Sports Calendar: August 24-29

Another packed week of fall sports is on tap in Warren County, with several teams looking to keep hot starts rolling and others preparing for some of their biggest tests of the young season.

WCHS football returns to Nunley Stadium looking to bounce back from an overtime heartbreaker, while the Lady Pioneer volleyball team takes its perfect start on the road for three matches. WCHS girls soccer will also open District 9-3A play after splitting its first two contests.

In middle school sports, Warren County Middle football will put its perfect record on the line against reigning CTC champion Tullahoma, while the WCMS girls soccer team enters the week unbeaten and the middle school volleyball team carries a six-match winning streak into another busy slate.

Home stand begins for Pioneers

Warren County football will get its first chance to play in front of the home crowd Friday, Aug. 28, when Livingston Academy visits Nunley Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Pioneers will be looking to regroup after dropping a 10-7 overtime battle at DeKalb County in Friday's season opener.

Warren County trailed 7-0 in the fourth quarter before A.J. Whitman, making his varsity quarterback debut, helped pull the Pioneers even. In the fourth quarter, the junior signal-caller broke loose for a 28-yard run to the DeKalb 4 and punched it in himself on the following play, tying the game with 3:36 remaining.

The Pioneers got the ball back with one more chance to win in regulation and quickly moved into DeKalb territory behind a 29-yard Whitman run, but penalties helped stall the drive and the border battle eventually went to overtime.

Warren County won the overtime coin toss and elected to defend first, with DeKalb starting at the Pioneer 25 following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of regulation. The Tigers worked their way inside the 10, but Warren County's defense held and forced Adrian Prater to kick a 26-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.

The Pioneers then took over at the DeKalb 10, but a personal foul pushed them back to the 20. On the next snap, Whitman raced toward the left side before losing the football, allowing the Tigers to recover and bring the game to a sudden end.

Whitman was the driving force offensively in his first varsity start at quarterback, rushing 16 times for 150 yards and a touchdown. Warren County's defense also repeatedly kept the Pioneers in the game, forcing turnovers and keeping DeKalb scoreless through the first three quarters.

Despite the disappointing finish, coach Eric Belew remained confident the Pioneers can use the loss as a springboard moving forward.

“I think it all comes back to me as the head coach. I got to do a better job of preparing our players,” Belew said. “I think this team has an extremely high ceiling, and I think this is gonna be a turning point for us to start moving in the right direction.”

Now the Pioneers turn their attention to a Livingston Academy squad that handed them a 38-3 loss last season.

The Wildcats have steadily rebuilt after back-to-back winless seasons in 2021 and 2022, improving from three wins in 2023 to four in 2024 and five last fall. Livingston has also won each of its three meetings with Warren County since 2003.

Friday's matchup begins a three-game home stand for the Pioneers.

Road tests await Lady Pioneers

WCHS volleyball could not have asked for a much better opening week.

The Lady Pioneers went 3-0, sweeping Cannon County and LaVergne while knocking off Wilson Central in four sets to open District 7-3A play.

Warren County will spend the entirety of week two on the road, starting with a short trip down Highway 55 to face border rival Coffee County on Monday. The Lady Pioneers will then jump back into district action Tuesday at Cookeville before traveling to Smyrna on Thursday. All three varsity matches are scheduled for 6 p.m.

Balance has been a major strength through the first three matches.

Sloan Youngblood has led Warren County's attack with 31 kills, including 11 apiece against Cannon County and Wilson Central and nine against LaVergne. Natalie Payne has added 15 kills, while Aubrey Oleksik has 15 and Brynlee Chisam has 10.

The Lady Pioneers have also received production from all over the floor. Elliana Heintz totaled 13 aces during the opening week, including eight against Cannon County, while Reese Reinitz finished the three-match stretch with 32 assists. Maelee Turner added 42 assists in the entire opening week.

Warren County closed the week by rolling past LaVergne 25-13, 25-12 and 25-15 on Thursday, giving the Lady Pioneers their eighth consecutive victory over the Wolverines dating back to 2023.

“The girls have really come to play this week,” coach Erin Blalock said after Thursday’s victory. “We knew it was going to be a big week, especially with two district games, and we wanted to come out and be 3-0.”

WCHS soccer prepares for district opener

After splitting its first two matches, WCHS girls soccer has two more opportunities ahead this week, including its first District 9-3A contest.

The Lady Pioneers will host Smyrna Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a non-district affair before traveling to Lincoln County Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. district opener.

Warren County opened the season with a 3-2 victory over Ooltewah behind a big night from Emory MacDonald. MacDonald scored twice and assisted Addison Steakley on the eventual game-winner.

The Lady Pioneers then suffered their first setback Thursday, falling 4-1 at Riverdale. Steakley accounted for Warren County's lone goal, giving her two through the opening two matches.

WCMS football set for showdown with Tullahoma

Few local teams have started hotter than Warren County Middle football.

The Pioneers are 3-0 after victories over DeKalb County, Jasper and Bridgeforth and will welcome Tullahoma to Nunley Stadium Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for what coach Ben Matheney has already circled as an important early-season test.

Warren County has outscored its first three opponents 112-28, most recently rolling past Bridgeforth 38-0 in its home opener.

Brody Chisam was everywhere in the victory, scoring on a 33-yard run, catching a touchdown pass and returning an interception for another score. Gabe Rowland, Bryson Anderson and Ryan King also scored touchdowns as Warren County found the end zone in every quarter.

Being last year’s Central Tennessee Conference champs, Tullahoma presents a different challenge.

“They're the reigning conference champions, and that's the goal we want for ourselves,” Matheney said following the win over Bridgeforth. “That game means a lot to us. Of all the teams we play, I think they're the only one we haven't gotten a win against in my tenure here, and we're going to bring it next week.”

Unbeaten Lady Pioneers keep rolling

The WCMS girls soccer team enters another busy week as one of Warren County's remaining unbeaten squads.

The Lady Pioneers improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in District 7-AA play Friday with a 5-3 victory at Algood. Warren County had posted three consecutive shutouts entering the matchup, but its offense picked up the slack when Algood finally broke through.

L.B. Guthrie continued her torrid start by scoring four times, pushing her season total to 12 goals in only five matches. Guthrie has scored in every game and has recorded multiple goals in four straight. Abigail Laxson added Warren County's other goal against Algood.

The Lady Pioneers will see a familiar opponent Monday when Coffee County comes to town for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. Warren County edged the Lady Raiders 3-2 in its season opener Aug. 7.

District play resumes Thursday with a 6 p.m. road match at White County.

Six straight and counting for WCMS volleyball

Four matches in five days did nothing to slow down Warren County Middle volleyball.

The Lady Pioneers swept through the demanding stretch, extending their winning streak to six matches and improving to 9-2 overall. Warren County picked up district victories over Cumberland County, White County and Avery Trace before finishing the week with a 25-22, 25-18 sweep of Coffee County on Friday.

Ellie Dixon helped lead the way throughout the week, totaling 25 kills and 13 aces over the four victories. She saved one of her most well-rounded performances for the finale, tying for the team lead with five kills and five aces while also recording six digs against Coffee County.

Fallon Youngblood continued to direct the offense, piling up 41 assists during the four-match stretch, including 14 against White County and 12 against Avery Trace. Khloe Howell provided another consistent option at the net with 18 kills over the three district victories, including seven apiece against White County and Avery Trace.

Lyvia Wilson anchored the back row for the first three matches, recording 33 digs, but was forced to sit against Coffee County because of back pain. Anna Kate Bryant stepped into the varsity libero role and made an immediate impact, finishing with six digs and two aces in the victory.

“I was really impressed with Anna Kate stepping up on varsity and holding her own,” coach Bethany Mesaros said. “Everyone is improving on their serving and working to get a two-ace-to-one-error ratio. They are moving well on the court and finding the weak spots of our opponents while working to close those areas on our defense.”

Maebry Yates also recorded six digs and three kills against Coffee County, while Emma Boon added three aces, two kills and two assists. Youngblood finished with six assists and three digs as Warren County put the finishing touches on its perfect week.

There will not be much time for the Lady Pioneers to slow down. Warren County travels to Algood Monday at 5:30 p.m. before visiting Prescott Tuesday at 5:30. Another road match awaits Friday when the Lady Pioneers take on Cannon County at 5 p.m.

Full Schedule

(Subject to change)

Monday, Aug. 24
WCMS volleyball @ Algood - 5:30
WCMS girls soccer vs Coffee County - 5:30
WCHS volleyball @ Coffee County - 6:00
Boyd volleyball vs Cannon County - 6:00

Tuesday, Aug. 25
WCHS golf vs White County - 10:30
WCMS volleyball @ Prescott - 5:30
WCHS volleyball @ Cookeville - 6:00
WCHS girls soccer vs Smyrna - 6:00
Boyd volleyball @ Legacy - 6:00
WCMS football vs Tullahoma - 6:30

Thursday, Aug. 27
WCHS golf @ Tullahoma - 1:00
WCHS volleyball @ Smyrna - 6:00
WCMS girls soccer @ White County - 6:00
WCHS girls soccer @ Lincoln County - 6:30

Friday, Aug. 28
WCMS volleyball @ Cannon County - 5:00
WCHS football vs Livingston - 7:00