Shelton sets Fiddler 5K record
Brian Shelton of Cookeville dominated the 19th Annual Fiddler 5K and One-Mile Fun Run in July, taking the overall top spot and setting a new course record at 16:12.6, based on a chip elapsed time.
The 5K and Fun Run were run Saturday morning before the Jamboree began, with 321 total runners registered for the races this year, up several entries from last year’s event. Profits from the runs are earmarked for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County.
Last year’s winner, Caleb Aikens of Cookeville, took second overall with a time of 18:00.3, and Will Stephens of Smithville came in third overall with a time of 18:05.3. Connor Vance topped the fun run with a time of 06:47.3.
The overall winner in the female category this year was Kristen Van Vranken of Silver Point. Van Vranken covered the 3.1 mile course in 20:23.8. Sean Edwards topped the Male masters division with a 19:12.1 elapsed time, while Kendra Faith Edwards took the top spot in the Female Masters category with a 24:53.4.
DeKalb All-Stars make it to state semi-finals
The 5-6-year-old DeKalb County Tiger Coach Pitch All-Star team made it to the semi-final round of the Tennessee Youth Baseball State Tournament at Barfield Crescent Park in Murfreesboro in July.
The Tigers faced the Unionville All-Star team in their first game pool play at 6 p.m. on July 22, and were defeated in a 19-9 game. DeKalb turned the score around on the Lascassas Lake Monsters at 11 a.m. on Saturday, however, this time winning by a score of 19-9.
The Tigers met Williams Cabinet at 5 p.m. on July 23, obliterating the opposition 23-6.
DeKalb entered tournament play on July 24 seeded third in the state. The Tigers were set to square off against the Lake Monsters again in the first game at 10 a.m., but the team from Lascassas dropped out of the tourney, giving the tigers a free pass to the semi-final round.
The Unionville All-Stars were back to trouble the Tigers in the next round, but DeKalb put in a much better showing than they did in the opener, battling Unionville tooth and nail to the finish. When time ran out, however, Unionville was ahead 21-16, and the Tigers were eliminated from the tournament.
Unionville went on to be defeated by the Shelbyville Firecrackers for the state championship.
Wrestling comes to the fair
USA Championship Wrestling came to the DeKalb county Fair last week, and an impressive crowd gathered around to see wrestlers of all sizes face off in the square circle.
Matt Starr bested Desperado in the hot sun at the fair in the first match of the night. Jacob Law took down Kevin Zion to retain the Middleweight title, and Chris Michaels defended and retained his heavyweight title.
The final match of the evening saw Little Fabio defeat Little Kevin in a barnburner. Though small in stature, the two wrestlers fought like wildcats when they weren’t too busy harassing the referee.
DCHS cheerleaders earn gold ribbons at TTU camp
The DCHS Basketball Cheerleaders recently attended UCA cheerleading camp at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville where they received several individual and team awards.
During the week, they were evaluated and earned 3 gold ribbons (the highest) for chants, home dance and Xtreme routine. They earned a blue ribbon for cheer routine and won the spirit stick every day.
Six girls were nominated for All-American Cheerleader: Allison Rogers, Maegan Harris, Hannah Evans, Amelia Patterson, Brooklynn Estes, and Zoe Maynard. They tried out by performing the Xtreme Routine Dance, the All-American Cheer, and their best jump in front of judges. Allison Rogers and Maegan Harris were selected for the All-American Team.
Malia Stanley won the camp-wide “jump off” competition.
Maegan Harris was pinned by a peer during the “Pin It Forward” portion of awards day as someone who exemplifies what it is to be a cheerleader.
Allison Rogers and Maegan Harris were asked to join the UCA staff.
During the competition portion of camp, the team competed with 20 other teams from around Tennessee. They brought home a first place trophy and 2 second place trophies for band chant, sideline chant, and cheer routine.
Other members of the team include: Hailey Redmon, Olivia Winter, Kaitlyn Bain, Leslie Hembree, Madison Mick, Emily Roehner, Payton Bowman, Haley Dies, Holly Evans, and Grace King.
Injury ends Jennings football career
The Tiger football team was forced to finish the season without senior Quarterback Steven Jennings after a torn ACL ended his football career in September.
“Unfortunately his football career came to an end last week at Smith County during the first offensive drive of the third quarter,” Tiger Head coach Steve Trapp told the Review. Backup quarterback Tyler Cantrell, a junior, led the Tigers for the remainder of the season. Cantrell acquitted himself admirably against Smith County, taking the team to a 34-32 win after Jennings was injured.
“We’ve had a long line of great quarterbacks here, and I told Tyler that his time had come sooner than we expected, but we’ve got a lot of confidence in him. He came in last week and did an excellent job. As far as the offensive game plan, we didn’t change anything. When we needed big plays in the passing game he came up with them. When we needed big plays in the running game he produced first downs as well. Super proud about the way he came in, and super proud about the way our guys rallied around him.”
Pee-Wee Tigers chop up Cavaliers for conference championship
The Pee-Wee Tigers took the Western Conference Championship from the Cookeville Pee-Wee Cavaliers in October.
After playing the Cavaliers to a triple-overtime standstill before winning by a touchdown in their previous meeting, the Tigers took Cookeville down in a 12-6 game to win the conference title.
The teams battled it out without scoring in the first half of the game,
DeKalb finally put six on the board in the early minutes of the third, when Ryan Lyons took the pigskin into the end zone from 42 yards out. A failed extra point conversion put DeKalb up 6-0.
Cookeville trailed until the 5:36 mark in the fourth quarter, when they tied the score on a short run. A failed EP left the score at 6-6.
Not to be outdone, Ryan Lyons took the ball across the goal line again for the Tigers with 5:10 left in the game. A failed EP attempt put DeKalb up 12-6, where the =score remained until the final buzzer.
Cope joins Ole Miss staff
Former Lady Tiger coach goes to Oxford
Head coach Matt Insell announced in October that former DCHS Lady Tiger Basketball Coach Joe Pat Cope has joined the coaching staff of the Ole Miss Rebels Women’s Basketball team as a video coordinator.
Cope spent a short period of time serving as the assistant coach for the ladies basketball team at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro before being snatched up by Ole Miss.
“I had been at Murfreesboro Riverdale since June,” Cope told the Review Friday. “I was teaching American History and helping coach. That was a great opportunity. Coach Randy Coffman has a good program, and the girls are expected to win the state this year.”
Bigger things were in the works, however, and Cope recently got a call that changed his path.
“I was sitting at home a couple of weeks ago, and coach Insell called,” Cope said. “He said his video coordinator left to go to Clemson, and asked me if I would be interested in the job. I came down and interviewed and toured the campus, and just fell in love with it down here in Oxford. It’s also a great opportunity to get to the next level.”
Cope, who also served as golf and tennis coach and taught World History and Geography at DCHS as well as coaching the Lady Tigers for seven seasons, began his career as assistant boys’ coach at Lebanon High School. He is a two-time graduate of Tennessee Tech with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts.
Walker finishes DCHS golf season14th in state
DCHS Golfer Isaac Walker tied for 14th out of 72 golfers in the recent TSSAA Class A-AA state tournament at Willowbrook Golf Club in October.
Walker, a sophomore, shot a 77 and a 74 for a two-day tally of 151 in the event, his second state tourney appearance in his two years golfing for the high school team. DCHS golf Coach John Pryor told the Review that Walker has a bright future ahead.
"In the regular season he was 20-2 in match play," Pryor said. "He’s good. He finished third in the district with a 76. He finished second in the region, and shot a 75." Both the district and the region tournaments were held at Fall Creek Falls.
"Not only did he tie for 14th of 72 golfers in the state at Willowbrook in Manchester," Pryor continued. "He shot a 77/74, and he’s a sophomore. He went to state as freshman as well, shot an 80/80, and finished in the middle of the pack.
Walker, the son of Scott and Misty Walker and brother of DCHS Tigerette Softball standout Hannah Walker, said his father inspired him to take up the game. He said his dad is a lefty, and he is right handed, so he would mirror his father’s swing when he was learning the game.
"My dad got me into it," Walker told the Review. "He’s always been my inspiration to improve my game, and has always pushed me along. I would stand across from him and watch him swing when I started learning to play."
Peewee Tigers pounce on Bulldogs for Super Bowl win
The first ever Middle Tennessee Youth Football Super Bowl game resulted in a win for the DeKalb County Peewee Tigers in a defensive battle against the Fentress County Bulldogs at York Institute in Jamestown in October.
The Tigers, 9-1 on the season and ranked ninth in the state when post-season play began, set out not only to win the championship, but to avenge their only loss of the season, a triple overtime heartbreaker to the Bulldogs in the season opener.
While the game remained scoreless through most of the first half, Nick "Bam-Bam" Murphy broke loose with 2:27 on the clock in the second quarter and ran the ball in for touchdown. An incomplete pass from Bryant to Preston Taylor on the conversion left DeKalb up 6-0 at the half.
The Tigers still held on to a 6-0 advantage until the end of the game.
Ford Dealer presents more than $6,000 to football program
Florence & White Ford of Smithville presented checks in the amount of $6,020 to the DCHS football program in October.
The money, raised during the Ford Drive event at the high school, was given to Tiger Football Coach Steve Trapp and DCHS Quarterback Club President Darrell Gill by Jimmy White of Florence and White Ford. Florence and White brought several new Fords to the school parking lot, during Family Football Night at DCHS, and money was donated for each vehicle test-driven by the community before DeKalb faced Friendship Christian.
Trapp said he was thankful for the support of both the Ford dealer and the people of DeKalb County.
“We appreciate our entire community and all their support. The Ford Drive Program is something new we kind of found in the last couple of years, and it has really helped our program. Florence and White Ford has really supported athletics in DeKalb County, including football,” Trapp said. “It wouldn’t work without the community coming out to test drive the cars. Our Quarterback club put together a barbecue dinner, and we called it Football Community Night. It came together really well with a lot of great people, and if you know me, it’s all about the people. We really appreciate the support of our whole county, especially Florence and White Ford, and the money will be put to good use in support of our program.”
“This Test Drive for Ford is great for our football program, Gill added. “It’s great for our community fans to come out, enjoy barbeque, and help kick off the football season. We look at doing this as an annual thing now, and if you’re going to buy a new Ford make sure you go to Florence and White Ford and give these guys the first chance.”
“We’re just happy to be able to help out and give back to the community,” remarked Jimmy White of Florence and White Ford.
First DCHS alumni baseball game played
A DeKalb County High School Alumni Baseball Game was held at the DeKalb County High School Baseball Field in November.
DCHS Baseball Coach Jon Kefauver invited former Tiger baseball players to come out and showcase their skills, meet current players and coaches, and prove to former teammates, family, and friends they can still hang with the youngsters.
The field opened for batting practice at 8 a.m., and the alumni team took on some of the younger members of the Tiger baseball squad at 9:30 a.m. The teams fought hard, with the alumni eventually topping the young men 3-2.
“We’re having a lot of fun here today,” Kefauver told the Review during the game. “My thanks to everyone who came out to participate. We hope to make this an annual event.”
Both teams, as well as the fans, seemed to enjoy the event. Lunch was served for the participants after the game.
Ruch Medals at TSSAA State meet
Named All Mid-State in MSCCA
Mya Ruch became the first high school student in DeKalb County to place and medal at the TSSAA Cross Country State meet, held at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Nov. 5, in her freshman year. Ruch placed 15th out of 181 runners, received a medal, set a personal record with a time of 20:32, and earned a spot on the TSSAA All-State Team.
Ruch was also named to the MSCCA All Mid-State Bronze Team for her quick times in several meets this season. She attended their banquet on Nov. 7 at Brentwood Academy, and was one of 21 runners in the girls division named to the All Mid-State Team in 2016.
Melissa Ruch is the head coach of the girls’ cross country team, and Sonja House is the Assistant Coach.
Martin gets 257th career win in season opener
A win in the season opener in November gave DeKalb County High School Tiger Basketball Coach Lynus Martin his 257th career win and moved him into second place in all-time Tiger basketball coaching wins.
Martin surpassed Coach Danny Bond, who recorded a 256-220 record in 17 seasons with the Tiger basketball team, to claim the honor. Martin now pulls up behind Coach Harold Luna, who won 516 games as both Tiger and Lady Tiger coach from 1968-84.
Martin was beginning his fifteenth season coaching the team, with the two seasons serving as assistant to Head Coach Danny Bond. He took over after Bond resigned in 2003. Martin, now at 257-169, told the Review that he would not be in the position today without Bond.
“To be able to be here that long and to be blessed to do what I love doing is remarkable,” Martin said. “I never thought I’d be here for that many games, and I owe a big thanks to Danny Bond. He hired me, and trusted me enough to have me on his staff, and he’s the reason I’m here today, and I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Trapp named Offensive Assistant Coach of the Year
DCHS Tiger Football Coach Clarence Trapp was selected as Region 4-3A Offensive Assistant Coach of the Year in November.
A plethora of Tigers joined Trapp in receiving awards in Region 4-3A, including:
Most Outstanding Linebacker: Nick May
Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman: Tayvian Nokes
Most Outstanding Defensive Back: Bradley Miller
Most Outstanding Tight End: Christian Pruitt
Most Outstanding Punter: Matthew Poss
1st Team All Region: Eli Cross
1st Team All Region: Luke Green
1st Team All Region: Steven Jennings
1st Team All Region: Riley Sexton
1st Team All Region: Devin Zaderiko
2nd Team All Region: Devin Bain
2nd Team All Region: Gage Delape
2nd Team All Region: Tyler Cantrell
Awards were presented at a banquet on Dec. 4.
Agee tops 200 wins at DMS
DMS Lady Saints Head Coach Josh Agee won his 200th game in his 14 years coaching at the school in December.
Agee said that while winning isn’t everything, it is certainly better than losing.
“Winning a certain amount of games was never a goal for me as a coach,” Agee told the Review. “I have always just wanted to win. After going 3-17 in my first season, all I can say is this program has come a long way. It took every player and coach to get where it is today. Last year we finally made to the top of the mountain, winning the James C. Haile state tournament.”
Agee said he is fortunate to have the opportunity to affect so many young lives.
“Wins will come and go, and records will be forgotten, but I will never forget the memories that have been made with so many wonderful people,” the coach said. “My goal as a coach has always been to make a difference in people's lives. I have always wanted to teach them about hard work, dedication, determination, being a good team mate, and having love for one another. I have been very blessed by God to have this opportunity.
