saturday, October 13 Top 10 Pure Stock 1. Josh Bondurant 2. Dylan McCrary 3. Wally Walls 4. Nicky Bates 5. Cody Lovett 6. Jeff Beecham 7. Michael Giles 8. Zach Taylor 9. Steven Landers 10. Justin Young

Losing to archrival Giles County by one-point last week could have sent Marshall County into a late season tailspin, instead the setback spurred the Tigers on as they travelled to Spring Hill Friday where they won the Region 4-4A contest 28-7 to clinch a playoff spot. “I think we can play with anybody in 4A football here at the end of the year,” Marshall County coach Thomas Osteen said. “This win gets us in the playoffs and I would like to get another shot at the Tullahomas and the Maplewoods of the world where we felt like we let those games slip away.”

Morning Round Championship Flight 1st Place-Cody Vernon, Austin Perrin, Kyle Thomas, Ryan Turner-54 2nd Place-Shawn Ferguson, Larry Baker, Ben Brown, Richard Petruska-57 3rd Place-(Duck River Hauling)-Chris London, Tate Lowery, Jason Terry, Brian Borton-59

Class 1A 1. Greenback (16) 9-0 177 1 2. Cornersville (2) 8-0 154 3 3. Huntingdon 9-0 138 4 4. Whitwell 8-0 134 5 5. South Pittsburg 7-1 107 2 6. Cloudland 7-1 90 6 7. Lake County 7-1 75 7 8. Midway 7-1 54 9 9. West Carroll 6-2 18 8 10. Oliver Springs 6-2 17 NR Others receiving votes: Coalfield 16. Greenfield 7.Gordonsville 1. Mt. Pleasant 1. Hillcrest 1.

Forrest’s Sara Browning finished an outstanding junior season by earning a 16th place finish at the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s Small Class Girls State Tournament at WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester on Tuesday and Wednesday. “I couldn’t be more proud of Sara Browning, she fought and fought and fought for 36 long holes and in the end when she finally finished on 18 we saw her smile and knew she had finished a great round on the back nine,” Forrest coach Andy Burkett said. “I am proud of the endurance Sara showed, but most importantly I’m proud of the way she conducted herself on the course.”

The Forrest Alumni Association teed it up the Buford Ellington Golf Course inside Henry Horton State Park on September 22 and raised $2,300 that goes towards funding scholarships for graduating seniors from Forrest High School. Earl Haynes, Randy Daughrity, Phillip Daughrity, and Stephen Walls won with a 59 in a scorecard playoff over Ricky Sweeney, Frank Osteen, Ronnie Horton, and Jimmy Henson...

The Forrest Rockets showed some meddle Friday night as they travelled to Loretto for a Region 5-AA contest and handily beat the Mustangs 32-13 on homecoming to break a three-game losing and remain in the playoff hunt. “We came out and played our style of football,” Forrest coach Eli Stephenson said. “We came out and forced turnovers and limited penalties and that is what I am most proud of tonight.” “They came here focused and played from the first whistle to the last whistle, so I’m very proud of them tonight.”

Cornersville’s march to an undefeated regular season continued with a bang at Richland Friday night as the Bulldogs pounded the Raiders 57-0 for their seventh straight shutout and back-to-back Region 5-A titles. “The defense played lights out against Richland,” Cornersville coach Gerard Randolph said. “We had a great week of practice game planning for Richland, and the guys did their part by coming our playing fast, physical, and aggressive. I was so proud of the way the defense played.”

If the Middle School programs in Marshall County are any indication of the future of the high school programs of the three county varsity programs---the future is bright. The Forrest Middle School team wrapped up another successful season in the Duck River Valley Conference while Forrest alumni Beau Hardison led Lewisburg Middle School to an undefeated record (8-0) and Big South Conference Championship in just his third season at the helm and perhaps the most impressive is rookie coach Dusty Nance leading Cornersville Middle to an undefeated (8-0) regular season heading into the Elk Valley Championship game on Saturday against South Lincoln.

Week in and week out during the 2018 football season, Marshall County has played the best football teams the mid-state has to offer and coming into Friday night’s matchup against longtime rival Giles County (4-3) a banged up Tiger squad took the field at Pulaski. But despite an ever-depleting roster, Marshall County (2-5) took a 7-0 lead into the break before securing a 23-16 advantage with 6:52 left in the contest before former Tiger quarterback Bryce Wallace led the game winning drive to put the Bobcats up 24-23 with 4:27 left which would ultimately be the final.

Class 1A School Record Pts Prv 1. Greenback (12) 7-0 136 1 2. South Pittsburg 7-0 122 2 3. Cornersville (2) 8-0 117 3 4. Huntingdon 8-0 92 4 5. Whitwell 7-0 79 5 6. Cloudland 6-1 65 6 7. Lake County 6-1 57 7 8. West Carroll 6-1 40 9 9. Midway 6-1 29 10 10. Coalfield 5-3 12 8 Others receiving 12 or more points: None.

Duck River Raceway Park Saturday, September 29 Feature Results Top 5 Pure Stock 1. Tim Wilson 2. Zach Taylor 3. Josh Bondurant 4. Cody Lovett 5. Alex Bobo

The first seven weeks of the prep football season are in the rear view mirror with three more regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin on Friday, November 2. The 2017 Class A state runner-up and third-ranked Cornersville Bulldogs need a win this week at Richland to clinch back-to-back Region 5-A titles. “We are expecting it to be in a war with Richland come Friday night,” Cornersville head coach Gerard Randolph said. “You can throw the records out the window when these two teams meet.”

Although the Forrest Lady Rockets finished in fifth place at the Region 6 Tournament at Lawrenceburg on Monday and did not qualify for the state tournament, junior Sara Browning made it through in the individual portion of the event. “It definitely is a great feeling, but all the credit goes to Sara Browning and her family,” Forrest coach Andy Burkett said. “Sara has an impeccable work ethic and that funnels down from her parents, Rob and Mary-Virginia Browning.” Browning shot 82 to earn the fourth medalist spot and a berth in the Small Class Girls' Championship at the WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester.

The Big South Conference title tilt on Thursday night in Lewisburg was just the kind of game any football purist would want out of a championship matchup. The two teams were locked in a defensive stalemate with no scoring in either the first or final quarter, but LMS scored twice in the second quarter and once at the end of the third to pick up the 21-6 win to cap off a perfect 8-0 season. "I'm just so excited for these players to have an undefeated season," LMS coach Beau Hardison, who more than doubled the previous two season wins totals, said. "They have worked so hard the last few seasons and they deserve it. Hopefully this success will carry over into basketball season and so on."

The third-ranked Cornersville Bulldogs are two wins away from a perfect regular season after demolishing Fayetteville 55-0 for their sixth straight shutout win on Homecoming Friday night at Frog Bottom. “I can’t say enough about my defensive staff coming in,” Cornersville coach Gerard Randolph said. “They had a great game plan this week and we had a great week of preparation.”

The Cornersville Middle School Bulldogs (7-0) came into Thursday night’s homecoming game versus Huntland needing a win to post an undefeated regular season record and earn a spot in the Elk Valley Conference Championship game and they got it with a hard fought 28-8 victory over the Hornets. The Bulldogs face the South Lincoln Eagles in the title game Saturday at Lincoln County High School with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.

Coming off arguably the toughest or one of the toughest first half schedules in the season in the entire state, the Marshall County Tigers needed a big win in the worst way Friday night. Fortunately for the Tigers, a winless Lawrence County (0-7, 0-3) was on tap for the homecoming festivities and Marshall County pulled away in the second half to pick up its second win and first region victory of the season with the 29-8 final.

Forrest 8 0 0 7-15 Lewis County 15 14 7 7-43

The Associated Press' Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee's six Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 1, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:...

In the end, it all worked out for the Forrest golf squads at the Division I Small School District 11 Tournament with both earning runner-up spots and berths in the Region 6 Tournament next week. “I am immensely proud of both these boys and girls teams,” Forrest coach Andy Burkett said. “I'm really fortunate to have an amazing group of kids to coach, but their work ethic is what is truly inspiring.” “They are grinding to get better and better every single practice, and every day we don't have a match, we are practicing, so seeing their hard work payoff is what I'm most happy about.”

The third-ranked Cornersville Bulldogs are like a runaway train, there is no stopping them. The Frog Bottom boys continued their dominance at Linden Friday night, mauling Perry County 63-0 to record their fifth shutout in a row. “I am very proud of the way our defense has been playing this year,” Cornersville coach Gerard Randolph said. “To hold our last five opponents to zero points is pretty incredible.”

The Forrest golf team played their last match on Thursday before the district tournament this week and both squads came away with victories over East Hickman and Fairview.

The goal has taken six long years to achieve, but the once proud Lewisburg Middle School squad ended the regular season back on top after a 35-26 win over E.A. Cox for their first undefeated season since 2012. Third-year coach Beau Hardison developed a program with a bare cupboard in 2016 and went from one win in his inaugural year to two wins with mostly close losses in 2017, to a 7-0 record and a berth in the Big South Conference championship against Witthorne on Thursday.

One thing is certain about the 2018 Marshall County football team. These Tigers are not afraid to play anyone. According to several different sources, the Tigers have played the hardest schedule in the state in any classification over the first half of the regular season.

The Forrest Rockets were looking to bounce back from a shutout loss to Columbia Academy last week, but things didn’t get any better as the fifth-ranked Watertown Purple Tigers (6-0) blasted Chapel Hill 49-14 on Homecoming. “I didn’t do a good job of getting these kids ready to play,” Forrest coach Eli Stephenson said. “We have to get better at that and come out of the gate playing.”

1. Greenback (15) 6-0 2. South Pittsburg 5-0 139 2 3. Cornersville (1) 6-0 129 3 4. Huntingdon 6-0 113 4 5. Whitwell 6-0 99 5 6. Cloudland 4-1 80 6 7. Lake Co. 4-1 58 7 8. Midway 5-0 27 NR 8. Coalfield 4-2 27 8 10. West Carroll 5-1 22 9 Others receiving 12 or more points: None. Class 2A

Marshall County High School and Forrest are looking for bounce back wins tonight, while the undefeated Cornersville Bulldogs try to make it six wins in row. The Marshall County Tigers (1-3, 1-2) host the 3A Pearl Cohn Firebirds tonight at Preston Hopkins Field in Lewisburg in a non-region matchup with the MCHS needing a win to bust a two-game losing streak, including a tough 28-14 loss to sixth-ranked Maplewood last week at home...

Forrest senior Jeff Gross (right) and coach Jason “Shooter” Hill receive their state championship rings at halftime of Friday night’s game versus Columbia Academy. Gross captured his second consecutive state wrestling title on February 17 at the Williamson County Expo Center in Franklin when he took a 4-2 decision over Fairview’s Riley Bennett in the 126-pound weight class...

Forrest’s Jenna Blanton played a big part for her travel softball team that won the 14 year-old Junior Olympic Cup this summer in St. Louis. Blanton plays for Fury Platinum-Hutchins, which is based out of Chattanooga. The Fury is ranked seventh in the nation according to Fast Pitch News...

James and Aaron Riggs, who attend Marshall County High School, contributed to a second place finish for the Mt. Pleasant High School Bass Team. The Riggs’ led the way for Mt. Pleasant with two fish weighing 8.44 lbs. in the 82 boat field at New Johnsonville...

7th Annual Deep Fried 75 Feature Results Duck River Raceway Park Saturday, September 15 Top 5 Pure Stock 1. Dylan McCrary 2. Allen Carter 3. Michael Giles 4. Josh Anderson 5. Alex Bobo

Mt. Pleasant was a cause of irritation to the Cornersville Bulldogs with some braggadocio leading up to Friday night’s Region 5-A showdown in the Sundrop Bowl in Maury County. The Tigers should have bit their tongues as the Bulldogs rolled in and then rolled over Mt. Pleasant 48-0 to record their fourth shutout in a row. “This defense has a bunch of upperclassmen and everybody is flying around to the ball and making heads pop when they get there,” Cornersville senior linebacker C. J. Coble said. “They had very good athletes, but every time our ‘D’ line squeezed, they got the holes shut down and we were able to fill the hole and run the alleys to make the tackles.”

After a disappointing 12-8 loss last week at home versus Middle Tennessee Christian School, the Forrest Middle School Rockets bounced back with an exciting 20-8 come from behind victory over archrival Eagleville in Thursday night’s homecoming game at Murrey E. Holton Field in Chapel Hill. “I just can’t be more proud of my guys, they came out, saw some adversity and a very good Eagleville team and they rose to the occasion, it’s absolutely huge,” FMS coach Tony Johnson said. “Losing Monday was tough, coming out for homecoming is always tough because it’s a hectic week, but these guys stayed focused and stayed disciplined and came out here ready to win.”

The second-ranked Columbia Academy Bulldogs marched into Chapel Hill Friday night and shutout the Rockets at the Murrey E. Holton Memorial Field 38-0 to remain unbeaten on the season. The Rockets (2-3, 1-2) suffered an early turnover that put them in a 7-0 hole less than two minutes into the contest and a late Columbia Academy score just before the first half ended made it 14-0.

Class 1A Record Pts Prv 1. Greenback (13) 5-0 147 1 2. South Pittsburg (1) 4-0 133 2 3. Cornersville (1) 5-0 122 3 4. Huntingdon 5-0 105 4 5. Whitwell 5-0 92 5 6. Cloudland 3-1 66 6 7. Lake County 4-1 59 7 8. Coalfield 4-1 45 9 9. West Carroll 5-0 40 10 10. Dresden 3-2 7 8 Others receiving votes: Midway 5. Harriman 2. Greenfield 1. Mt. Pleasant 1.

The Marshall County Tigers (1-3, 0-2) followed up its first regular season region loss spanning four years with an even tougher opponent Friday at Preston Hopkins Field in Lewisburg as the red hot Maplewood Panthers came calling. Most if not all the sports personalities in the Mid-State had the Panthers (4-1, 2-0) winning over the struggling Tigers easily.

Almost 500 high school and middle school runners tested themselves Tuesday on the cross country course laid out at Henry Horton State Park. Marshall County runners fared well in the Forrest-hosted meet on their home turf.

All three Marshall County squads are deep into region play this week with Forrest and Marshall County High School hosting home games and Cornersville hitting the road for a second week in a row. The Bulldogs travel to Maury County to take on Mount Pleasant for a game in which the winner will slide into the driver’s seat of Region 5-A and possibly the number one seed when the playoffs roll around. The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) and the Tigers (4-0, 2-0) both enter the contest undefeated, but Cornersville has faced a more challenging schedule with its opponents’ overall record sitting at 6-8, including a 41-0 blowout over then seventh-ranked 2A Eagleville.

The Marshall County Tigerettes hosted the Giles County Lady Bobcats Tuesday night at the Dottie Kelso Memorial Gymnasium in Lewisburg in a Class AA, District 9 volleyball matchup that went four sets with Pulaski coming out on top 3-1 in the best three-out-of-five contest. The Lady Bobcats headed to Lewisburg with a mission to exact some revenge on the Tigerettes after an earlier season setback at Pulaski as they took the first set 25-18.

It was muggy and buggy Friday night at Summertown as the Forrest Rockets squared off with the Eagles in a Region 5-2A matchup that went down to the wire with Chapel Hill coming out on top 7-0. “It was our first region win, so it’s always good to get that win,” Forrest coach Eli Stephenson said.

Lightning struck in more ways than one on Friday night in Franklin for Cornersville's Region 5-A matchup with Grace Christian Academy (0-4). The Bulldogs (4-0, 3-0) jumped out to 28-0 lead just seven minutes into the game before a storm postponed the contest for over an hour. After the delay, the Bulldogs tacked on 10 more first quarter points and coasted to a 50-0 win.

The Forrest Middle School Rockets hosted Middle Tennessee Christian School (MTCS) in a weather related makeup game Monday night at the Murrey E. Holton Memorial Field in Chapel Hill and it was the Cougars who prevailed, 12-8. The contest was tightly contested the entire game as both defenses came up with several big stops. The Rockets lost the turnover battle 3-1 with two of the miscues happening inside the Cougars’ 10-yard, negating two scoring opportunities for Forrest. Forrest kicked off to MTCS to start the game and held the Cougars in check to force a punt.

Class 1A School Record Pts Prv 1. Greenback (14) 4-0 159 1 2. South Pittsburg (1) 4-0 144 2 3. Cornersville (1) 4-0 122 3 4. Huntingdon 4-0 109 4 5. Whitwell 4-0 97 T5 6. Cloudland 2-1 60 7 7. Lake County 3-1 51 8 8. Dresden 3-1 38 T5 9. Coalfield 3-1 30 10 10. West Carroll 4-0 28 NR Others receiving 12 or more points: Mt. Pleasant 18.

The Cornersville Bulldogs and Forrest Rockets gridiron crews are like two ships sailing in different directions with the Frog Bottom vessel headed to calmer waters and sunny skies, while the Chapel Hill ship is stuck in rough waters and headed for the rocks unless a course correction is carried out. The third-ranked Class A Bulldogs are mauling their opponents with a 121-to-20 point scoring differential in three games, including back-to-back shutouts over Eagleville and Moore County.

Championship Flight John Myhr, Kerry Willis, John Lambert, Jim Durso 56Mike Epley, Joey Epley, Jon Ricketts, Jason Epley 56Stanley Bond, Bill Buckles, Donnie Deffenbaugh, Danny Lipscomb 60 Brandon Tidwell, Corey Tidwell, Kenny Blythe, Matt Clark 60...