Sports and Outdoors

On behalf of the Tennessee football program, Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer attended the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl coaches meeting to receive the Vols official invitation to play Indiana on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. ET, from bowl committee members and city representatives, Wednesday evening. To open the ceremony Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry gifted each team with a key to the city before Indiana head coach Tom Allen gave media an opening statement, followed by Fulmer. Tennessee was designated the home team for the bowl game, which will mark the 75th anniversary of the Gator Bowl.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — On a night the Sabres celebrated the tradition of their old building, Jack Eichel and his Buffalo teammates continued to establish a home-ice advantage in their current arena. Eichel had two goals to extend his NHL-leading point streak to 15 games, and linemate Victor Oloffson scored the deciding goal in the third period as Buffalo rallied to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 for their third straight win...

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. is a bundle of nerves. The thought of playing one's final college game can have that effect, and it's magnified when the opponent is a fierce rival. "One last time. I want to make it perfect," Hopkins said as he prepared to face Navy on Saturday. "I'm super excited but definitely nervous."...

What figures to be an award-winning week for LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is underway. Burrow was named The Associated Press college football player of the year presented by Regions Bank on Thursday in a landslide vote, making him the first LSU player to win the the 21-year-old award. Burrow, who has led the top-ranked Tigers to an unbeaten season and their first College Football Playoff appearance, received 51 of 54 first-place votes from AP Top 25 poll voters and a total of 159 points.

The Houston Texans have won the AFC South three times in coach Bill O'Brien's five seasons, and they have led or shared the divisional lead all but three weeks this season. Adding a fourth title to that list means going through the franchise the Texans replaced in Houston. The Tennessee Titans last won the AFC South back in 2008 and haven't swept the Houston Texans since 2007. But the Titans and second-year coach Mike Vrabel, who got his NFL coaching start in Houston working with linebackers for O'Brien in 2014, has won four straight and six of seven since quarterback Marcus Mariota was benched for Ryan Tannehill.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — LEADING: International 6 1/2, United States 3 1/2. MATCH OF THE DAY: Marc Leishman and Abraham Ancer were 5 under in 16 holes in foursomes for a 3-and-2 victory over Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson. At the time, it gave the International team a 6-1 lead...

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The fist pumps, the screaming and shouting, it all belonged to the Americans in the final hour of the Presidents Cup. They just didn't have the lead. That's the beauty of these team events in golf. Momentum can change with one putt that leads to one point. Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas provided those moments Friday in foursomes at Royal Melbourne, and the U.S. team walked off the course believing the Presidents Cup was about to turn in their favor...

Maxwell Football Club President Mark Dianno announced today that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has been selected as the winner of the 83rd Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year, and that Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young is the winner of the 25th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year.

On a rare Saturday afternoon basketball game in Cornersville, the Collinwood Lady Trojans and the hometown Lady Bulldogs squared off in the 2 p.m. contest. The Lady Bulldogs struggled against an unbeaten Collinwood squad that nailed 10 three-point baskets and the Lady Trojans rolled to a 61-20 victory. “We are playing hard and hustling and trying to do what we ask of them,” Cornersville coach Martha Jane McMasters said. “This Collinwood team is a really good team. We have things to work on.”

In the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Cornersville, the Collinwood Trojans faced the hometown Cornersville Bulldogs, who were hoping to gain their first victory of the year. The Bulldogs, coming off a lopsided loss at Richland, played measurably better but still came up short as Collinwood scored a 56-43 win.

Danielle Asbell is a four-year letterman on the Forrest Cheer Team and has been a member of four different Forrest Cheer squads that have qualified for Nationals at Disney World for four consecutive years. Asbell’s excellence has resulted in a cheerleading scholarship to Bryan College at Dayton...

Coach of the Year-Thomas Osteen Assistant Coach of the Year-Danny Pickle Region Offensive-MVP Kel Greer Defensive MVP-Tez Allen Special Teams Player of the Year-Jon Estes 1st Team All-Region Selections OL- Terry Gulley OL- Omari Armstrong WR- Devon Wilson...

With Marshall County’s all-time leading scorer KJ Johnson filling up the hoops at David Lipscomb University this season, Cornelius Turner steps in as the main scoring threat for the Tigers and the senior came through in a big way Friday night at the Dottie Kelso Memorial Gymnasium in Lewisburg, scoring the game-winning basket as time expired to lift MCHS to a 57-56 win over Fairview. “It was just the way we drew it up,” a smiling MCHS head coach Lavon King said. “Cornelius has more experience than anybody out there on the floor, it’s his time to shine in situations like that, he has to step up to the plate and I thought he did a great job with that tonight.”

The Marshall County Tigerettes entertained longtime foe Fairview Friday night at the Dottie Kelso Memorial Gymnasium in Lewisburg in the 24th matchup between the two former district rivals since 2001. A big fourth quarter and a balanced scoring attack lifted the Tigerettes to a 47-36 win and a fifth straight victory over the Lady Yellow Jackets, who will get a chance to break Marshall County’s winning streak when they play host in the season series finale on January 9, 2020.

Highlights from the nine-game gridiron spectacle in Cookeville The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association wrapped its 10th year of BlueCross Bowl state football championships in Cookeville over the weekend, with some of the state’s most storied programs adding to their heritage and student-athletes from all parts of the state leaving their marks on history...

Tennessee’s best high school football players for 2019 were recognized at the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards dinner hosted by the Tennessee Titans. More than 400 people, including the honorees, their families, coaches, school administrators and members of the media from all parts of the state, attended the 2019 luncheon at Nissan Stadium...

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — As a player, Tiger Woods wasn't all that happy with his game Wednesday in the Hero World Challenge. As the Presidents Cup captain, he had reason to be pleased. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Patrick Reed, who will be part of the U.S. team next week at Royal Melbourne, each managed a tough wind in the Bahamas to post a 6-under 66 and share the lead after the opening round of a tournament that felt more like a Presidents Cup tune-up...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee offensive tackle Marcus Tatum plans to play elsewhere as a graduate transfer next season. Tatum tweeted Wednesday that "I will always be a VFL (Vol For Life), but it is time for me to move on in my career and pursue different opportunities for myself as a person and as a player as a graduate transfer."...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has suspended Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings for the first half of the Volunteers' bowl game for what the league said was a flagrant personal foul late in a 28-10 victory over Vanderbilt. Commissioner Greg Sankey announced the suspension Wednesday...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts claimed kicker Chase McLaughlin off waivers amid Adam Vinatieri's continuing struggles. McLaughlin, a rookie from Illinois, has appeared in four games with the Los Angeles Chargers and three with San Francisco this seaoson. He's made 13 of 17 field goals and all 15 extra points...

While Tom Brady and Drew Brees pursue Peyton Manning, Devlin Hodges is chasing Ed Rubbert. Say what? Manning's record of 539 touchdown passes could be broken by both Brady and Brees during the final month of the regular season. Brady has thrown 535 TD passes and Brees has 532...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan Tannehill is making the most of his second time around as a starter in the NFL. And the Tennessee Titans are enjoying the ride. Since Tennessee made him the starter in mid-October, Tannehill is 5-1 and has helped the Titans (7-5) climb a game back of division leader Houston in the AFC South. He leads the NFL with his 113.9 passer rating and average of 9.10 yards per pass. Tannehill is second in completion percentage while connecting on 72.7% of his passes...

2019 Marshall County High School graduate Marlee Woodward has experienced adversity in her quest to play college softball, but just like the pressure of throwing a good 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, Woodward has overcome and now looks to thrive in her freshman season at Jackson State Community College...

The Forrest Lady Rockets continued their early season hot streak as they travelled to Cascade Tuesday night and came up with an easy 49-23 win for their fourth win in a row and six out of seven to start the season. “It was a sloppy game and we talked about that at halftime and the girls knew it, but we defended well enough for the 49 points to be the winning score,” Forrest coach Jeremy Jean said.

Forrest and Cascade met on opening night at Chapel Hill with the Champions coming from behind late to secure a four-point win and the two squads met again Tuesday night at Wartrace. The result was another excruciating loss for Forrest as the Rockets had the lead again in the third quarter, only to see it slip away in a 72-62 setback. “We are so close, we are just itching the surface, but in my opinion we just can’t keep making silly mistakes at crucial times,” Forrest coach Corey Bishop said. “These guys are going to have to be able to come together and fix those mistakes and we are going to work as hard as ever to get that done.”

Tuesday night’s opening game featured the Cornersville Lady Bulldogs (1-2), who made the short journey over Highway 129 to take on the Richland Lady Raiders (1-3) in a contest of bitter rivals from the bygone District 11-A days. The Lady Raiders used a solid first half and a cold shooting, turnover plagued second half by the Lady Bulldogs to score a 59-25 victory...

The Cornersville Bulldogs squared off against their longtime rival Richland Raiders at the Dwight Clark Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The Raiders took advantage of poor shooting and shoddy ball handling by Cornersville and scored a lopsided 75-22 victory over the winless Bulldogs. “It’s a long season and we’ll have a film session tomorrow and see if we can find some players who will battle,” Cornersville coach Peyton Newton said. “We didn’t respond well at the start of the game, so we will have to address that.” “We’ll see them (Richland) again in the Christmas Tournament at their place.” Richland controlled the opening tip and Raider Trey Luna scored the first two points of his 20-point effort for the night to put the Richland up 2-0.

Coach of the Year- Thomas Osteen Assistant Coach of the Year- Danny Pickle Region Offensive MVP- Kel Greer Defensive MVP- Tez Allen Special Teams Player of the Year- Jon Estes 1st Team All-Region Selections OL- Terry Gulley OL- Omari Armstrong WR- Devon Wilson...

Each week during the 2019 season the Maxwell Football Club will recognize outstanding performances with two weekly awards. The Maxwell Award Player of the Week will be recognized for overall performance on offense, defense or special teams, and the Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week will be honored for outstanding defensive play. Players selected do not have to be represented on the Maxwell or Bednarik Award watch lists.

The legendary Arnold Palmer once said, “Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.” What better exemplifies Forrest’s Sara Browning, diminutive in stature, but blessed with an indomitable spirit of perseverance and humility, plus a pretty darn good golf game. Browning, one of only two Lady Rockets’ golfers to appear in multiple state tournaments, was rewarded for her skill on the links and character on and off the course when she recently signed a Letter of Intent to attend Freed-Hardeman University next season on a golf scholarship.

The Cornersville Lady Bulldogs hosted former District 11-A foe Mt. Pleasant Thursday night and the hometown girls came away with a 57-37 win to give first year coach Martha Jane McMasters her first win of her career. The former Lady Bulldog standout got the victory due to some steady play by returning players Alicia Pope, Bethany Fitzgerald, and Meri Hannah Walker...

The Mt. Pleasant Tigers, fresh off a season opening win over Zion Christian Academy, came and renewed an old rivalry with the Cornersville Bulldogs, who were coming off a road loss in their season opener at Culleoka. The Tigers, led by the 22-point effort from Kentra Frierson, rolled over the Bulldogs by the score of 66-41.

From an early age, former Forrest High soccer star Brynn Colvin had a feeling the sport would take her places. Now a junior in college and the top player for Division II University of Alabama at Huntsville, all signs are pointing towards Colvin making the right decision to pursue soccer over basketball at a young age.

Roughing the kicker, offsides, hands to the face, or too many men on the field are the only way Riverside should have regained possession of a third quarter punt that changed the game in Forrest’s 21-15 loss to Decatur County-Riverside in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs at the Murrey E. Holton Memorial Field in Chapel Hill Friday night. That wasn’t the only botched call in the contest as Forrest recovered a Panther fumble when the runner looked like he was down in the first half, plus two terrible spots that would have given Forrest first downs.

All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately for the Marshall County Tigers (9-3) that ending came sooner than expected Friday night, following a 28-24 comeback win by DeKalb County (8-4) after the Tigers had built a 10-point lead with just seven minutes left in the contest. "Obviously, disappointed that we could not close the game out," Marshall County coach Thomas Osteen, who owns a 56-21 overall and 11-6 playoff record in five years with the Tigers, said. "We needed one more first down on offense or one more stop on defense to win the game but were unable to get it."

In both of Cornersville’s Class A runner-up years in 2017 and 2018, the Bulldogs beat perennial powerhouse Huntingdon on the way to Cookeville. The Mustangs got their revenge in the third meeting on Friday night when they blasted the boys from Frog Bottom 54-7 in the second round. “We knew going in to the game that we would have to play our best football and most of all mistake free football, and we were not able to do that,” Cornersville coach Gerard Randolph said. “Huntingdon controlled the game from the first kickoff and through the majority of the game.”

The Forrest Lady Rockets kicked off the 2019-2020 campaign with a bang, blowing out Cascade 52-21 in a season opening Hall of Champions contest win at Chapel Hill Tuesday night. “It's always good to start the season off with a win, I was pleased with our intensity and defense.” Forrest coach Jeremy Jean said. “Offensively I was pleased with everything, we played fast but wasn't in a hurry. That's the type of game that we are wanting to play this year.”

The Corey Bishop coaching era began with some high drama in Tuesday night’s Hall of Champions season opener versus longtime rival Cascade. The Rockets fell behind big in the first half before mounting a third quarter comeback that erased a 12-point halftime deficit, but the undermanned Forrest squad could not hold on in the end and fell 54-50.

When Kaitlin Leverette transferred from Unionville to Forrest in her freshman year she had some trepidation about changing schools, but there was absolutely no concern about joining a championship caliber Lady Rockets’ softball team. “It was hard at first, transferring and not knowing anyone, but the school and the coaches here just made me a better person and a better player,” Leverette said.

Forrest’s Anna Blanton will be roaming the outfield in college as the Lady Rockets’ standout centerfielder recently signed a Letter of Intent to attend The University of Tennessee at Martin on scholarship for the 2020-2021 season. “It was just like a home away from home, it’s a small town, I just fit in there and I feel like it’s a really good pick for me,” Blanton said about going to UT-Martin...

The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards will be presented to the top football players in nine classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association on Monday, December 2, 2019, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. For the 18th consecutive year, the top kicker in the state will be recognized with a Mr. Football Award, regardless of classification.

A superior defensive effort and a phenomenal performance by 2019 Class 2A Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist Nick McClendon was way too much for Eagleville as the fourth-ranked Forrest Rockets (12-0) remained undefeated after an impressive 32-6 second round playoff win at the Murrey E. Holton Memorial Field in Chapel Hill Friday night. “This is the first time in school history Forrest is 12-0, that’s a huge accomplishment and this team is now in a league of their own, they came out fighting all night long,” Forrest coach Eli Stephenson said.

The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards will be presented to the top football players in nine classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association on Monday, December 2, 2019, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Three finalists for each category will be announced by Mike Keith on the Titans website at www.titansonline.com on Tuesday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. CST / 12:00 p.m. EST. The three finalists for each award will be the ones invited to attend the awards luncheon at Nissan Stadium, where the winner of each award will be announced.

For the second season in a row, the Marshall County Tigers opened up the TSSAA 4A state playoffs against the Stone Memorial Panthers out of Crossville. Unlike last year’s matchup, which was decided in overtime on a game winning two-point conversion by the Tigers (9-2), Marshall County won the 2019 contest going away by a score of 39-8. The seventh-ranked Tigers host second-seeded DeKalb County (7-4) from Smithville, who beat third-seeded Tullahoma (7-4) 45-34 in Friday night’s second round contest at Preston Hopkins Field in Lewisburg.

The fourth-ranked Forrest Rockets turned in a solid effort in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs, coming away with a relatively easy 37-7 win over the Hickman County Bulldogs on a frigid Friday night at the Murrey E. Holton Memorial Field in Chapel Hill. “We came out focused and ready to play,” Forrest coach Eli Stephenson said. “Our offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and that allowed us to control the pace of the game.”

The Region 6A third-seeded Collinwood Trojans made the long haul from Wayne County to renew an old rivalry with the Region 5A second-seeded Cornersville Bulldogs on a cold night at Frog Bottom in the opening round of the TSSAA Class A playoffs Friday night. Cornersville’s Brady Calahan rushed for 104 yards and the Bulldogs turned back the Trojans 31-10 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Both teams were appearing in their fourth consecutive TSSAA opening round playoff games with Collinwood hoping to break a three-game playoff losing streak and Cornersville seeking to extend their season, as the 2017 and 2018 teams did, and reach the 1A Championship game at Cookeville.

Each week during the 2019 season the Maxwell Football Club will recognize outstanding performances with two weekly awards. The Maxwell Award Player of the Week will be recognized for overall performance on offense, defense or special teams, and the Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week will be honored for outstanding defensive play. Players selected do not have to be represented on the Maxwell or Bednarik Award watch lists.