Game Notes for the State Football Quarterfinals: Union City vs. Huntingdon Huntingdon at Union City PLACE, TIME: War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Huntingdon 8-3; Union City 9-2. COACHES (RECORDS): Huntingdon: Eric Swenson (32-24 in 5th season); Union City: Darren Bowling (126-61 in 17th season; 19-4 in 2nd season at UC). LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009. Huntingdon rallied for a 44-35 victory over Union City. SERIES RECORD — Union City leads all-time, 13-8. LAST WEEK — Huntingdon thrashed Lake County, 53-7, while Union City whipped South Fulton, 49-7. KEY PLAYERS: Huntingdon — RBs Kennon Holder and Brittian Thompson, QB Bam Melton, OL/DL Cody Umstead and Alex Walters, G/LB Ben Carter. Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, OL/DL Stevie Gossett, QB Chase Bowling. Read More ...

Play it again, Sam. Devil Curtis will represent West South Fulton senior Sam Curtis will get one last chance to play on the high school gridiron. Curtis, an offensive lineman/defensive end on the Red Devil team that advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2003, has been selected as a member of the West team for the 3rd annual Tennessee All-Star Classic. The game will be held Dec. 12 against the East team compiled of that region’s top seniors at Carson-Newman College’s Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City. “We’re proud of Sam and what he’s accomplished,” Red Devil coach Kelly Spivey said. “We know that he has a life after football and this gives him the chance to match up against kids his size with equal talent.” Read More ...

New OC girls’ day has similar sunny forecast It’s the dawning of a new day with many familiar faces for the Obion Central girls’ basketball team. New head coach Lyle LaRue will make his debut tonight as the Lady Rebels tip off at Big Sandy tonight in a TSSAA Hall of Champions game, looking to start what has the potential to be the program’s eighth straight 20-win season. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Running Rebels must be hustlers in realigned 13AA The Obion Central boys’ may look like a scene out of “The Fast and Furious” this year. The Rebels, who graduated seniors who contributed 37 of the team’s 62 points it averaged from last season, will have to depend on their hustle to compete in the realigned — and possibly — even tougher District 13AA. With Dyer County gone to Class 3A, some 13AA fans might have been rejoicing. However, Covington, Hay-wood and Ripley have entered the fray, replacing two difficult games against the Choctaws with six contests against historically-athletic opposition. “We don’t get a night off in this district,” Kail said of the new 13AA fold. “We thought it might get easier with Dyer County gone, but I think it’s actually gotten tougher. “We’ve got to get it to our kids that they can shoot and do it fast. I feel like we have the players to do that and play an up tempo style. I just hope we can hold our opponents to a score where we can compete.” Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

UC squads get thumbs up again So far, so good. Both Union City High School basketball teams improved to 2-0 on the young season with their second Hall of Champions game victories Thursday night at Jackson South Side. The Lady Tornadoes won their game, 50-43, while the UC boys outscored SS 31-22 in the second half for a 51-43 triumph. Both teams will now take a nine-day break before playing their next games. UC 51, South Side 43 (B) Rahim Gaston scored 13 of his game-high 17 points over the final two periods to lead the Twisters. Read More ...

Lady Eagles work OT vs. Lake Road The Black Oak girls worked overtime to take down Lake Road on Thursday night. The Lady Eagles edged LR 26-24 thanks a layup by Darcey Jones in the extra period. Jones’ winning shot produced the only points by either team in overtime. In the nightcap, Lake Road extracted a measure of revenge with a 43-25 triumph over BO. In other action on Tuesday, the South Fulton boys improved to 7-0 on the campaign after a 46-12 shellacking of Hillcrest. The Lady Cougars topped the SF girls 42-28. Union City’s girls upped their worksheet to 6-0 with a 50-13 whipping of Three Oaks, while their male counterparts were edged 40-39 to the Dyer Countians. Read More ...

Remember When? Twister romp includes stomp of Vikes in 2A quarterfinals Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Guru plays cop in real-life case The story you are about to read is true. The name has been changed to protect the innocent. Or, more accurately, the one who got caught. While answering dozens of e-mails on Tuesday, the Hitman — the game’s greatest gridiron guru — replied to an inquiry from ‘Joe’ who wanted the lowdown on a story in SportsMonday. ‘Joe’ noted a piece in the coverage of Union City’s upcoming playoff rematch with Huntingdon. That article quoted Tornado head coach Darren Bowling as saying his team would do some different things defensively against the Mustangs — particularly while trying to stop Huntingdon’s vaunted rushing game. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

UC, ’Stangs old-school at its finest Eric Swenson only half-laughed when asked if leather helmets and throwback uniforms came in Huntingdon and Union City school colors. “Who said anything about helmets?” the Mustang head coach asked. Old-school football at its very best will certainly be the order of the day when Swenson’s sixth-ranked Mustangs visit War Memorial Stadium to play No. 5 Union City Friday night in an expected Class 1A state quarterfinal slugfest. In an era of pass-happy, spread offenses seemingly concocted by video games, both Huntingdon (8-3) and UC (9-2) are indeed throwbacks to the days when the biggest, strongest and most physical teams who ran the ball most effectively were the best. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Bowling will shuffle best cards to give Twisters winning hand A riverboat gambler Darren Bowling isn’t. Still, the Union City head coach says he’ll play an ace — maybe two — from what he hopes is a winning hand Friday night against Huntingdon. Bowling’s Golden Tornadoes are looking to take back a pot lost to the Mustangs in an earlier game and advance to the next table in the Class 1A state playoffs. While both the UC skipper and his Huntingdon counterpart, Eric Swenson, have on their best poker faces when discussing adjustments from the first meeting — won by the Mustangs 44-35 in come-from-behind fashion — Bowling said he’ll put all his cards on the table to get the Twisters a win and a spot in next week’s semifinals. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Jorge gives Union City leg up Union City has gotten an unexpected kick from its special teams this season. Jorge Guerri, a junior foreign exchange student from Spain living with Dr. John Clendenin and family, joined the program late in the preseason and has provided the Tornadoes with an extra weapon in his strong right leg. Guerri, who had never played “American football” but has a strong soccer background, has successfully booted 57-of-60 PATs and 2-of-3 field goals. His 63 total points rank third on the team, behind only Josh Nicks and Chase Bowling. Read More ... Compiled by Mike Hutchens

UC’s ‘field of dreams’ joins Lambeau in claiming national recognition for 2009 The playing surface at War Memorial Stadium is a field of dreams. The Union City High School Football Field has been named as the Sports Turf Managers Association’s National Field of the Year for 2009. Union City Turf Management director Chris Crockett and foreman Robin Francis will make the trip to the annual STMA awards on Jan. 15, 2010, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to accept the award. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Low UC turnout again shameful Just as predictable as Union City’s convincing playoff victory over South Fulton was the small turnout of Tornado fans for last week’s second-round game. Continuing a disappointing trend of seemingly widespread apathy over the last several years, so-called Purple and Gold supporters stayed away in droves. Unfortunately, for the young people who make up the Twister program and deserve a better following, that has become a common occurrence in the early playoff rounds for a sport that once boasted a rabid and faithful fan base every week. Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger Sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Kendrick Price. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger Sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Trey Maddox. Read More ...

SF’s Magnificent 7 cages Lady Tigers The South Fulton girls bonded like the Magnificent Seven during Tuesday night’s 68-27 shellacking of Bruceton. Against a Lady Tiger team boasted of 13 players and had a definite size advantage, the SF seven came out with their guns ablazing, using their superior shooting ability and speed to procure the win in a TSSAA Hall of Champions game. “It’s good to get a full game under our belt,” Devilettes’ coach Curt Lee said afterward. “Our floor conditioning is going to be crucial this season and we did a good job of getting up and down the floor tonight. We made the game high tempo with just seven players and we have to keep that up to be successful. “We’ve got seven basketball players that want to play and I think that showed tonight.” Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Twister debut will be hard to top It’ll be hard to beat the opening night of Union City’s 2009-10 basketball season. New head coach Eddie Suiter piloted the UC girls to a 62-57 victory over homestanding Dyersburg in the opener of the Hall of Champions doubleheader before Josh Battee drained a 35-footer at the overtime horn to lift the Tornado boys to a thrilling 82-81 victory in the nightcap. The double dose of good news from Union City’s season-opener came at the expense of the first of two Class 2A foes that the locals will play in Hall of Champions games. The Twister clubs will travel to Jackson South Side on Thursday for the second of those contests. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 17 Briefly Martin double trouble for Ridgemont teams Stella Preuett and Macy McClure accounted for nine points each, but it was not enough during the Ridgemont girls’ 37-22 defeat to Martin on Tuesday night. Nicole Whitson contributed three for R’mont during the defeat. In the nightcap, the Panthers procured the twinbill sweep with a 30-20 besting of Ridgemont. Read More ...

Low Devilette turnout not Lee’s top concern Curt Lee is playing a different type of numbers game at South Fulton this season. His Devilette basketball team will have just seven players suited up when the 2009-10 basketball campaign tips off tonight with a TSSAA Hall of Fame game at home against Bruceton. However, Lee isn’t concerned with the low turnout. “We’ve got good kids on the team,” Lee said. “The ones that we want are the ones that we have. “I know it would look good to have 20 kids in jerseys, but if they aren’t committed and aren’t going to come to practice, what does it matter?” What does matter to Lee is the fact that his seven players have stuck with him from junior high on. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Improved SF boys poised to make leap The South Fulton boys are ready to make the leap this year. After taking small steps the past three seasons in an effort to rebuild the once-proud program, fourth-year head coach Keith Frazier believes his program is somewhat ready to return to its winning ways. “Our goal is to have a winning season and finish in the top four of the district,” said Frazier, who has a 13-60 record in three seasons as the SF boys’ coach. “We’ve taken baby steps the past few years, but we’re ready to have a winning season.” Indeed, the Red Devils have been slowly progressing since the program’s low point — an 0-23 campaign in 2005-06 under Bryant Driver. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Central Cross Country standouts recognized Members of the Obion Central boys’ and girls’ cross country teams received honors at a banquet on Monday night. Read More ...

Both SF squads take right ‘rout’ Nearly all of the local junior high/middle school teams in action on Monday took the right “rout.” The Union City girls improved to 5-0 on the campaign after a 41-23 drubbing of Halls, while both South Fulton teams were on the right end of the whipping stick against Fulton City. The Devilettes shellacked FC 39-5, while their male counterparts were ahead 23-6 at halftime in an eventual 42-23 victory. The Hillcrest girls were also much better than Sharon, coasting to a 35-4 triumph on the road. In other action on Monday, the H’crest boys fell to the Eagles 34-29. The UC boys lost as well, downed 39-33 at Halls. Read More ...

Obion Central golfers honored STANDOUT LINKSTERS — Members of the 2009 Obion Central golf team were honored at the school’s fall athletic banquet on Monday night. Read More ...

Obion Central soccer girls honored For the first time in school history, Obion Central honored soccer players on Monday night. The Lady Rebel team, which recently completed its first season, was recognized at the school’s fall sports banquet.  Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 17 Briefly UC-Huntingdon tix on sale in advance Hoping to ease the lines and congestion from an expected overflow crowd, Union City will sell advance tickets to Friday’s Class 1A state quarterfinal playoff game against Huntingdon each day this week. Ticket prices are set by the TSSAA and are $8 each. Those tickets will be on sale from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the school. Debbie Burke will be in charge of the ticket sales. For more information, call 885-2373.  Read More ...

UT Martin adds USJ golfer The University of Tennessee at Martin’s golf team received a commitment during the early signing period from Clay Harbin of University School of Jackson in Jackson. Harbin joins the Skyhawks with an impressive golf resume from both the high school and junior golf ranks.  Read More ...

Greenfield girls hold back Jr. Lady Lions' rally attempt Falling just short in an attempt at revenge, the Dresden Middle School Lady Lions staged a strong fourth-quarter comeback, but succumbed to the Greenfield Lady Yellowjackets for the second time this season, 36-33, this past Thursday night in Greenfield. The Dresden boys got back on the winning track with a 46-24 win over the host Jackets. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

McMillan Skyhawks' McMillan era begins with exhibition win Sophomore Yalonda Davis scored 19 points and newcomers Jessica Pace and LaBrica Ward each poured in 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to start the Coach Kevin McMillan era off on the right foot in a 79-70 University of Tennessee at Martin exhibition win over Tougaloo College at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on Friday night. Read More ...

James UTM men fall in season debut at Southern Illinois Junior guard Reuben Clayton scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, but turnovers did The University of Tennessee at Martin in Saturday night, as the Skyhawks fell to Southern Illinois 91-63 in the 2009-10 season opener. Read More ...

To the next level Westview Lady Charger senior basketball standout Amber Rechis signed her letter of intent on Thursday to continue her hoop career at the collegiate level at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla.  Read More ...

Camden hangs on to end Charger streak, season In a game that featured great efforts by both squads, it was the Westview Chargers who came out on the gut-wrenching short end, falling 20-17 to the host Camden Lions in the TSSAA Class 3A Playoffs Friday night.  Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Weakley County Press Sports Editor

Twisters, So. Fulton end result a replay Essentially, only the names changed. The end result — by almost the exact identical margin — remained the same. Fifth-ranked Union City followed up a convincing 41-point victory over South Fulton two weeks ago with a likewise decisive 49-7 triumph over the Red Devils in the second round of the Class 1A state playoffs Friday night at War Memorial Stadium. Kendrick Price ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and returned an interception for a second score as the Tornadoes (9-2) won their sixth straight and earned a much-anticipated rematch with No. 6 Huntingdon in this week’s quarterfinals. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

UC-Huntingdon II on horizon soon following initial classic When the shock of blowing a three-touchdown lead against Huntingdon in what was ultimately a 44-35 loss began to wear off, Union City started eyeing a chance at redemption. It will come Friday night. With the Tornadoes’ 49-7 thumping of South Fulton and Huntingdon’s 53-7 romp over Lake County in Round 2 of the Class 1A state playoffs, the two Top 10 teams are now locked into a rematch this week in an eagerly-awaited quarterfinal game. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Mustangs stampede over outmanned LC Mr. Football Back of the Year finalist Kennon Holder and Brittian Thompson rushed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns apiece to lead sixth-ranked Huntingdon to a 53-7 blowout of Lake County in Round 2 of the Class 1A state playoffs Friday night. The resounding victory propels the Mustangs (8-3) into the quarterfinals this week, where they’ll play at No. 5 Union City (9-2) with a berth in the Final 4 on Thanksgiving weekend at stake. Huntingdon came back from 21 points down to beat UC, 44-34, 10 weeks ago during the regular season. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Namesake for Tommy John surgery built impressive resumé on mound, too Tommy John is an “All-Star” again nearly 20 years after his retirement from baseball. The veteran of 26 Major League Baseball seasons and four Mid-Summer Classics with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers among other teams, and who has an athletic surgical procedure bearing his name, was in Union City and South Fulton on Friday as part of a sales trip with Murray-based Sportable Scoreboards and its All-Star brand. The All-Star line offers factory-direct scoreboards to bottling companies — like Union City Coca-Cola — at a discounted price. Coca-Cola, in turn, provides the scoreboards to area high schools. Local Coca-Cola sales manager Rick Larson accompanied the All-Star contingent to South Fulton and Union City high schools, where John — now a dealer with Sportable — spoke to the baseball teams at each school. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

No Miracle encore needed as Titans’ running back C.J. takes a bow NASHVILLE — There was no need for a second ‘Music City Miracle’ Sunday. Chris Johnson and Company took care of that long beforehand. Johnson became just the second player in franchise history to have 100 yards both rushing and receiving in the same game and the Tennessee Titans tied a team record with 24 fourth-quarter points in a 41-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills at LP Field. The win was the Titans’ third in a row after an 0-6 start and came against an opponent that provided the franchise with its most memorable victory since it moved to Nashville. A lateraled kickoff return from Frank Wycheck to Kevin Dyson in the final seconds of a 2000 playoff game that went for a 75-yard touchdown in a 22-16 Tennessee victory over the Bills is largely considered one of the most famous NFL plays ever and was dubbed the “Music City Miracle” by Titans’ play-by-play man Mike Keith. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 16 Briefly 2nd UC playoff dinner slated for Thursday Union City High School will hold its second playoff dinner of the year on Thursday night. The meal, which will start at 6:30 Thursday evening, will take place a little over 24 hours before the Tornadoes’ host Huntingdon in the quarterfinals of the Class A football playoffs on Friday.  Read More ...

Obion Central's Chassidy Fussell signs with Texas. Obion Central senior basketball standout Chassidy Fussell (center) signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her career at the University of Texas this morning. Read More ...

Supporting UC cast now stars of show What has been the supporting cast for the Union City boys’ team will step into starring roles this year. Gone from the program that has gained two state championships in the last four seasons are 2009 graduates Ryne Simpson, Brandon Barham (Easley) and B.J. Marshall — the final three remnants from the program’s two title teams — along with classmate and guard Colton Speed. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Lady Twisters in the market for confidence New Union City coach Eddie Suiter wants his girls to have confidence. He just wants them to get it the old-fashioned way. “I want to coin a new term,” Suiter said, when asked about how he would go about putting his stamp on the UC program. “I would like to see this team with what I call ‘earned confidence’ by the end of the season. “I’m a firm believer that if you put enough energy and time into preparing, then when the game is on the line, you should expect to win.” The largely-undistinguished history of the Lady Tornado team presents itself as a fitting opponent for the 39-year-old former Obion Central girls’ coach, who accepted the Union City job citing family concerns. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

UC gals, Lady Eagles of the 4-0 kind The Black Oak and Union City girls are two of a kind. Both teams improved to 4-0 on Thursday night. The Lady Eagles defeated defending West Sectional and Obion County School System champion Ridgemont 39-30, while the UC girls drubbed South Fulton 45-9. In other action on Thursday night, South Fulton remained the only undefeated boys’ team on local front (5-0) with a 28-24 victory over Union City. The Ridgemont boys claimed their first victory of the season — a 47-16 decision over Black Oak.  Read More ...

Remember When? South Fulton has right desperation moves at Old Hickory Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Twisters are fully-warned not to assume Darren Bowling can speak first-hand about the perils of assumption. Six years ago — in his first season as head coach at Obion County Central — the now-Union City skipper led the Rebels into a Class 3A second round playoff game against a Brighton foe it had pummeled 42-7 just two weeks earlier. Despite his constant warnings that nothing was certain in the rematch from the regular season finale, Bowling’s worst fears were realized when the Cardinals stunned Central, 15-13, ending the most successful OCCHS season in school history. Fast forward to now, where Bowling’s fifth-ranked Golden Tornadoes are sitting in a similar position against South Fulton heading into Round 2 of the Class 1A postseason. UC routed the Red Devils 41-0 in Week 10. The Twisters dominated in any and all categories, leading many to believe that a second such lopsided final score is inevitable in Friday’s rematch at War Memorial Stadium. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Red Devils relishing ‘2nd’ second chance South Fulton’s rallying cry in 2009 has been: A season of firsts. Depending on how the Red Devils fare in their rematch with Union City, that motto could change to: A postseason of paybacks. SF will be looking for revenge for a regular season loss for the second straight week when it plays the fifth-ranked Golden Tornadoes in a Class 1A second round playoff game Friday night at War Memorial Stadium. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

First-round results are proof seedings don’t always hold Favorites should take heed. Underdogs truly have a fighting chance. Disproving the notion that the first round of the state playoffs are nothing more than a TSSAA money-maker in a watered down system, more than one-third of last week’s winners in the six Division I classes were the lower seeds in their respective bracket matchup. In all, 29-of-80 (36.2 percent) Round 1 winners would be considered upsets, based on seeding given to teams prior to the beginning of the postseason. A closer examination of those results revealed that half the field (4 out of 8 games) in both Class 1A and 2A lost as a higher seed. A pair of No. 3 teams and two No. 4s were beaten in single-A, while three fourth-seeded clubs and another at No. 3 were sent home in double-A by visiting teams that came in with a less-lofty status. Read More ...

Many UTM signees are West TN stars MARTIN — New UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan made a promise when he was hired to go wherever he had to in order to find the talent that would turn the Skyhawks’ program around and make it not only the best in the Ohio Valley Conference but also one of the best in the country. Turns out, he didn’t have to go far. Read More ... By UTM Sports Information

UTM runnig back earns OVC honor MARTIN, Tenn. — Brandyn Young, (5-8, 205) a senior running back at The University of Tennessee at Martin was named the Ohio Valley Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for his effort Saturday against Tennessee State University at LP Field in Nashville. Read More ...

Panthers end DMS streak The Martin Middle School Panthers traveled to Dresden this past Monday night and put an end to the Lions’ undefeated start to the season, 38-24. Martin made it a road sweep over the county rival by holding off a Lady Lion rally at the end of a see-saw battle for a 33-27 win in the early game.  Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

UTM Rifle Hosts Annual Turkey Shoot The UT Martin Rifle Club will hold its annual Turkey Shoot at the rifle range Nov. 16-19 from 4-6 p.m. each day in the ROTC Building on campus.  Read More ...

First recruiting class has UTM's McMillan smiling Taking over a UT Martin women's basketball program coming off a two-win season, first-year Skyhawks head coach Kevin McMillan faced the daunting task of recruiting high school talent to a collegiate team that had struggled recently. McMillan, who led the Gibson County High School Lady Pioneers to an undefeated 39-0 season and to a TSSAA Class 2A state championship mere months ago, knew exactly where to turn — West Tennessee. Read More ...

One more Hall of Fame will welcome Lin Dunn Weakley County women’s basketball pioneer Lin Dunn was among the 11 names of inductees announced as the newest members of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame today (Thursday). The 11 new members will be enshrined at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame’s annual banquet on Feb. 19 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. Read More ...

WHS headed in different direction going into Camden rematch What was down is now up as the Westview Chargers prepare for a rematch with the Camden Lions in the second round of the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 on Friday night on the CHS Lions' home field. Friday night's game will mark the first meeting in the playoffs between the schools. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Weakley County Press Sports Editor

Chassidy Fussell OC senior to launch college career as University of Texas Longhorn It’s almost official. Obion County Central senior Chassidy Fussell has told The Messenger she will sign a National Letter of Intent to continue her basketball career at the University of Texas within the next seven days. Fussell, who verbally committed to the Longhorn women’s program in July, confirmed her intentions to sign with the college in the coming days when the papers allowing her to do so arrive at her father’s home in Obion County. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Obion Central quarterback Patrick Haskins. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is South Fulton's Hunter Allen. Read More ...

OC memory bank deposit good; Tornadoes, SF eye 2nd meeting It was indeed a season to remember for Obion Central. And unlike the past couple of years, the good memories will far outweigh the bad. The Rebels emerged as rural West Tennessee’s top ‘feel-good’ story in 2009, rebounding from consecutive winless seasons to record two rarities in a long-suffering program — a winning campaign and a state playoff berth. OC players, coaches and fans deservedly will bask in the glow of a remarkable turnaround during which Central won four of its last five games to qualify for the postseason after entering the year on a 20-game losing skid that had spanned back to 2006. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 11 Briefly UC defensive end Fair will learn fate Nov. 30 Union City defensive end and Class A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year finalist Ronnie Fair will find out his ultimate fate on Nov. 30 at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Murfreesboro. The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards will be presented to the top backs and linemen in five classifications on that day.  Read More ...

Mr. Football finalist: Fair joins elite company in line for prestigious award From Day 1 in his tenure as Union City High School head football coach, Darren Bowling noticed Ronnie Fair. Apparently now, so have a number of other coaches across the state. Fair, a dominating defensive player for the fifth-ranked Golden Tornadoes the past two years, was named one of three finalists for Class A Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Lineman of the Year Award today. The senior stalwart becomes just the seventh such UCHS player to be among the final nominees for the prestigious honor that dates back to 1985. Only running back Mario McElrath in 2000 has won the award — in the Back of the Year category — while wearing the Purple and Gold. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

MJ’s Skyhawk display a nice exhibition If first-year head basketball coach Jason James could have it his way he would schedule every game at noon because he gets so anxious. In fact, The University of Tennessee at Martin pilot was ready to play Monday’s exhibition game against Rhodes College at lunch time. However, James and his young Skyhawks were able to settle down and get over the anxiety. Former Union City High School prep standout MJ Brown scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to help the Skyhaws to a 92-63 victory over the Memphis visitors at the Elam Center.Junior “Ookie” Clayton poured in 33 points to pace the Skyhawks, while junior Benzor Simmons had 14 points. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 10 Briefly Union City MMAers to fight in Newbern Fighters from Union City’s Team Relentless mixed martial arts will be in action on Saturday in Newbern. A fight night event is scheduled on that date at Northview Middle School. Proceeds from the event benefit the Trimble Lions Club. The first bouts are slated for 7 p.m. with doors opening a half-hour earlier. General admission tickets are $15 each in advance ($20 at the door) and available at Security Bank locations, Aloha Pools and Spas and Forcum Lannom. They can also be purchased online at www.jammatn.com or by contacting David Butler at 694-1695. Read More ...

Jr. Lions sweep pair from Sharon Both Dresden squads scored early and often in sweeping the Sharon Eagles this past Thursday night in Sharon. In the first contest, the Lady Lions held Sharon to three points after three quarters and took a 41-8 victory. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

UTM miracle season ends in OVC soccer semifinals MOREHEAD, Ky. – A goal by Murray State’s Ashley Fraser in the 39th minute resulted in the only offense either team could muster Friday night, as The University of Tennessee at Martin’s magical 2009 soccer season ended in a 1-0 loss to Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals from Jayne Stadium. Read More ...

Guy's two interceptions help Skyhawk defense tame TSU NASHVILLE — The University of Tennessee at Martin defensive unit did not score a point against Tennessee State University Saturday at LP Field in Nashville, but it made a plethora of big-time plays to set up a dominating 28-7 victory over the host Tigers. Defensive back Markei Guy had two interceptions in the first half. His first pick led to senior tailback Brandyn Young’s first touchdown of the game, a 4-yard run. Guy’s second pick of the game in the end zone preserved the Skyhawks’ first half shutout, 14-0. Read More ...

Lions 'bowl' over Jackson Co. GAINESBORO, Tenn. — Though early penalties threatened to get them down, the Dresden Lion offense, behind the legs of Zach Jolley and the arm of Dale Hutcherson, got going in a big way. Missing the TSSAA playoffs by the slimmest of margins, the Lions traveled to play the Blue Devils of Jackson County in the first-ever Cumberland River Bowl and exploded on offense for a 52-21 victory Saturday at Jackson County High School’s Kyle Sisco Field in Gainesboro. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Charger special teams 'kick' Manassas out of playoffs MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thanks to a great effort from their special teams and a clutch interception, the Westview Chargers escaped from Memphis with a thrilling 28-27 victory over the Manassas Tigers Friday night. Read More ...

Central singing the blues as run ends on sour note MEMPHIS — Unfortunately, Obion County Central’s jazzed up 2009 football season ended in the city widely renowned as the “Home of the Blues.” The Rebels’ rags-to-riches turnaround hit a sour final note when Marcus Holliday scored his third touchdown with 1:51 to play to account for the last of five lead changes and lift Fairley to a thrilling 34-28 victory Friday night that ended Central’s campaign. The heartbreaking loss closed what was otherwise a remarkable reversal of fortunes for an OCCHS football program void of much noteworthy success in 49 seasons. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

SF laughs best, last at pummeled Pups South Fulton got the last laugh against Gleason. The Red Devils routed their Weakley County opposition 34-6 Friday night in the first round of the Class A playoffs. The triumph avenged a 34-21 defeat to the Bulldogs from Week 5. It also gave SF its first playoff victory since the 2000 campaign. The Red Devil defense led the way on Friday, accounting for nine tackles for a loss and a blocked punt during the first half alone. South Fulton senior Sam Curtis had three of the aforementioned takedowns behind the line of scrimmage — two of which were stops of Gleason running back Cody Ezell. “We tweaked a few things that we didn’t do right in the first game,” SF head coach Kelly Spivey said after his program’s first playoff game since 2003 and his first as a skipper. “We pushed effort all week, put the other game behind us and made sure we didn’t take any plays off tonight.” Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

All running Rebels stick with elite pack NASHVILLE — The Obion Central cross country teams ran with the pack at the TSSAA’s Class A-AA State Championship Meet. The Region 7A-AA champion Lady Rebels — competing at the event for the second straight season — finished 14th overall, while their male counterparts combined for a team finish of 22nd. “I thought the girls’ times were off a little, but I’m not disappointed in them,” OC girls’ coach Pam Daniel said after the event at Percy Warner Park. “I think part of the problem for both of our teams might have been running in a large pack for most of the race. “At a lot of the regular season meets we do, the runners get some breathing room because the field separates quite a bit from first to last.” Overall, Katie Beth Vancleave turned in the best individual performance by an Obion Central athlete — finishing the 3.1 mile course in 22:28 for 30th overall. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Falcons soar late for upset Sam Hayes tossed four second-half touchdowns passes to lead Lake County back from a 26-point deficit and to a stunning 33-26 victory over West Carroll in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs Friday night. Hayes threw for 332 yards in all and connected with Rafael Tyler three times for TDs after the intermission for the sixth-seeded Falcons, who were dominated in the first half by No. 3 seed WC. Tyler — who caught eight passes for 166 yards all totaled — snagged scoring aerials from Hayes covering 45, 21 and 56 yards with 6:31 to play that put LC up 27-26. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 9 Briefly Fulton City meets end at L’ville Holy Cross For the second consecutive year, Fulton City’s end of the road was in Louisville. The Bulldogs (2-9) were shut out 62-0 by Holy Cross in the opening round of the KHSAA Class A state playoffs. It is the second straight year that Fulton City has been knocked from the postseason by HC. Read More ...

Prep Game Notes for Week 1 of the Playoffs Obion Central at Fairley PLACE, TIME: Memphis, J.P. Freeman Stadium, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Obion Central 6-4; Fairley 6-4. COACHES (RECORDS): Obion Central: Shawn Jackson (13-17 in 3rd season; 6-14 in 2nd year at OC); Fairley: Rahnmann Slocum (72-50 in 11th season). LAST MEETING: First-ever meeting. LAST WEEK — Obion Central beat Ripley, 20-12, while Fairley edged Hillcrest, 6-2. KEY PLAYERS: Obion Central — QB/RB/WR Patrick Haskins, LB/RB Clint Jones, S/RB Patrick Minnick, OL/LB Blake Boyd, DT Ethan Davis, OL/DL Garrett Buchanan and Aaron Cary, DB/WR Steven Patton. Fairley — RB Marcus Holliday, QB Carnell Morgan, WR Derrick Murrell, LB Demario Noel, DB James Harmon, DL Bobby Spearman. OUTLOOK: While Obion Central has relatively-little playoff experience with this just its eighth appearance all-time, Fairley qualified for the postseason for the ninth time in Slocum’s 11-year tenure. Holliday is the son of a past University of Memphis standout of the same name and has rushed for 1,225 yards and 11 TDs despite missing a couple of games with a broken thumb. With somewhat more favorable playing conditions, the Rebels are expected to return to their passing ways after becoming mainly a run-oriented club the last half of the season. It should be noted, however, that OC ran for more than 230 yards-per-game in winning four of its last five games. In the only contest that the Rebels had more passing yards than rushing yards, they lost. The victor faces the winner of the Liberty-Trezevant matchup in the second round. Gleason at South Fulton PLACE, TIME: SF Athletic Field, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Gleason 6-4; South Fulton 5-5. COACHES (RECORDS): Gleason: Noah Lampkins (30-54 in 8th season); SF: Kelly Spivey (11-9 in 2nd season). LAST MEETING: Sept. 25, 2009. Gleason beat South Fulton, 34-21, in Week 5 of the regular season. SERIES RECORD — South Fulton leads all-time, 33-22. LAST WEEK — Both teams were shut out, Gleason 27-0 by Dresden and South Fulton 41-0 by Union City. KEY PLAYERS: Gleason — RBs Cody Ezell and Dalton Teeter, QB Conner Verdell, OL/LB Matt Mayo, TE/DE Ben Sumner. South Fulton — RB/LB Chance Barnes, RB/S Alex Gallien, RB/LB Jonathan Avent, OL/DL Sam Curtis, OL/DL Hunter Allen, QB JaQuay Garmon. OUTLOOK: Not only will the Red Devils be looking for a victory that will give them a rematch with Union City in Round 2, but they’ll also seek revenge vs. the Bulldogs for a mid-season loss in which Spivey said his team gave a subpar effort. A healthier Avent, who played only a handful of snaps the past two weeks due to a knee injury, is paramount to SF’s success as the Redmen had just 52 total yards and three first downs against UC. An improved run defense is a must, too, for a Devil squad that has given up 537 rushing yards and an average of 6 yards-per-carry over the past two games. On the flip-side, the health and status of Nicky Spain (broken hand) is critical to Gleason’s chances. Spain scored three touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 rushing) and accounted for over 200 all-purpose yards in the teams’ first meeting. Fulton City at Holy Cross PLACE, TIME: Louisville, Ky., 6:30 p.m (CST). 2009 RECORDS: Fulton City 2-8; Holy Cross 5-5. COACHES (RECORDS): Holy Cross: Mike Fletcher (5-5 in 1st season); FC: Wayne Lohaus (24-65 in 9th season). LAST WEEK — Fulton City lost to Reidland, 42-12, while Holy Cross was idle. KEY PLAYERS: Holy Cross — RBs Jessie Keen and Matt Hans, DB Jarrett Clark. Fulton City — RBs Jacquise Lockett, QB/SE Demarquis Young, RB/CB/QB Rondell Bransford, OL/DL Quinton Tribble, OL/DL Quinon Tribble, C/NG Shelby Jones. OUTLOOK: This is a rematch from a first-round playoff game of a year ago, won by HC, 35-14. The Cougars had posted back-to-back shutouts in Weeks 7 and 8 prior to losing to Tilghman in their regular season finale. Lockett rushed for 89 yards in last year’s meeting and has amassed 1,430 on the ground and more than 1,550 all totaled. in nine games this season for the Bulldogs. Read More ...

Balancing act of UC Fair great Union City Middle School’s top girls’ performer in a 42-15 rout of Humboldt was much like the Fox News Channel slogan: “Fair and balanced.” Amber Fair poured in 18 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out three assists and made two steals and a like number of blocks to key her team’s triumph. In the nightcap, H’boldt extracted a measure of revenge, downing the UC boys 37-33. In other middle school basketball action on Thursday night, the South Fulton boys and Black Oak girls remained perfect, while Lake Road’s girls edged defending TMSAA West Sectional champion Ridgemont 35-33. The Red Devils improved to a county-best 4-0 on the campaign with a 57-10 routing of BO. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles claimed their second victory in as many tries this season — a 19-15 triumph over SF. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 6 Briefly Obion Central host for hoops jamboree Obion Central is hosting a basketball jamboree Nov. 14. Proceeds from the event, which will feature six two-quarter contests, are to benefit the school’s Booster Club. Admission is $3 and no season passes will be accepted. Action begins at 5 p.m. with the Gibson County girls set to tip off with Jackson Central-Merry. The boys’ from the two aforementioned schools will play at 5:45. Read More ...

Remember When? UC grad Amy Faulk beats the boys on national drag strip Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Bogging down speedy Fairley is top OC task Shawn Jackson spent the majority of last weekend and most of Monday beating the bushes for information on Obion Central’s first round playoff opponent. The general consensus and Jackson’s own personal conclusion? Fairley is fast. “They can fly. They will be, by far, the fastest team we’ve seen all season,” the Rebel skipper claimed when evaluating his team’s Round 1 foe Friday night at J.P Freeman Stadium in Memphis. “Their coach is also the track coach, and he mandates that everyone who plays football also runs track. That training has obviously helped them on the football field.” Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

SF must jab from opening bell to knock out discontent ’Dawgs The winner of South Fulton-Gleason II will deliver a knockout punch, literally. The two former regional rivals meet for the second time this season Friday evening at 7 on the SF Athletic Field turf in the opening round of the Class A playoffs. The victor will live to play another day (against No. 5 Union City in Round 2), while the losing team goes home for the winter. The Bulldogs have the advantage in the recent history in the rivalry, taking the past five contests — including a 34-21 decision in Week 5 — of the 55-game series. Plus, Gleason isn’t satisfied with just getting to the playoffs after last year’s opening round upset of Region 8A champion Trinity Christian and the school’s first-ever postseason win. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Central about-face is best ever; Red Devil playoff berth a treat After entering the season with the dubious distinction of a 20-game losing streak, Obion Central has made school history of the good kind with a spectacular turnaround in 2009. The Rebels’ six victories heading into Friday’s first round Class 4A playoff game at Fairley marks the biggest improvement from one season to the next in the 49-year annals of OCCHS football. Central, which hadn’t won a region/district game since 2006 coming into the year, finished fourth in District 13AA — second among Class 4A teams behind 9-1 Crockett County. The last time an OC team finished that high in the league standings was 2003. Previously, the most drastic turnaround from one season to the next in the Rebel program was in 1973. That season, Charles Akers directed Central to an 8-2 record and a Civitan Bowl berth after the team had gone 2-6-2 the year before. Read More ...

Hudson getting in as Celtic back-up Former UT Martin standout and current Boston Celtics guard Lester Hudson is rolling along through the 2009-10 NBA season’s first week. The Celtics, who own more NBA titles (17) than any other team in the league, have began their season with a 6-0. Boston is currently one of just two undefeated teams so far this season and the only team from the Eastern Conference with an unblemished record. Hudson, who the Celtics chose with their only draft pick this offseason, has appeared in three of the season’s first six games. After Boston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-89 on Opening Night on Oct. 27 to snap an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland, Hudson made his NBA debut a night later against the Charlotte Bobcats. In that game, the Celtics held Charlotte to 10 third-quarter points in a 92-59 victory.  Read More ... By UTM Sports Information

UTM Softball Offers Winter Warmup Camp The UT Martin softball team will host its annual winter clinic Dec. 22-23. The camp will run daily from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on the UT Martin campus. Read More ...

Westview Has Football Playoff Tickets For Sale Playoff tickets to attend the Westview Chargers' round one playoff game against Manassas in Memphis will be on sale at Westview High School through 1 p.m. on Friday.  Read More ...

Charger Player of the Week The Westview Player of the Week for his effort in the Chargers' win vs. Dyersburg was Abraham Haddad (center).  Read More ...

No tickets required to attend 3 Skyhawk hoop exhibitions A new era in basketball begins Monday, Nov. 9 at The University of Tennessee at Martin when the Skyhawk men host Rhodes College in an exhibition game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Both the Skyhawk men’s and women’s teams are under the direction of first-year head coaches. The men’s team is led by Jason James, a former UT Martin assistant coach. The women’s team is under the direction of former Gibson County High School head coach Kevin McMillan. Read More ...

UTM's Buehler earns first career OVC weekly honor The University of Tennessee at Martin freshman goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler was named Ohio Valley Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Week today, the league announced Tuesday. Buehler shared the award with Southeast Missouri goalkeeper Kristen Starkey. Read More ...

Dawgs prep for SF rematch The Gleason Bulldogs know winning a rematch with the Red Devils of South Fulton won't be easy when they tangle for a second time this season in the TSSAA Class A playoffs at 7 on Friday night at South Fulton. Read More ...

WHS eager to stretch streak If the Westview Chargers are going to extend their winning streak to seven games, they'll have to tame a Manassas Tiger team that has been scoring at an incredible clip when they meet in the first round of the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs at 7 on Friday night at Booker T. Washington High School's field in Memphis. Read More ...

Lions' turnaround season will end with bowl game For the Dresden Lions, the doubters were plentiful heading into the 2009 season. The Lions were carrying the baggage of a 19-game losing streak. The Lions, who won their first game of the season to end the skid and went on to win six games, will now be loading their luggage and traveling across Tennessee to Gainesboro to compete in the Cumberland River Bowl. Kickoff is set for 2 on Saturday afternoon. Dresden (6-4) will take on the host Jackson County Blue Devils (5-5) on their Kyle Sisco Field. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Obion Central isn’t yellow; Rebels’ ride to Memphis is Obion Central won’t be riding in style to its playoff game in Memphis. Instead, the Rebels will arrive to J.P. Freeman Stadium the way they have every other away game this season. OC head coach Shawn Jackson elected to forgo the offer of chartered buses to transport his team the two-plus hour trip to inner-city Memphis, where the county locals will play Fairley Friday night. The reasoning: Part staying in routine and part superstition. Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Obion Central's Patrick Haskins. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Stevie Gossett. Read More ...

UC, Black Oak gals start on right path The Union City Middle School and Black Oak girls started the 2009-10 campaign on the right foot. Both of Lake Road’s teams, the BO boys and the UC guys didn’t. The Lady Tornadoes downed South Fulton 34-14 in their season and home opener on Tuesday, while Black Oak’s girls drubbed Sharon 39-14. In other action on Tuesday, Lake Road dropped its season-opening twinbill at Dresden — the boys falling 36-24 and the girls losing 48-21. The Twister boys were beaten 34-20 by 3-0 South Fulton and BO’s boys were bested 46-27 by Sharon. The following is a roundup of Tuesday’s games as reported to The Messenger by area coaches. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 4 Briefly Central offering a ride to playoffs in Memphis Those wishing to go to Obion Central’s first-round playoff game against Fairley in Memphis are in luck. The school will be carrying at least one pep bus to the game. The bus will leave at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The cost to ride for any adults and non-Obion Central students wishing to go is $5. All Central students can ride for free. For more information, call OC at 536-4688.  Read More ...

Central’s bid to host Memphis team shot down Money can’t buy everything. Obion County Central’s attempt to convince Fairley to move its first round playoff game from Memphis to Troy with a lucrative financial package was met with an emphatic “no” Monday afternoon. Thus, the Rebels and Bulldogs will play their Class 4A contest at J.P. Freeman Stadium in Memphis on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock. Poor conditions on the field that Fairley calls home prompted OCCHS Athletic Director Tommy Victory to contact the Memphis school to offer both a better playing surface at Troy and a significant monetary sum of several thousand dollars to sweeten the potential deal. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 3 Briefly UC up a last notch in final AP ratings Union City climbed one last notch on the ladder of the Associated Press’ prep football poll. The Tornadoes, who have a bye in Round 1 of the playoffs and return to action Nov. 13 against the winner of this week’s Gleason-South Fulton game, moved up a spot to fifth in the final Class A poll of the year. Huntingdon was the only other rural West Tennessee entry in single-A, voted sixth by a collection of AP sportswriters and broadcasters. Undefeated Jo Byrns remained on top of the 1A poll, while fellow perfect squad Wayne County is second. In 2A, McKenzie was the lone team of local interest — fourth with one first-place vote. Milan, 10-0 after claiming the District 13AA title with a 26-0 win over Crockett County in Week 10, also got a first-place vote, but finished second in triple-A to Alcoa. Read More ...

Jr. Lions survive scoring droughts to sweep Gleason This past Thursday night, the Dresden Middle School Lions traveled to Gleason and left with a pair of wins, but for all four squads, scoring was not always easy to come by. In the first game, the Lady Lions were held scoreless in the first quarter yet held Gleason to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters to win, 29-19. In the boys game, the Lions overcame a late scoring drought to stop Gleason, 40-18. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Westview Girls Host Annual Hoop Play Day The Westview Lady Chargers basketball team will host its Fourth Annual Play Day on Saturday, Nov. 7 on the UT Martin campus.  Read More ...

UTM soccer clinches first-ever OVC title share TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Freshman Kendyl Wilson converted on her team-leading fourth goal of the 2009 season in the 81st minute against Eastern Illinois Saturday night, leading The University of Tennessee at Martin to a share of its first Ohio Valley Conference championship in program history and a 1-0 win at Memorial Stadium. Read More ...

Falcons' last-second rally deals G'field heartbreak Tiptonville, Tenn. –When Patrick Robertson's pass found its way into the hands of Rafael Tyler in the end zone with just under half a minute left, the Lake County Falcons deflated the visiting crowd. The Greenfield Yellowjackets came from 13 points behind in the first half to take a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, yet saw that lead and the win disappear in the last minute, as they fell 19-14 in Tiptonville. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

WHS extends hot streak by crushing Covington MARTIN, Tenn. – Tanner Spencer threw for 122 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two other scores to lead Westview to a 54-13 rout of Covington Friday night at Graham Stadium. DeMarcus Williams and Chevy Taylor combined for 216 yards and three rushing TDs as the Chargers of Westview won their sixth straight game after an 0-4 start to earn a wildcard berth in the playoffs. Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

Lions wear down Gleason Dresden, Tenn. – The Dresden Lions used their bulk and depth in the trenches to wear down the visiting Gleason Bulldogs on the way to a 27-0 District 13-A victory on a sloppy Rotary Field Friday night. With rain falling throughout the game onto an already saturated field, the Lions bulled their way to a victory over Gleason by scoring once in each quarter. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Talented Madison ends Westview's state push Jackson, Tenn. – Playing on Halloween night, the Westview Lady Chargers didn't receive any treats from the talented Madison Lady Mustangs and were defeated 3-0 in Sectional round play Saturday night. The loss brought an end to the Lady Chargers' season and denied them the program's first-ever trip to the state tournament. Madison will play undefeated Christian Academy of Knoxville in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night in Chattanooga. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Three of four Weakley County teams earn right to extra game Weakley County will be well-represented when the postseason gets under way this weekend. Both the Westview Chargers (6-4) and the Gleason Bulldogs (6-4) earned TSSAA playoff bids and will play on Friday night. Kickoff for all playoff games will be 7 p.m. statewide. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Twisters, Nicks plow through elements and South Fulton Given the circumstances, South Fulton had to know what was coming. It didn’t matter. Workhorse Union City fullback Josh Nicks continued to plow up rain-soaked fields and through overmatched defenses with five more touchdowns and 214 rushing yards to lead the sixth-ranked Tornadoes to a 41-0 pummeling of the Red Devils Friday night and a perfect run through District 14A. UC’s fifth consecutive dominating performance and second straight shutout, coupled with McKenzie’s 17-0 shutout of No. 5 Huntingdon, gave the Twisters the No. 1 seed in West Quadrant of the Class 1A state playoff bracket that was released Saturday morning. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Z-plan controversy leaves locals alone The battle lines have been drawn. Like it or not, understand it or not, the TSSAA’s new radical playoff format was unveiled Saturday morning in bracketing that brought about as many questions as answers statewide. Many coaches and fans across Tennessee were left scratching their heads after seedings and pairings were announced for the new system, dubbed the ‘Z-Plan’ by the state’s governing high school athletics body. The TSSAA, in fact, had to “correct” some of the seeding and several first-round matchups in Classes 3A, 5A, 6A and Division II after initially releasing the brackets and issued a five-paragraph apology on its Web site in the aftermath of the widespread confusion. (see related story) Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

McKenzie corrals runaway Mustang McKenzie held Kennon Holder to a season-low 74 rushing yards and claimed the District 13A championship with a 17-0 victory over the Mustangs in the final Friday of the regular season. The shutout was McKenzie’s first of Huntingdon since 1953 and marked the Rebels’ first four-game winning streak in the long-running Carroll County rivalry since 1946. The Rebels (9-1), winners of nine straight and ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 2A, earned a top seed in the West Quadrant of the double-A playoff bracket released Saturday morning. McKenzie will receive a first round bye. Huntingdon (7-3), ranked fifth in Class 1A, is a two-seed in the single-A portion of the postseason and will also get a week off before taking on the West Carroll-Lake County winner in Round 2. Read More ...

Muddy Fulton pups given slip by Reidland Fulton City never had its footing during the team’s regular season finale against Reidland on Friday. The Greyhounds bullied the much smaller FC defenders on the muddy Memorial Field turf, running for a total of 394 yards and strong-arming would-be tacklers out of the way during a 42-12 romp. All totaled, Reidland had three offensive backs who turned in 100-yard rushing efforts. Greyhounds’ Steven Watwood and Collin Spink did much of their damage on the edges, totaling 167 and 108 yards, respectively. Meanwhile, Reidland fullback Cody Egli muscled his way through the middle for 102 yards – a 96-yard touchdown romp included. “Size matters,” Bulldog head coach Wayne Lohaus said after the game, which was played on a water-logged turf with rain falling for most of the contest. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Sports Briefs for November 2 Briefly Twister playoff dinner scheduled for Nov. 12 Union City High School will hold its second annual playoff dinner on Nov. 12. The event will be one day before the Tornadoes’ second round playoff game. UC, which won the District 14A championship this year, has a bye through this week’s opening round. Members of the community can sponsor a player’s meal and dine with that athlete at a cost of $20 a player and $20 per sponsor The meal will consist of steak and all the trimmings. It will be served in the UCHS commons area. Reservations must be made by noon Nov. 10. Read More ...

OC does dirty work to clinch Mother Nature didn’t rain on Obion Central’s playoff parade. And, as it turned out, a little mud never hurt anybody. The Rebels dodged predicted storms and ignored other inclement elements while securing a Class 4A playoff berth and a winning season with a 20-12 victory at Ripley Thursday night. The triumph locked up just the eighth postseason berth in school history for OC and also ensured that the Rebs (6-4) — winners of four of the last five games — will end the year with a record above .500 for only the 10th time in the 49-season annals of football at the school. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

McMillan to coach (A.) Reedy at UTM Turns out Gibson County senior Aubrey Reedy hasn’t played her final game under Kevin McMillan. Reedy, who played her freshman and sophomore prep seasons at Obion Central and youth basketball locally, reportedly has verbally committed to McMillan and the UT Martin women’s program. She is the third Lady Pioneer to announce such intentions to join the Skyhawk program, joining teammates Heather Butler and Heather Griffin. She also joins fellow rural West Tennesseeans Perica Glenn (Milan) and Matreika Minter (Bolivar) as part of UTM’s 2010 freshman class. Read More ...

Tide takes care of GC, waits for wildcard word A.J. Collier ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns and Trenton enhanced its playoff chances with a 42-6 romp over rival Gibson County Thursday. Peabody (5-5), winners of four straight after a 1-5 start, is in the running for a wildcard spot in the TSSAA’s new playoff format. The Tide won’t discover its postseason fate until Saturday morning, however, when playoff brackets will be revealed for all public and private school classifications. Trenton is a Class 2A entry for the postseason and a member of District 14A for the regular season. Read More ...

Week 10 Game Notes Union City at South Fulton PLACE, TIME: SF Athletic Field, 7:30 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: UC 7-2 (5-0); SC 5-4 (3-2). COACHES (RECORDS): Union City: Darren Bowling (124-61 in 17th season; 17-4 in 2nd season at UC); South Fulton: Kelly Spivey (11-8 in 2nd season). LAST MEETING: 2008. UC beat SF, 28-7. SERIES RECORD — Union City leads all-time, 8-1. LAST WEEK — Union City blasted Lake County, 49-0, while South Fulton lost to Trenton, 20-13. KEY PLAYERS: Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, OL/DL Stevie Gossett, QB Chase Bowling. South Fulton — RB/NG Jared Fowler, OL/DL Sam Curtis, OL/DL Hunter Allen, QB JaQuay Garmon, RB/LB Chance Barnes, RB/S Alex Gallien, RB/LB Jonathan Avent. Read More ...

Lady Chargers hang tough before runner-up finish The Westview Lady Chargers' dream of a trip to the state tournament is still alive despite a 2-0 loss to the Dyersburg Lady Trojans in the Region 7 A-AA championship game Wednesday night in Dyersburg. With the loss, Westview will now travel for its all-important sectional match-up on Saturday. The Lady Chargers will visit the Madison Lady Mustangs (16-1-1), the Region 8 A-AA champs, who defeated McNairy 8-1 in their final. The game will be held at 7 on Saturday night at Hollywood Park in Jackson.  Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Week 10 games to feature county clash, playoff push Down to the final week of the regular season, the high school football season still holds plenty of drama. For two teams, there will be more than county pride on the line when the Gleason Bulldogs pay a visit to the county seat to take on the Dresden Lions. Kickoff for that game has been bumped up to the earlier time of 7 on Friday night. The Westview Chargers are also aiming to cement a playoff berth and improve their seeding when they host the Covington Chargers at 7:30 on Friday night at Hardy M. Graham Stadium in Martin. The fourth county high school team, the Greenfield Yellowjackets, will be playing strictly for pride when they travel to Tiptonville to take on the Lake County Falcons. Kickoff is set for 7 on Friday night. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

MMS rally ends a point shy When Beau Kelly’s 3-pointer banked in at the buzzer, Martin Middle’s comeback attempt fell short by just a point. The South Fulton Red Devils led for the majority of the contest, but the Panthers staged a late fourth-quarter rally that nearly proved successful, but ultimately ended in a 30-29 loss. The MMS Lady Panthers made it a split by downing South Fulton, 36-16. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Barnett wins back-to-back The lower temperatures of recent weeks haven’t cooled off the red-hot racing action at Northwest Tennessee Motor-sports Park in Gleason. Weakley Countians, led by Martin resident Benjamin Barnett’s victories on consecutive Saturday nights, have been beating the competition to the finish line the past few weekends. Read More ...

Yellowjacket Players of the Week The Greenfield Players of the Week chosen for their outstanding individual efforts during the Yellowjackets' recent games included Read More ...

Charger Player of the Week The Westview Player of the Week for his effort during the Chargers' contest vs. Trezevant was Chevy Taylor (center).  Read More ...

Bulldog Player of the Week Bulldog Player of the Week — The Bulldog Player of the Week for his play during Gleason's win over Bruceton on Oct. 2 was senior Cody Ezell.  Read More ...

Obion Central Game Notes for Tonight OC at Ripley PLACE, TIME: Tiny Knee Stadium, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Obion Central 5-4 (3-2); Ripley 4-5 (2-3). COACHES (RECORDS): Obion Central: Shawn Jackson (12-17 in 3rd season; 5-14 in 2nd year at OC); Ripley: Al Pelligrino (35-29 in 6th season; 4-5 in 1st year at Ripley). LAST MEETING: 2008. Ripley beat Obion Central, 42-7. SERIES RECORD — Ripley leads all-time, 18-4. Read More ...

Remember When? SF assistant Charles Akers loses hair over playoff berth Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 29 Briefly Vol hoops senior Tabb leaving to help mother KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee senior guard Josh Tabb has withdrawn from school to spend time with his ill mother in Illinois. Tabb had been indefinitely suspended by coach Bruce Pearl on Sept. 18 for violating team rules. Pearl said Wednesday that Tabb has had a tough year and needed to be near his family. The Carbonondale, Ill., native was one of the Vols’ stronger defenders and averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 assists per game in three seasons. Read More ...

All OC runners moving on to state finals The Obion Central cross country program made a big splash on Tuesday. And it wasn’t just in the giant water puddles on the course at the Region 7A-AA Meet in Troy. The Lady Rebels advanced to their second consecutive Class A-AA State Championship Meet by winning the 7A-AA crown, while their male counterparts moved onto the TSSAA’s top competition for the first-time ever as a team thanks to their third-place finish. The top three squads in the regional move forward to the TSSAA championship round along with any top 10 runners without a team berth. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. For the second week in a row, it is Union City's Josh Nicks. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week it is Obion Central's Ethan Davis. Read More ...

Winning would solve Reb puzzle; UC-SF still has some meaning Just win, baby. Obion County Central head coach Shawn Jackson has adopted the legendary catch phrase of Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis while sorting out the Rebels’ playoff possibilities. “I’ve walked the halls all week, telling the seniors they have to win. That’s it, plain and simple. A win would take out of the equation all the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts,’” Jackson said. “If we don’t win, I told them equipment pickup will be Friday afternoon at 2:30 because it doesn’t look like things would fall in our favor if we don’t win.” If OC beats Ripley on Thursday at Tiny Knee Stadium, the county locals will qualify for the postseason for just the eighth time in the 49-year history of the program. Central (5-4) would also clinch just the 10th winning season in the annals of OCCHS football with a triumph. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 28 Briefly OC basketball tickets to go on sale soon Obion Central season basketball tickets will go on sale to the general public Nov. 9. This year, the school is offering three ticket options. Reserved chairback tickets are $75 per seat for the entire season. Any fans who bought a chairback for the 2008-09 season will have the opportunity to purchase the same seat, beginning Nov. 2. Read More ...

UTM grad Hudson makes cut in Boston UT Martin product Lester Hudson has reportedly made the cut with the Boston Celtics. Hudson, the most decorated basketball player in UTM’s history and a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, is listed on the Celtics’ Web site as a member of the team’s 15-man regular season roster. According to media reports, Hudson’s agent Lance Young said the Memphis native is likely to be among three inactive players on the depth chart. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 27 Briefly UC stays put at No. 6 in latest AP rankings No news wasn’t necessarily bad news for Union City. The Tornadoes remained at No. 6 in the next-to-last Class 1A Associated Press prep football poll, which was released Monday. UC (7-2) has won four straight and has already wrapped up the District 14A championship heading into this week’s regular season finale at South Fulton. The Twisters will receive a first-round playoff bye. Read More ...

Sharon returns to win column SHARON, Tenn. – The Sharon Junior High Eagles have officially put last year's record behind them. In defeating the visiting Henry Junior High Pirates, 38-29, this past Thursday night, the Sharon boys ended last year's season-long losing streak. The Lady Eagles weren’t as fortunate, falling to the visitors, 43-16. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Yellowjackets' gutsy effort comes up just short GREENFIELD, Tenn. – If it was a poker game instead of football, it could be said that Greenfield Yellowjackets coach Jason Rodehaver was all in. After scoring a touchdown to cut the Halls Tigers' lead to 7-6 with 2:10 remaining in the contest, Rodehaver opted to run a two-point play and go for the victory instead of kicking for a tie and a potential overtime. The gamble didn't pay off for the Jackets (1-8, 0-5 District 14-A) and Halls (4-5, 1-4 District 14-A) held on for the thrilling 7-6 win on a muddy, sloppy Harris Field Friday night in Greenfield. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Dawgs keep playoff hopes alive via Ezell touchdowns GLEASON, Tenn. –Accomplishing exactly what it needed to accomplish, Gleason now stands poised for a showdown with District 13-A opponent Dresden to fight for a playoff position. This past Friday night, the Bulldogs shut down the Scotts Hill passing attack and shut out the visiting Lions, 21-0, for their sixth win of the season.  Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Press

Special teams the difference in Westview's overtime win Brownsville, Tenn. – If ever there was one facet in a ballgame that made the difference in a win or a loss, Westview’s special teams provided it in the Chargers’ thrilling 38-37 overtime win over Haywood County, Friday night, at John B. Hooper Memorial Stadium. In sloppy conditions, Westview blocked an extra point kick, stopped a pair of two-point conversion attempts and ended the game when Logan Callins broke up a pass attempt on the final play of the contest as the Chargers improved to 5-4 overall and 4-1 in District 13-AA play to keep their playoff aspirations alive. Conversely, Landon Prather booted a 22-yard field goal and was 5-for-5 on PAT kicks to help edge the Tomcats, whose record falls to 4-5 (2-3).  Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

Lady Chargers earn first sectional berth for Westview Dyersburg, Tenn. – The Westview Lady Chargers made a little history when they amplified their intensity in the second half, added an insurance goal and then pressed on for a 2-1 win over the Covington Lady Chargers in the Region 7 A-AA soccer tourney Monday night. With the victory, the Lady Chargers clinched the first trip to a regional final and the first sectional berth in the program's history. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

TD record, 14A championship part of Twister Sr. Night party On a night set aside to honor Union City’s 14 seniors, Josh Nicks took his place at the front of the line. Nicks tied a single-game school record with six touchdowns and the sixth-ranked Tornadoes — with some help from Trenton — clinched the District 14A championship with a 49-0 Senior Night rout of Lake County Friday at War Memorial Stadium. UC (7-2, 5-0) not only assured itself of a second consecutive district/regional title, but also a first-round bye in the Class A state playoffs which begin in two weeks. The Tornadoes, who last won back-to-back district crowns in 1999-2000, clinched the 14A top spot Friday with their victory, coupled with Trenton’s 20-13 triumph over South Fulton. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Rebels cuts gauntlet in half Obion Central is officially halfway through the two-game gauntlet that leads to the postseason. The Rebels, in need of wins in the final two games of regular season to secure the program’s first playoff berth since 2003, bested Gibson County 33-12 on Friday. Next up is Ripley this Thursday in a game that could ultimately decide OC’s postseason fate. Central enters play this week with a 5-4 record (3-2 in District 13AA), while the Tigers are 4-5 (2-3 in 13AA.)  Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

SF title talk a wash after Tide comes in South Fulton’s chance of playing for the District 14A championship went out with the tide — the Golden Tide that is. Trenton Peabody ended SF’s hopes of playing for the league championship against Union City this week and kept its own postseason hopes alive by defeating the Red Devils 20-13 Friday night. Golden Tide senior running back A.J. Collier negotiated his way through the South Fulton defense and an extremely muddy Freed Field for 107 yards and had a hand in all three Peabody scores to dash any hopes South Fulton had of a district title tilt in Week 10. Still playoff-bound, however, the Redmen will host 14A champion Union City this week before entering postseason play for the first time since 2003. Read More ... By ROBIN FRANCIS, Special to the Messenger

Bulldogs a playoff (Lock)ett on last try Fulton City made the most of its last chance against Fulton County on Friday. Facing a fourth-and-goal with under a minute to go, Bulldog quarterback Fred Lindsey found Jacquise Lockett for an eight-yard swing pass and the winning touchdown. With the 30-26 triumph, Fulton City clinches a First District playoff spot for the third consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Pilots — without five players and head coach James Bridges due to the fallout after an on-field altercation with Calloway County earlier this year — finish the 2009 campaign with an 0-10 worksheet. Read More ...

Westview needs OT to extend late surge Tanner Spencer threw three touchdown passes, and Westview hung on for its fifth straight win when Haywood botched a PAT in overtime that allowed the Chargers to escape with a 38-37 win Friday night. Martin can clinch a playoff berth after an 0-4 start to the season against a rugged schedule by beating Covington in Week 10. Spencer hit on 10-of-17 passes for 152 yards and connected with Seth Waterfield (30 yards), Matt Melton (60 yards) and Brian West (10 yards) for scores. Read More ...

Somebody that UT Martin beats turns out be most hated rival Murray Having lost three straight and virtually any chance of winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship, UT Martin simply needed a victory. That it happened to come against the Skyhawks’ closest regional rival was a just bonus. UTM head coach Jason Simpson said as much after his team beat neighboring Murray State for the fifth straight year, 38-24, Saturday night at Hardy Graham Stadium. “We just needed to beat somebody,” Simpson said after the Skyhawks handed former head coach Matt Griffin his fourth loss in as many games against his ex-school. “It was a bonus that it just happened to be Murray.  Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Prep Game Notes for Week 9 Lake Co. at Union City PLACE, TIME: War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Lake Co. 5-3 (1-3); UC 6-2 (4-0). COACHES (RECORDS): Lake County: Bert Snow (5-3 in 1st season); Union City: Darren Bowling (123-61 in 17th season; 16-4 in 2nd season at UC). LAST MEETING: 2008. UC won a shootout, 55-41. SERIES RECORD — Union City leads all-time, 21-11. LAST WEEK — Lake County lost to Trenton, 20-14, while Union City hammered Halls, 42-7. KEY PLAYERS: Lake County — QB/RB/WR Patrick Robertson, QB Sam Hayes, RB Ricky Boyd, LB/TE Chris Rogers. Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, RB/LB Jacob Worley, OL/DL Stevie Gossett, QB Chase Bowling. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 23 Briefly Skyhawk women last in preseason OVC poll The preseason predicted order of finish for Ohio Valley Conference women’s teams as voted on by league coaches and sports information directors was released on Thursday. UT Martin, which is slated to begin its first campaign under Kevin McMillan, was picked to finish last in the 10-team league with 18 points. Murray State, headed by former Union City High School band assistant Rob Cross, was picked sixth. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 22 Briefly Twister, OC seniors will be honored Fri. Both Union City and Obion Central will be celebrating “Senior Night” Friday. UC will honor its senior football players, cheerleaders, golfers, band members and cross country runners at 7, prior to its outing with Lake County. Central plans to begin its “Senior Night” festivities at 6:30 before its District 13AA contest againt Gibson County with all football players, golfers, cross country runners, soccer players, cheerleaders and band members introduced. OC is also honoring the junior high football players and cheerleaders of its feeder schools (Lake Road, Black Oak, Hillcrest and Ridgemont). They will be introduced at halftime. Read More ...

Remember When? OC school boss considering ‘Central’ junior high squad Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Runner-up Runner-up — Team Elite 96 took the second-place trophy at the USGF Middle Tennessee Fall State Tournament on Oct. 18 in Clarksville. Read More ...

With long season winding down, games still matter With just two Friday nights left in the 2009 regular season, wins are at a premium for Weakley County high school football teams. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Lady Chargers return to form, advance to semis While the late arrival of the Haywood County Lady Tomcats delayed the start of the District 14 A-AA quarterfinal game by 30 minutes on Tuesday night at the MTD Soccer Complex, the Westview Lady Chargers waited an extra 50 minutes before finally getting into the game. The Lady Chargers amped up their effort after halftime and cruised to a 5-0 win over a game Haywood squad. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Rebs, UC tune up for regional Both the Obion Central and Union City cross country teams should be tuned up for next week’s Region 7A-AA meet after Tuesday. The Rebel and UC running programs prepped for the regional — which will be held at Troy next week — with the “Best of the West Invitational” among exactly 300 competitors on the same Central course. It was the first year that the long-running invitational has been at Troy, moved to the school after years at Dyersburg and Jackson due to OC’s central location to the involved schools. Read More ...

Winless GC gets same treatment in Obion Central’s preparations Gibson County might as well be the Denver Broncos, as far as Shawn Jackson is concerned. The Obion Central head coach insists his team is preparing as if it will face the best football team on the planet this week rather than one that has lost 11 straight games over a span of two seasons and is 0-8 this year. “I promise you, we’re treating them no different than anybody else we’ve gotten ready to play,” the Rebel skipper said. “We can’t afford to make a lot of mistakes, and we’ve got to continue to do the things well that we’ve done well all season. “I’ve told people all year, we’re good enough to beat anybody. We’re also capable of losing to anybody on our schedule.” Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff picks an Offensive Player of the Week. This week it is Union City's Josh Nicks. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff picks a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is South Fulton's Willy Kneuppel. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 21 Briefly Rebels’ Week 10 game is a go for next Thurs. Obion Central’s Week 10 football game will be played a day early. The Rebels will travel to Ripley next Thursday night for a District 13AA contest, slated to start at 7:30, that could determine the county locals postseason fate. As it stands now, if Central prevails in Friday’s home game against winless Gibson County, next week’s game would likely be for a playoff berth in Class 4A. Read More ...

SF does a ‘number’ on Anthony Hutch There may never be another player like Anthony Hutch at South Fulton. And if there is, there certainly won’t be another No. 85. Hutch, who played 10 years in the Arena Football League after a stellar career at Murray State University, had his high school football jersey retired at halftime of his alma mater’s homecoming triumph over Reidland on Friday. He is the first player in the school’s history to get his gridiron number taken out of circulation. The former pro footballer and 1992 SF graduate considers the honor among the greatest he has achieved on the gridiron. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 20 Briefly Union City inches up in latest AP rankings Union City continued to inch back toward the upper echelon of the Associated Press Class 1A state football rankings. The Tornadoes, who were listed as high as No. 2 earlier in the season, moved up one spot for the second straight week and are now No. 6 in the latest poll, which was released Monday. Read More ...

Second-half domination pushes Chargers by OC MARTIN, Tenn. – With precision accuracy, Tanner Spencer riddled the Obion County defense as Westview erased an 8-6 halftime deficit to earn a 29-8 district victory Friday night at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.  Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

Six turnovers end G'field's chance to upset Humboldt HUMBOLDT, Tenn. – Though they came out as a different team in the second half more than doubling their offensive output, six turnovers proved to be too costly for the Greenfield Yellowjackets in a 25-0 loss to District 14-A opponent Humboldt this past Friday night in Humboldt. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Huntingdon never slows down against Bulldogs HUNTINGDON, Tenn. – The Bulldogs never got in gear, while Huntingdon never got out of high gear during the Mustangs' 55-0 thrashing of Gleason Friday night at Paul Ward Stadium in Huntingdon. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Dresden defense helps Lions snap recent skid DRESDEN, Tenn. – By forcing a half dozen turnovers, the Dresden Lions reversed their recent fortunes, ending a three-game losing skid with a 14-10 win over the West Carroll War Eagles on Thursday night at Rotary Field. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Rebs have little room for error after loss to surging Westview A 29-8 loss to Westview didn’t close the book on Obion Central’s playoff hopes. The Rebels will, however, have to turn the page quickly. By virtue of its District 13AA defeat at the hands of the Chargers Friday night at UT Martin’s Hardy Graham Stadium, OC must win its final two games in order to have a chance at qualifying for the postseason in Class 4A. Central, now 4-4 overall and 2-2 in league play will face Gibson County (0-8, 0-5) and Ripley (4-4, 2-2) to close out the regular season, with the Rebs’ playoff fate and maybe a home postseason date likely tied to their Week 10 result against the Tigers. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

UC leaves Halls stuck in the mud Given what the Union City Golden Tornado football team has gone through in recent days — injuries and the death of a former player — Halls was just what the doctor ordered. The seventh-ranked Tornadoes made quick work of the Tigers Friday night en route to a 42-7 District 14A victory. League-leading Union City (6-2, 4-0) won its third straight game and has clinched a playoff berth. The Twisters host Lake County at home on Senior Night this week. Wins vs. LC and in Week 10 against South Fulton and the Twisters would be the overall District 14A champion. Read More ... By ROBIN FRANCIS, Special to the Messenger

Red Devil RBs ‘Hound’ Reidland South Fulton outran a pack of Greyhounds during Friday night’s 47-21 victory. The Red Devils ran for a grand total of 356 yards on the evening — outgaining Reidland 276-107 in the first half. Senior running back Jonathan Avent turned in his third consecutive 100-yard performance, finishing with 125 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. With the victory, the Red Devils improve their record to 5-3 with an important matchup with District 14A foe Trenton looming this week.  Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

FC pups blanked without Lockett Fulton City shot blanks against No. 3 Crittenden County on Friday. With star running back Jacquise Lockett out due to classroom ineligibility issues, the Rockets shut out FC 57-0. All totaled, the Bulldogs (1-7, 0-3 in First District play) had just 50 yards of offense against CC. “They’re the real deal,” FC head coach Wayne Lohaus said of CC. “Jacquise would’ve made some difference, but the outcome would have ultimately been the same. Crittenden County is talented and I expect them to give Mayfield a run for their money next week.” Now, Fulton City must shift its focus to its biggest game of the year.  Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 19 Briefly Skyhawk turnovers are dooming factor RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Ken Walker scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 1:18 to play as Eastern Kentucky capitalized on UT Martin’s fifth turnover in a 31-25 win on Saturday. Walker’s score gave the Colonials (4-2, 4-1 Ohio Valley Conference) a 31-19 lead after Bryant Milligan fumbled on a punt return and Patrick McClellan recovered on the Skyhawks’ 4-yard line. Read More ...

Prep Game Notes for Week 8 Union City at Halls PLACE, TIME: H.G. Conley Field, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Union City 5-2 (3-0); Halls 3-4 (0-3). COACHES (RECORDS): Union City: Darren Bowling (122-61 in 17th season; 15-4 in 2nd season at UC); Halls: Chris Hurt (13-37 in 5th season). LAST MEETING: 2008. Union City hammered Halls, 55-0, in Round 1 of the Class A state playoffs. SERIES RECORD — Union City leads all-time, 15-2. LAST WEEK — Union City whipped Humboldt, 42-14, while Halls was blanked by Trenton, 34-0. KEY PLAYERS: Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, QB Chase Bowling. Halls — RBs Steven Cessac and David Davidson, QB Emmitt Henning, WR Cody Chipman. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 16 Briefly Basketball Wizards to cast spell in Troy The Harlem Wizards are coming to Troy. The hoops entertainment show, often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters, will be in town at the Hillcrest gym on Oct. 24 for a game against a team comprised of local businessmen and women. Advance tickets can be purchased at Harris Chiropractic, Aloha Pools & Spa or Hillcrest Elementary. Tickets purchased before the event are $8 for students, senior citizens and young children and $10 for all other adults. Read More ...

PETER WILKES Wilkes will live on through others Peter Wilkes had a big heart. It’s only fitting now, that someone else is benefiting from it. In the aftermath of a terrible tragedy last weekend that left the 18-year-old former Tornado football player dead and numbed our small community, Wilkes’ major organs were harvested so that others in need might live. It’s obviously the only good thing to come from such a horrible happening. While more than a half-dozen of Peter’s organs were successfully collected by trained specialists in that medical field, reportedly, a young 15-year-old boy from Texas received Wilkes’ heart. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Future bright for Devil Mayfield despite rainy final day at state MURFREESBORO — It may have been a wet and dreary day but South Fulton’s Chase Mayfield left the Class A-AA State Golf Tournament on Wednesday with a sunny disposition. “It’s pretty cool to represent my team and the region as a sophomore,” Mayfield said on the back porch of the clubhouse after play at the Old Fort Golf Course. “I know how tough the competition is now and I need to work on my strength.” Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 15 Briefly Red Devil alum Hutch to have jersey retired One South Fulton alum will have more to celebrate than just the football team’s homecoming on Friday. Anthony Hutch, who starred on the gridiron at the school and graduated from SF in 1992, will have his jersey retired at halftime. Hutch went on to play college football at Murray State and in the Arena Football League. He played for Chicago, New York, Arizona and Iowa in the AFL. Read More ...

Remember When? Proficient UC thrower Brent Young picks apart Central Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Legens named Chargers Player of Week The Westview Player of the Week for his effort during the Chargers' contest vs. Milan was Barkley Legens (center).  Read More ...

Martin wins Chargers weekly award The Westview Player of the Week for his effort during the Chargers' contest vs. Camden was Travis Martin (center).  Read More ...

Bulldog Player of the Week The Bulldog Player of the Week for his play during Gleason's win over South Fulton on Sept. 25 was senior Nicky Spain (left).  Read More ...

Maddie Money Westview graduate and former Lady Charger softball player Sam Giesler (left) was the inaugural recipient of the Maddie Memorial Scholarship.  Read More ...

Yellowjacket Players of the Week The Greenfield Players of the Week chosen for their outstanding individual efforts during the Yellowjackets' games this season, as selected by GHS head coach Jason Rodehaver (left), included  Read More ...

NILICA UTM's Nilica earns OVC award BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Two days after her goal off a free kick sent The University of Tennessee at Martin to its third straight Ohio Valley Conference victory, junior Stephanie Nilica was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday, according to a release from the league office. Read More ...

Inman ends Panthers' season MARTIN, Tenn. – In a dog and cat battle for the right to go to the state playoffs, the Bulldogs of Paris-Inman stymied the Martin Panthers, 30-0, under rain-drenched conditions Tuesday night. Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

No margin of error left as district races heat up Weakley County high school football teams are heading into the stretch run of their 2009 seasons, and the margin for error is razor thin for most of them. All four county schools will take on a district opponent this week. While none of the teams are a shoo-in for the playoffs just yet, the wildcard system is still an option. A few of the teams will need some help to advance, but the hope is still alive. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Central not resting on laurels; Tornadoes alter preparations Obion Central players might be tired this week. It won’t be from patting themselves on the back, though. The Rebels, coming off a 22-20 upset of then-seventh-ranked Dyersburg last week, were given ample time to bask in the spotlight of back-to-back District 13AA victories that greatly enhanced their playoff chances. Published in The Messenger 10.14.09 Read More ...

SF’s Mayfield a fit with elite of links South Fulton sophomore Chase Mayfield fits in with the pack at the Class A-AA State Golf Tournament. Mayfield, who completed Day 1 play at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro with a 12-over 84, is 14 strokes behind the leader (Payne Denman of DeKalb County.) Published in The Messenger 10.14.09 Read More ...

Sports briefs Briefly Rebel runners shine at Jackson CC meet The Obion Central boys’ cross country team was a step ahead of the field at the Madison Academic Meet on Monday. The Rebels finished first at the Jackson event, while their female counterparts came home in second. All seven boys — Tanner Noles, Joshua Gale, Garrett Stanford, Travis Daniel, Will McBride, Martin Reyna and J.T. Ragsdale — who scored for the OC guys also medaled. Published in The Messenger 10.14.09  Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week it is Obion Central's Patrick Haskins. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Ronnie Fair. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 13 Briefly UC, Lake Co. switch in latest AP rankings Union City and Lake County essentially flip-flopped places in the latest Associated Press Class A prep rankings. The new poll — released Monday — had the Tornadoes climbing one spot to No. 7, while LC fell from seventh to ninth. That movement followed UC’s 42-14 thumping of Humboldt on Friday and the Falcons’ 27-9 upset loss at South Fulton. There’s a new No. 1 team, too, in Class A after season-long top ranked South Pittsburg was beaten 20-12 by Class 2A No. 2 Boyd-Buchanan. The Pirates were reportedly without their starting quarterback for that showdown. Another No. 1 — Henry County in 5A — also took a tumble after losing 14-9 to Clarksville on Saturday. The Patriots are now fourth, behind Hardin County, Clinton and now top-ranked Tennessee High. Read More ...

Lady Chargers on short end in defensive struggle The Westview Lady Charger defenders did their part, holding a potent Dyersburg offense to just one goal, but the WHS offense could not match the effort Thursday night at the MTD Soccer Complex in Martin. As a result, Dyersburg (10-1-1) earned the hard-fought 1-0 win and the top spot in the District 14 A-AA standings.  Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Riverside, Mother Nature down drenched Dresden The biggest winner wasn’t wearing a helmet, yet had the strongest impact on gridiron play this past Friday night in Dresden. Between the Riverside Panthers, the Dresden Lions and an ever-present rain, the ball popped free 11 times and offensive series were slow going, yet the visitors handed the Lions their third straight loss, 30-7. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

WHS win streak hits three MARTIN, TENN. — On a night when the weather outside was frightful, Westview’s opponent was so delightful. The Chargers rushed for 306 yards on offense and scored on each of their first six possessions, while the defense never allowed Gibson County to cross midfield, as Westview won its third in a row with a 44-0 dismantling of the winless Pioneers in District 13-AA action Friday night.  Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

'Maniac' play call lets Dawgs edge G'field in 2OT One Maniac was the difference in a double overtime clash for the ages between the rain-soaked and mud-spattered Gleason Bulldogs and Greenfield Yellowjackets last Friday night at Harris Field. A defensive scheme the Dawgs call Maniac allowed Gleason to stop the Jackets' attempt at a game-tying run on the last play of the second overtime. The stop gave Gleason a thrilling 14-12 victory in what was a non-district match between the two county rivals. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Emotional Tornadoes finish job with past teammate in thoughts Just when it appeared Union City had left the door open for another opponent to rally from a big first-half deficit, the Tornadoes slammed it shut. And locked it. The eight-ranked Tornadoes, who saw a 21-point lead over Humboldt shrink to a single touchdown by halftime Friday, put the hammer down on the Vikings over the final two quarters on their way to a convincing 42-14 victory in a District 14A showdown at rain-soaked War Memorial Stadium. The resounding win put UC (5-2, 3-0) in the driver’s seat in its quest for the overall league championship and handed H’boldt (4-4, 3-1) its first district loss. The two will be separated into 1A and 2A classifications for the postseason, with both likely to qualify for the playoffs in their respective divisions. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Near-perfect Rebels topple No. 7 D’burg Don’t be fooled by the score of Obion Central’s 22-20 triumph over No. 7 Dyersburg. It wasn’t that close. As a matter of fact, if not for two Trojan offensive sequences that began with a short field and resulted in touchdowns, OC (4-3, 2-1) might have coasted easily to just its third victory in 15 tries — and first since 1995 — against its tradition-rich District 13AA foe. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

SF flood washes LC down the drain The South Fulton Red Devil football program achieved what may be the biggest victory in recent history Friday night after dispatching seventh-ranked Lake County 27-9 at SF Athletic Field. Not only did the Redmen avenge a disappointing 40-0 loss to the Falcons last season, they also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Green and Gold and greatly enhanced their playoff chances with three games remaining in the regular season. South Fulton (4-3, 3-1 in District 14A) limited a dangerously-fast Falcon squad to just 47 yards rushing and kept their passing game in check by pressuring quarterback Sam Hayes all night. Read More ... By ROBIN FRANCIS, Special to the Messenger

Most Skyhawk talk is of penalties UT Martin needed a Homecoming victory to keep a healthy standing in the Ohio Valley Conference and the playoff hunt. Unfortunately, the Skyhawks were sickened by a total of 164 penalty yards and a pair of costly interceptions during Saturday’s 35-28 defeat to Tennessee Tech. Thus, the Skyhawks are now in a 2-4 hole, while TTU is 3-2. “The two turnovers didn’t help, “UTM head coach Jason Simpson said afterwards. “We just keep finding ways to get beat. We played hard, but shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and that’s the sign of a 2-4 team.” Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Chargers finding answers Demarcus Williams ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns to lead Westview to an easy 44-0 shutout of Gibson County Friday night. The runaway triumph was the Chargers’ third straight after an 0-4 start and keeps Martin (3-4, 2-1) firmly in the middle of the District 13AA playoff picture. Westview hosts Obion Central this coming Friday in a matchup critical to both teams’ postseason standing. Williams had TD runs of 17, 11 and 14 yards to help the Chargers dominate winless GC (0-7, 0-4) from start to finish. Read More ...

O(and-5) No! Colts put Titans in deeper hole NASHVILLE — What had all the makings in the offseason as an early marquee matchup between two of the top teams in the American Football Conference turned out to be just another letdown for the Tennessee Titans Sunday night. Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning completed 36-of-44 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns during his team’s 31-9 rout of the host Titans at LP Field. Given the teams’ start to the season, the final outcome wasn’t a surprise. Read More ... By LEE WILMOT, Special to The Messenger

Prep Game Notes for Week 7 Humboldt at Union City PLACE, TIME: War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Humboldt 4-3 (3-0); UC 4-2 (2-0). COACHES (RECORDS): Humboldt: Dan Bland (148-92 in 23rd season); Union City: Darren Bowling (121-61 in 17th season; 14-4 in 2nd season at UC). LAST MEETING: 2004. UC beat Humboldt, 45-25. SERIES RECORD — Humboldt leads all-time, 45-34-2. LAST WEEK — Humboldt beat Trenton, 35-14, while Union City blanked Greenfield, 31-0. KEY PLAYERS: Humboldt — RBs Quan Campbell and J.K. Montague, J.K. Kimble, QB Darren Dunbar, DE/WB Kane Young. Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, OL/DL Stevie Gossett, QB Chase Bowling. Read More ...

Red Devils not cut off at ‘pass’ in three-peat bid by Hillcrest South Fulton and Hillcrest will surely have a score to settle the next time they meet on the gridiron. For now, though, the Red Devils have bragging rights and their third consecutive Obion County School System championship after their 50-0 shutout over the Cougars in the Rebel Bowl on Thursday night. However, the war between the two teams isn’t likely over as evidenced by a Red Devil fourth-quarter passing call that resulted in the game’s final touchdown pass with two minutes left. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 9 Briefly Dyer Co. can’t contain Huntington’s Holder Huntingdon’s Kennon Holder rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns to key his team’s 34-3 rout of Dyer County on Thursday night. Holder, one of West Tennessee’s leading rusher, logged 166 of his yards in the first quarter of the game that was moved up a night due in part to the threat of wet/severe weather this evening and a shortage of referees in the area. In other high school action on Thursday night, USJ quarterback Jake Overbey threw for 198 yards and five touchdowns on 10-of-14 passing during his team’s 46-6 triumph over Bishop Byrne. Read More ...

KHSAA reveals penalties to Pilots Fulton County’s football program has been brought down to earth by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. A total of 16 Pilot players have been “grounded” for a total of 29 games in the aftermath of an on-field altercation last Friday night against Calloway County. According to the Murray Times & Ledger, nine Pilot players were given a one-game suspension, which will be served during tonight’s 1-0 forfeit to Crittenden County, while two FC players received a two-game suspension, four others were suspended for three games and one will sit out four contests. Read More ...

Grounded Pilots forfeiting to Crittenden Co. Crittenden County can celebrate its upcoming Homecoming with a victory without ever stepping on the football field. The Rockets, who were scheduled to host Fulton County on Friday, will be the recipients of a 1-0 forfeit win this week in the aftermath of an on-field altercation that involved several FC and Calloway County players last Friday. The action to cancel Friday’s game has been taken by FC as they await penalties from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. KHSAA assistant commissioner Julian Tackett told The Messenger this morning that a release detailing the punishments would not be made public until, at the very earliest, this afternoon. Read More ... From AP, staff reports

10th OCSS crown a ‘fitting’ end to Charles Morris’ run Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 8 Briefly SF linkster Mayfield will practice on Mon. South Fulton sophomore golfer Chase Mayfield will tee off at 10:50 on Monday at hole No. 10 for his practice round at the Class A-AA State Golf Tournament. Mayfield, who advanced to the state tourney by finishing third out of the individual players not on the region champion Milan team, will be competing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the event.  Read More ...

Player of the Week The Westview Player of the Week for his effort during the Chargers' contest vs. McKenzie was DeMarcus Williams (center).  Read More ...

Field goals the difference in Bethel earning first win MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcats came home to the friendly confines of Wildcat Stadium and pulled away in the fourth quarter for their first win of the season, 13-3 over Cumberland University on Saturday.  Read More ...

CRAMER UT Martin equestrian riders push SEC powerhouse Georgia to limit MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s equestrian team opened its season against perennial power Georgia Friday at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex on campus and, if the raw score counted, the host Skyhawks would have come out on top as they edged the Bulldogs by 2.5 points. Unfortunately that raw score only comes to play in the tiebreaker. Georgia claimed a 10-5 victory over UT Martin. Read More ...

CACARO UTM cross country leads pack at Union Invitational JACKSON, Tenn. – Led by five finishers in the top 11 in the six-team field, The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s cross country took the Union College Invitational title, while the Skyhawk men also turned in a strong team performance and turned in the first sub-26 minute 8k time in school history to place second out of five teams. The women’s squad finished the course with a total time of 1:41.25, for an average of 20.25 per scorer. The UT Martin men totaled a time of 2:15.27, averaging 27.05 per runner on the 8k course. Read More ...

Intra-county football clash highlights Week 7 schedule There will be a proliferation of orange-and-black clothing worn this week and it has nothing to do with either the upcoming Halloween holiday nor deer hunting season. Instead, it's a sign that it's time for the annual gridiron clash between the Gleason Bulldogs and the Greenfield Yellowjackets. The Jackets will welcome Gleason to Harris Field with kickoff set for 7:30 on Friday night. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Postseason a possibility for all three county clubs With a month remaining in the regular season, all three Obion County high school football teams have at least break-even records. That’s been the case at the end of the season only seven times in history. Only once (1999) have all three teams had winning marks. Perhaps more importantly, each has realistic playoff aspirations this year as the season enters the stretch run. Only three times (1994, ’99 and 2003) in the nearly half-century that there have been programs at Union City, Obion Central and South Fulton have all qualified for the postseason under a TSSAA playoff system that was originally established in 1969. Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger Sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week it is Patrick Haskins. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is South Fulton's Cody Tatum. Read More ...

Hillcrest is latest obstacle on Red Devil Rebel Bowl course Some in South Fulton could make a case to rename the Rebel Bowl the Red Devil Bowl considering the game’s most recent history. In five of the last six years, South Fulton, the only Obion County School System entry that is not a feeder school for Obion Central, has advanced to the annual football championship game. The last two years, SF has brought all the marbles back home and made the Rebel Bowl turf at Troy its own, besting Lake Road. This year, the Red Devils (7-1) face a different, yet familar opponent in Hillcrest on Thursday at 7 p.m. on the Obion Central Field. The Cougars, under the guidance of first-year head coach Justin Truett, have mowed through most of their OCSS competition, only hitting a wall in a 48-19 loss to SF on Sept. 17. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 7 Briefly Pilots did the crime, could do some time Some Fulton County football players could eventually face criminal charges for using their helmets as weapons during an on-field brawl with Calloway County on Friday evening. According to the Murray Ledger & Times, CC coach Josh McKeel has discussed the possibility of filing legal charges against some of the Pilot players. The fight broke out with 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Lakers were awarded a 24-8 decision. Read More ...

Annual Westview Tailgate Party Slated The annual Westview Booster Club Tailgate Party will be held Friday, Oct. 9, prior to the Westview vs. Gibson County football game at Hardy Graham Stadium in Martin.  Read More ...

Jr. Bulldogs rally to stop Dresden, remain unbeaten With their undefeated record in jeopardy, the Gleason Junior High Bulldogs needed a rare come-from-behind effort to ensure they remained perfect. The Dawgs trailed late in the fourth quarter to the Dresden Middle School Lions, but a Chris Copeland touchdown with just a shade over two minutes remaining and an Ian Legens interception with just seconds left on the clock sealed the win for the visitors, 28-22, this past Thursday night to spoil the host Lions’ homecoming. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Press

Holder's big second quarter helps Mustangs run by DHS What started so well, certainly didn't end well for the Dresden Lions in a 41-14 road loss to the host Huntingdon Mustangs Friday night. The Lions took the opening kickoff and blazed their way down the field for a score. The Mustangs then scored the next 41 points, including three touchdowns by Kennon Holder in the second quarter, to cruise to the district victory. Read More ...

Homecoming doesn't distract Dawgs from taming Tigers The 2009 Gleason High School homecoming festivities got all the attention before the kickoff. Once the clock started and the first kick sailed through the air, the Bulldogs were all business Friday night. Gleason scored on its first possession and never looked back in blasting the visiting winless Bruceton Tigers, 41-6. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

SF’s Chase in hunt for state golf crown The hunt is on for the Class A-AA boys’ golf championship. And one South Fulton golfer will be giving “Chase.” Red Devil sophomore Chase Mayfield earned a berth in the state finals by carding an 80 at the Goodyear Wingfoot Course on Monday. His score was good enough for third among players not on the Region 7A-AA champion Milan team and for fifth place overall.  Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

LR repeat bid gets green light The green light came on in time for the Lake Road softball team on Saturday. The Lady Generals, who nearly fell in the first game of the double-elimination Obion County School System on Saturday to South Fulton, recovered after a day of close games to blank Hillcrest 10-0 in the championship game. With the triumph, LR claimed its second consecutive OCSS title, finishing the 2009 season with a record of 17-1. Read More ...

Police eyeing video of Pilot foot(brawl) HICKMAN (AP) — Police were reviewing video of a brawl that broke out in western Kentucky during the Calloway County-Fulton County high school football game. Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy John Amberg told WYVY-FM in Union City that the brawl erupted with four minutes left in the fourth quarter on Friday night. Amberg said some fans from both schools came onto the field after players began fighting. Calloway County head coach Josh McKeel said he was to meet with a Kentucky High School Athletic Association official on Monday to discuss the fight, The Murray Ledger & Times reported. “No punches or kicks were thrown by any Calloway County player,” McKeel told the paper. “We’re going to let the KHSAA decide what they see. If we were in the wrong, we’ll face the consequences.” Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 6 Briefly Union City still No. 8 in latest AP rankings No news isn’t necessarily bad news for the Union City High School football team. The Tornadoes remained No. 8 in the latest Associated Press Class 1A prep rankings, released Monday afternoon. UC (4-2), which hosts Humboldt in a District 14A showdown for first place Friday, stayed put in this week’s poll — as did the other first eight teams in the Top 10. That group includes Lake County, which is still seventh, one spot ahead of the Twisters. Union City and Lake County will meet in Week 9 of the regular season (Oct. 23) at War Memorial Stadium. Read More ...

Haskins triggers sneak attack as Rebels blow up Covington Covington had a hard enough time finding Patrick Haskins. Tackling the Obion Central standout proved nearly impossible for the Chargers. Lining up at quarterback, running back and receiver at different times, Haskins rushed for 255 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Rebels to a convincing 32-6 triumph over Covington Friday night at Troy. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Red Devil resumé gets boost at Halls South Fulton’s 43-28 win over Halls Friday night was big for the Red Devils’ playoff resumé. The win should also prove to Kelly Spivey’s squad that they can battle anyone in District 14A. SF was coming off a disappointing loss to non-district foe Gleason the week before and Halls had pulled the upset of the week in beating Dresden. Read More ... By ROBIN FRANCIS, Special to the Messenger

UC feels better after rout at G’field Union City found a cure for some of its ills on Friday night. The Twisters, who have been battling a rash of injuries and the flu bug, blanked Greenfield 31-0 in District 14A action. “This win should help to heal some of our mental wounds,” UC coach Darren Bowling said referring to last week’s defeat to Trinity Christian and a Sept. 11 loss to Huntingdon in which the Tornadoes blew leads of two touchdowns or more in both games. “We still need to heal physically, though. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Mayfield 1-2 punch gets KO vs. Fulton Mayfield’s Xavier Shelton and Tyreese Murrell turned out to be double trouble for Fulton City on Friday night. During the Bulldogs’ 49-0 defeat at the hands of the No. 1 (Class A) Cardinals, Shelton accounted for four touchdowns, while Murrell rushed for three scores. All totaled, Shelton caught seven passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns and returned a punt 48 yards to paydirt. Meanwhile, Murrell sprinted for 203 yards on just seven carries. Read More ...

CC’s Bass big fish in Top 10 showdown Darius Bass plunged into the endzone from the one with 1:08 left to lift No. 2 Crockett County over eighth-ranked Dyersburg 21-14 in a District 13AA showdown of state-rated teams Friday night. Bass, who ran for 176 yards in all, had set up his deciding touchdown with a 62-yard scamper in the late-going. Instead of finishing off the TD dash, though, he elected to slide down at the one — he said, according to reports, to use up more time off the clock. Little separated the two clubs throughout the contest as CC (6-0, 3-0) outgained the Trojans 353-335. Both teams mounted goal-line stands in the third period to keep the score deadlocked at 14. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 5 Briefly LR girls defend crown at OCSS Tournament The Lake Road softball team claimed its second consecutive Obion County School Tournament title on Saturday in Troy. The Lady Generals defeated Hillcrest 10-0 in the championship round to defend their crown. Meanwhile, H’crest advanced to the title game after a 7-2 besting of No. 2 seed Ridgemont in the finals of the tournament’s loser’s bracket. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 2 Briefly Strickland’s SF dream is a nightmare to LR South Fulton’s Tymaine Strickland had the type of game all football players dream about on Thursday. The Red Devils’ middle school running back rushed for 261 yards and five touchdowns on just eight carries during his team’s 38-12 victory over Lake Road. With the win, SF improves to 7-1 on the campaign. Now, the Redmen are slated to play in the Rebel Bowl next Thursday against Hillcrest. Read More ...

Prep Game Notes for Week 6 Union City at Greenfield PLACE, TIME: Harris Field, 7:30 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: UC 3-2 (1-0); Greenfield 1-4 (0-2). COACHES (RECORDS): Union City: Darren Bowling (120-61 in 17th season; 13-4 in 2nd season at UC); Greenfield: Jason Rodehaver (10-15 in 3rd season). LAST MEETING: 2008. UC hammered Greenfield, 42-8. SERIES RECORD — Union City leads all-time, 6-0-1. LAST WEEK — Union City lost to Trinity Christian Academy, 31-21, while Greenfield shut out Bruceton, 14-0. KEY PLAYERS: Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, OL/DL Stevie Gossett, QB Chase Bowling. Greenfield — WR/FS Ty Smithson, RB/LB Tyler Dunning, OL/DL Chris McMullen, OL/DL Brodie Cogburn, QB/DB Dalton Potts. Read More ...

Weakley County defenses will be put on the spot during Week 6 A couple of Weakley County defenses better tighten the buckle on their chin straps. Heading into the Friday night of Week 6 of the 2009 football season, local high school defenses will be thoroughly tested in a trio of key district match-ups. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

Gleason Player of the Week The Gleason Player of the Week for his play during the Bulldogs' contest vs. Halls was senior J.T. Waszkowski (right).  Read More ...

Westview Player of the Week Player of the Week — The Westview Player of the Week for his effort during the Chargers' contest vs. Huntingdon was senior Brian West (center).  Read More ...

Jr. Dawgs use quick strikes to stop Huntingdon GLEASON, Tenn. — The Huntingdon Middle School Mustangs took a stab, but ultimately could do nothing to stop the Gleason Junior High season-long hot streak. With a 38-14 win over the visiting Mustangs this past Thursday night, the Bulldogs now own a 6-0 record. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

Greenfield edges Jr. Lions GREENFIELD, Tenn. – Austin Spence rushed for 73 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Greenfield Junior High to a 16-14 homecoming victory over visiting the Dresden Middle School Lions, last Thursday night. Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

UTM grad Hudson goes green as a Celtic UT Martin product Lester Hudson has signed a contract with the Boston Celtics. Hudson, the 58th pick in June’s NBA draft, played his final two college seasons with the Skyhawks, becoming a two-time winner of the Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year award. Jason James, the new UTM head men’s basketball coach who was instrumental in bringing the decorated hoopster to Martin, said he talked with Hudson via telephone Sunday and confirmed the signing.  Read More ... By UTM Sports Information

Messenger Sports Briefs for October 1 Briefly OCSS softball tourney slated for Saturday The Obion County School System Middle School Softball Tournament will be held Saturday at the Lady Rebels’ field in Troy. The four-team double-elimination tourney is slated to start at 11 a.m. with a first-round game featuring defending champion Lake Road and South Fulton. Then, No. 2 seed Ridgemont battles Hillcrest at 12:15 p.m. Black Oak was unable to field a varsity team; therefore, it will not be participating in the tournament. Read More ...

Remember When? Red Devils walk tall at Adamsville; OC edged by D’burg Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Rebs wear crown; SF duo moving on The Obion Central boys hit their District 14A-AA Golf Tournament opposition with their best shot at some point on Monday. That stroke, whichever one it was, turned out to be the difference and was what brought the league championship home with OC from The Farms in Dyersburg. The Rebels, who edged the host team 360-361, now advance to the Region 7A-AA Tournament on Monday along with the No. 2 and third-place teams from Tuesday’s action. They won’t be alone in representing Obion County at the event, which has been moved to Goodyear Wingfoot Golf Course due to the loss of the greens at the Milan Country Club. Individually, South Fulton’s Chase Mayfield and Justin Cranford earned individual berths after their team came in fourth — just one spot shy of being one of the three teams to advance to the regional. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger sports staff selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week, it is South Fulton's Jonathan Avent. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger's sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Rance Barnes. Read More ...

UC’s repeat collapse, effort the obvious focus of Bowling For the second time in three weeks, Darren Bowling was left to answer the most obvious question. What happened? The Union City head coach had to explain how his state-ranked team blew a two-touchdown lead and lost for the second time in its past three games after Friday’s disappointing 31-21 setback vs. Trinity Christian Academy. Read More ...

Red Devil gridders spin shutout at Fulton County South Fulton pitched a shutout and it wasn’t on the softball diamond. The Red Devil football team blanked Fulton County 40-0 on Tuesday behind a consistent effort that included five touchdowns from four players. SF also made five two-point conversions during Tuesday’s lopsided victory. In other middle school football play, Dyersburg shut out Union City 38-0, while no stats were reported from Hillcrest’s scheduled game at Gibson County. On the softball diamond, Ridgemont whipped Trenton 11-1, while Lake Road turned in no stats from its make-up game at Dyer. The following is a roundup of the junior high sports slate from Tuesday. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for September 30 Briefly Lady Rebel footballers on 1st winning streak The Obion Central High School girls’ soccer team has its first-ever winning streak after beating Trenton 3-1 Tuesday night at Troy. The Lady Rebels (3-5) had beaten South Fulton 9-2 Monday in a game not reported to The Messenger by either team. SF was not scheduled to have a team at the beginning of the season. Read More ...

SF’s Pane, all UC gals make cut Four local lady golfers will have at least one more round on the high school links this year. The Union City team — comprised of Allison Bruff, Calla Ziegler and Mollie Stone — punched its ticket to the Region 7A-AA Tournament on Monday. Meanwhile, South Fulton’s McKenzie Pane gained an individual berth to the regional event after play at the District 14A-AA Tournament at The Farms course (par 72) in Dyersburg. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for September 29 Briefly Twisters take tumble in latest AP prep poll A second loss in three weeks dropped Union City four spots in the latest Associated Press prep rankings, released Monday afternoon. The Tornadoes, now 3-2 after blowing a two-touchdown lead and losing to Trinity Christian Academy 31-21 last Friday, are eighth in the new listings. UC had been rated as high as No. 2 earlier in the season before first losing to Huntingdon, 44-35, in Week 3. The Mustangs also fell in this week’s poll — to No. 5 from No. 2 — after being beaten 28-13 by fourth-ranked (Class 3A) Camden on Friday. Huntingdon’s other loss in six games this season also came to a highly-touted team from a larger classification as the Ponies were beaten 31-27 in Week 1 by Milan (No. 2 in Class 3A). Read More ...

Halls holds Dresden in check HALLS, Tenn. — It only took one quarter for the Halls Tigers to erase a 10-point deficit and end up victors. In a contest that saw very few running plays, the Dresden Lions ruled the first half and built a 10-0 lead at the break. The Tigers allowed the visitors just one more touchdown, however, while posting three of their own and eventually took the win by a single point, 18-17. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

WHS picks off 5 passes in win MARTIN, Tenn. — Westview’s defense recorded five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, to lead the Chargers to a 28-12 homecoming victory over Memphis Trezevant Friday night at Graham Stadium. Read More ... Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press

Yellowjackets use defense to break into win column BRUCETON, Tenn. —The huge gust of wind blowing from Bruceton on Friday night was the enormous sigh of relief released by the Greenfield Yellowjackets after they blanked the host Bruceton Tigers, 14-0. Read More ... Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor

UTM women's hoop pioneer Lin Dunn will coach in WNBA Finals MARTIN, Tenn. – Lin Dunn, one of the true pioneers in women’s basketball history from The University of Tennessee at Martin and Weakley County native, is preparing for another milestone in her highly decorated basketball career. Tuesday night she will make her debut as a head coach on the sport’s highest stage, the WNBA Finals, guiding the Indiana Fever against the Phoenix Mercury. Read More ... UTM Athletic Communications

TCA field a house of horrors a second time for Union City So much for Union City getting payback against Trinity Christian Academy. Instead, the Tornadoes now owe TCA an even bigger debt. Fourth-ranked UC blew a 21-7 second-quarter lead, committing four turnovers in its own territory that led to 17 Lion points and helped Trinity Christian rally for a stunning 31-21 victory Friday night in Jackson. The disappointing loss was the Tornadoes’ second of the year — both coming after they essentially collapsed and squandered leads of two touchdowns or more before the intermission in those respective games. Trinity Christian Academy star quarterback Jabriel Washington proved every bit as good as his pregame billing as he racked up 343 yards as a passer/rusher and had a hand in all four Lion touchdowns. Read More ... By MIKE HUTCHENS, Messenger Sports Editor

Gleason bite is bad for uninspired SF A week after taking Humboldt to the limit, an admittedly flat South Fulton turned out to be merely a speed bump for Gleason. The Red Devils moved the chains for a first down just seven times and were held to 158 yards of total offense during their 34-21 defeat Friday at the Bulldogs’ field. “It’s definitely a letdown,” second-year SF head coach Kelly Spivey confirmed afterward. “They (Gleason) gave a great effort and we didn’t. We didn’t make the plays we needed to and we’ve got to get better play from our linebackers. Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

UTM finally slams door on SEMO UT Martin nearly let one slip away on Saturday. Fortunately for the Skyhawk faithful, UTM regained its footing to come away with a 29-22 victory over Southeast Missouri State in its Ohio Valley Conference opener. UTM (2-2, 1-0 in OVC play) was ahead 21-6 as the Skyhawk offense clicked, scoring on three consecutive drives in the second quarter. However, penalties and an inconsistent offensive charge continued to haunt the Skyhawks as SEMO was able to wiggle its way back into the game, down 21-15 with 13:55 remaining. “We played with a lot of effort tonight and I’m proud of that, but we have to play smarter,” UTM head coach Jason Simpson said after the game. “Right now, we’re our own worst enemy with the penalties we commit stopping drives and making it that much more difficult for us.  Read More ... By KENNETH COKER, Messenger Sports Reporter

Ballard QB Mallory drops bomb on Fulton Alex Mallory dropped the bomb on Fulton City Friday evening. The Ballard Memorial quarterback finished 18-for-29 with six touchdowns and 247 passing yards during the Bombers’ 64-22 victory in Kentucky First District play. “They threw the ball at will,” Bulldogs’ coach Wayne Lohaus said afterward. “Our pass defense was horrendous at the start of the game. Believe it or not, it did get better, though it’s hard to prove that looking at the stats. “Once we got over the shock of being thrown on, we got a little better. A young team has to learn to defend the pass. We’re not there yet and they picked us apart.” Fulton City running back Jacquise Lockett was “there” on Friday night, making his presence known with 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Lockett also carried in both of the two-point conversions to account for every FC point scored during the defeat. Read More ...

Camden ‘hosses’ outrun Ponies Michael Gaskin ran 96 yards for a touchdown out of punt formation and both Maurice Whitfield and Derrick Easley had long scoring scampers as Camden remained unbeaten with a 28-13 win over Huntingdon in a showdown of state-ranked teams in separate classifications Friday night. Gaskin, the quarterback for the No. 5 Lions (Class 3A), fielded a low snap with his team backed up near its own goalline and facing a fourth-and-long and then took off on his long touchdown dash for the game’s first score. Gaskin finished with 128 yards on just nine carries to lead a Camden team that outrushed the Mustangs 327-192 in a matchup of rural West Tennessee’s top running teams. Whitfield had a 52-yard TD sprint in the second period, and Easley broke free for a 50-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the victors. Read More ...

Game Day Notes For Week 5 Union City at TCA PLACE, TIME: Lion Field, 7 p.m. 2009 RECORDS: Union City 3-1; TCA 2-2. COACHES (RECORDS): Union City: Darren Bowling (120-65 in 17th season; 13-3 in 2nd season at UC); TCA: Michael Hodum (51-45 in 10th season). LAST MEETING: 2007. TCA hammered Union City, 42-0, in Round 1 of the playoffs. SERIES RECORD — TCA won the only other meeting. LAST WEEK — Union City beat Obion Central, 34-12, while TCA whipped Middleton, 50-14. KEY PLAYERS: Union City — RBs/LBs Josh Nicks and Kendrick Price, C/DT Will Arnold, OL/DT Ronnie Fair, OL/LB Rance Barnes, RB/LB Jacob Worley, QB Chase Bowling. TCA — QB/DB Jabriel Washington, FB/LB/K Josh Lenoir, RB/LB Austin Whitsitt, OL/DL Zac Hannaford. OUTLOOK: The fourth-ranked Tornadoes will face a multi-talented quarterback for the second consecutive week in TCA’s Washington. Just a junior, he has already drawn interest from Southeastern Conference schools (as a defensive back), and is rated among MaxPreps’ highest-touted prospects in rural West Tennessee. Read More ...

TODD SHANKS Todd Shanks’ UC gridiron battles exactly what the ‘doctor’ ordered The same qualities that distinguished Todd Shanks on the football field have obviously served him well in the medical profession. Shanks, a hard-nosed, passionate gridiron standout while at both Union City High School and the University of Tennessee at Martin, is slated to complete his Fellowship in functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University in January. His “tenacity for hard work” and “sound decision making” were among the many positive comments spoken on Shanks’ behalf when he completed his residency tenure at the University of Louisville Medical School. Family members and Shanks himself insist many of those qualities were learned on the football field on both the prep and collegiate levels. Read More ...

Name game might confuse some as Titans look to strike it rich in NY EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Get ready for the name game at the Meadowlands. OK, check it out: The Jets will be the Titans of New York, and the Titans will be the Oilers on Sunday. Confused? You’re not alone. “It’s like crazy voodoo stuff going on there,” Oilers, err, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins said. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Football League, the Titans (0-2) and Jets (2-0) — two of the charter franchises — will wear throwback uniforms from their previous incarnations.  Read More ... By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer

Hillcrest on course for redo vs. Devils After being knocked from its unbeaten path last week at South Fulton, Hillcrest is now on a collision course to face the Red Devils again. This time around, it will be for all of the Obion County School System’s football marbles. The Cougars earned their first Rebel Bowl berth since 2005 with a 26-0 blanking of Black Oak on Thursday. Hillcrest is now inked in to face the Redmen, who have claimed back-to-back OCSS middle school football crowns, on Oct. 8 in Troy. The Red Devils, who shellacked Ridgemont 46-8 on Thursday evening, are the only team to score against the Cougars this year. SF routed H’crest last Thursday 48-19. For the season, Hillcrest has outscored its opposition 145-48. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for September 25 Briefly Wyridge golf outing decided on scorecard Terry Wiseman, Eric Stansberry, Talmadge Campbell, Tom Cleveland and Sidney Chappell teamed to shoot an 8-under-par and win the weekly men’s golf scramble via scorecard playoff at Wynridge Greens in Troy on Thursday. The combination of Keith Winberry, Jake Winberry, Zack Callis and Cody Faulk claimed second place with a similar total. Wynridge Greens holds its weekly men’s scramble every Thursday. For more information, contact the course at 536-4653. Read More ...

Remember When? Devils knock off No. 1 Halls; Rebs stun top-ranked UC Remember when takes a look back at the local stories from the files of The Messenger that took place 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for September 24 Briefly OC girls runners 2nd, Rebels 3rd at Dyer Co. The Obion Central girls cross country team finished second, while their male counterparts came in third at a meet in Dyer County on Tuesday. Katie Beth Vancleave and Kelsey Barnes medaled for the girls, while Joshua Gale and Travis Daniel claimed hardware for the boys.  Read More ...

Vancleave, Lynch fastest finishers in Soybean 5K The Martin Kiwanis Club, Ken-Tenn Sports and The Sideline Physical Therapy and Fitness Center sponsored the 16th annual Tennessee Soybean Festival 5K Road Race on Sept. 12 as part of the Tennessee Soybean Festival. Read More ...

Legens keeps Jr. Dawgs unbeaten GLEASON, Tenn. — Behind three touchdowns from Ian Legens and a characteristic second-half surge, the Gleason Junior High Bulldogs remain undefeated on the season at 5-0. Their latest win came this past Thursday night against the McKenzie Middle School Rebels as the Dawgs scored 22 unanswered points after trailing 8-0 to win 22-8. Read More ... Sara Reid — Special to the Weakley County Pres

ROGERS UTM soccer pair nets two conference weekly awards For the first time in program history, two University of Tennessee at Martin soccer players have been honored simultaneously as a Player of the Week by the Ohio Valley Conference, as the league announced Tuesday that freshman Alex Windell was the Offensive Player of the Week, and junior Danielle Rogers earned the Defensive Player of the Week award. Read More ...

MMA Cage Fights Will Benefit St. Jude The first ever Army MMA Challenge Cage Fights, to be held Saturday, Sept. 26 at Union City Middle School in Union City, will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Read More ...

Season reaches midpoint for local high school teams The 2009 high school football season has reached the halfway mark, and the Weakley County high school teams have a week away from district competition to fine tune things before heading into the home stretch. Read More ...

Messenger Offensive Player of the Week Every week, The Messenger selects an Offensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Chase Bowling. Read More ...

Messenger Defensive Player of the Week Each week, The Messenger's sports staff selects a Defensive Player of the Week. This week, it is Union City's Keylon Hyde. Read More ...

Twisters don’t need motive to prepare for next-up foe On the heels of emotional games vs. Huntingdon and Obion Central, one might figure Union City is due for a letdown this week. Not a chance. And not because of what one might think, according to Darren Bowling. The Union City head coach disputes the notion that the Tornadoes will looking to settle a two-year-old score when they journey to Jackson to play a Trinity Christian Academy program that thrashed them 42-0 in 2007 in the program’s worst-ever playoff loss. “I believe we’ve grown to the stage where the emotional part might not be as big as it is with other teams,” Bowling said. “Don’t get me wrong, several of our seniors were sophomores and played a lot in that game. I’m sure they remember it, and they’d like to get a little bit of the bitter taste out of their mouths. But I just don’t think it’s entirely one of those ‘payback’ situations.” Read More ...

Messenger Sports Briefs for September 23 Briefly UCMS gridiron boss upbeat despite defeat Despite dropping its fifth straight game and falling to 1-5 on the season, head coach Bobby Williams saw some bright spots in the play of his Union City Middle School football team in the aftermath of a 28-0 loss to Humboldt Tuesday night. “The kids played a lot better and a lot harder than they have been. We might have turned the corner a little bit,” the Jr. Tornado head coach said of his troops. “We fought the whole game, and that hasn’t always been the case this season.” UC was without the services of its top player as Jamie Hyde suffered a broken wrist last week and will miss the remainder of the season. A couple of Twister starting linemen were out, too, with illnesses, according to Williams. Read More ...

Devilettes deal Hillcrest a defeat with three-of-a-kind hand Haeven Sisson, Sierra Coley and Holly Wright turned out to be three of a kind during South Fulton’s 11-4 triumph over Hillcrest on Monday. The trio of aforementioned Devilettes accounted for three hits each during the win on the Obion Central field. In other action on Monday, Ridgemont bested Rutherford 5-1 and Union City ended its season with a bang, blanking Martin 5-0. On another middle school softball note, Lake Road defeated Black Oak 9-2 in a game that was counted as only a “B” team contest between the two Obion County School System feeder programs. Due to the combination of a young team and low turnout for the squad at Hornbeak, all OCSS contests against BO are being counted as “B” games this year Read More ...