Sports Calendar: October 19-24

Some streaks will survive, others will end, and another busy week of Warren County sports is set to put both to the test.

Five teams remain undefeated across the county's elementary basketball divisions, but that number is guaranteed to shrink as West and Irving College square off Monday in a battle for first place in the boys standings. 

On the girls side, Boyd Christian and Hickory Creek are headed for a Thursday showdown between two 4-0 teams, with Irving College also looking to protect its perfect record.

Meanwhile, the WCHS football team will look to snap a three-game losing streak Friday when the Pioneers travel to Chattanooga to face Howard in their final road trip of the regular season.

Pioneers look to end skid at Howard

With two games remaining in the regular season, Warren County football is running out of opportunities to reverse a difficult stretch.

The Pioneers will make their final road trip of the season Friday, heading to Chattanooga for the second time this fall to face Howard in a matchup between two teams looking to finish the regular season on a stronger note. Warren County enters at 3-5 after three consecutive losses, while the Hustlin’ Tigers also sit at 3-5, having split their last four games following a 1-3 start.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST, or 6 p.m. McMinnville time, as the Pioneers look to snap a skid that has seen them outscored 129-23 over their last three games.

Warren County's latest setback came Friday at Nunley Stadium, where a promising start against Cannon County gave way to a difficult second half in a 39-9 Homecoming loss.

The Pioneers made an early statement on their opening drive, as quarterback A.J. Whitman broke free for a 69-yard run on Warren County’s first offensive play. Although a penalty pushed the Pioneers backward, Whitman kept the drive alive with a fourth-down conversion before Gavin Looper connected on a 14-yard field goal to give Warren County a 3-0 lead.

Warren County's defense helped preserve that lead for much of the first half, forcing three turnovers on downs and keeping Cannon County's offense from finding much success.

The Lions finally broke through late in the second quarter, capitalizing on a Warren County interception to take a 7-3 lead into halftime.

The competitive first half quickly became a distant memory after the break.

Cannon County scored 19 unanswered points in the third quarter and continued pulling away in the fourth, turning two Warren County turnovers into defensive touchdowns. The Lions eventually stretched their lead to 39-3 before junior running back Jacob See provided a late highlight for the Pioneers.

See broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run with one minute remaining, finishing with 86 rushing yards on just three carries.

Whitman led Warren County with 116 yards on 19 carries, helping the Pioneers finish with 205 rushing yards despite their offensive struggles. Through the air, however, Whitman completed eight passes for 33 yards and was intercepted three times.

Warren County coach Eric Belew acknowledged the need for improvement on both sides of the ball following the defeat.

“I think defensively we played a really good game for a half,” Belew said following the loss. “But it kind of unraveled there towards the second half. We just need to play a complete game, and that all starts with me.”

The loss marked Warren County's third straight after the Pioneers had previously won three consecutive games to climb above .500.

With Howard awaiting Friday and Glencliff scheduled to visit Nunley Stadium for the regular-season finale, Warren County has two opportunities remaining to finish the regular season on a positive note.

Star 107 will carry Friday's game on 107.3 FM, with Jeff Barnes handling play-by-play alongside analyst Ben Matheney. Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. EST.

Lady Hawks, Lady Broncos headed for collision

Three undefeated teams remain in Warren County's elementary girls basketball division, but the coming week could bring significant changes near the top of the standings.

Boyd Christian and Hickory Creek enter the week tied atop the division at 4-0, while Irving College remains perfect at 3-0. All three will face opportunities to extend their winning streaks, including a Thursday showdown between the Lady Broncos and Lady Hawks that could leave one of the county's two four-win teams unbeaten.

Hickory Creek will host Boyd Thursday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last year's tournament championship, but both teams have business to handle before their anticipated meeting.

The Lady Broncos will welcome Eastside Monday, while defending champs Hickory Creek host Bobby Ray. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m.

Boyd has established itself as one of the county's strongest teams through the opening weeks, winning its first four county contests before adding a pair of non-county victories during the break in county play.

Sky Wright has led the Lady Broncos offensively, scoring 46 points through four county games, while Boyd's defense has also been difficult to solve.

Hickory Creek has been equally impressive, allowing just four points in its latest victory over Dibrell on Thursday.

The Lady Hawks carried an 8-4 halftime advantage before shutting out the Lady Wildcats throughout the second half, scoring 15 unanswered points to complete a 23-4 victory.

Daisy George led Hickory Creek with 11 points, while Kimber Lowe added eight. Lowe has now scored 46 points through the Lady Hawks' first four games, including consecutive 12-point performances against West and Morrison.

Irving College also maintained its unbeaten start Thursday, defeating Bobby Ray 15-4 to improve to 3-0.

The Lady Tigers built a 10-2 halftime advantage and extended the lead to 15-2 after three quarters before closing out their third consecutive victory.

Willow Hertwig led Irving College with six points, followed by Sophia Stubblefield with four and Sophia Hawkins with three.

Behind the unbeaten leaders, Centertown sits at 3-1 after returning from fall break with a 30-10 victory over West. Lynlee Taylor scored 14 points to lead the Lady Warriors, who held West scoreless through the first three quarters.

Eastside has also begun climbing the standings after opening the season with consecutive losses. The Lady Bulldogs have won two straight, including a 19-7 victory over Dibrell Tuesday behind seven points from Mia Rodriguez.

The week begins with four county matchups Monday, followed by Centertown's rescheduled trip to Irving College on Tuesday and three more games on Thursday.

Unbeaten Wizards, Tigers set for clash

Only two unbeaten teams remain in Warren County's elementary boys basketball division, and one of those perfect records will come to an end Monday night when West hosts Irving College in a 7 p.m. showdown for the top spot in the standings.

The Wizards enter at 4-0, while the Tigers have won their first three games. Both teams kept their unbeaten starts intact with victories Thursday, although they took very different paths to set up the early-season clash.

West continued its impressive start with a 32-14 victory over Morrison, building a 21-6 halftime advantage before maintaining control throughout the second half.

Cam Chadwell led the Wizards with 10 points, following his season-high 18-point performance against previously unbeaten Centertown two nights earlier.

Chadwell has scored 48 points through West's first four games, averaging 12 per contest. Malik Ellis added eight against Morrison, while Byron Keyes scored seven.

The Wizards have won all four games by double digits, including a 32-14 victory over Centertown Tuesday that handed the Warriors their first loss.

Irving College faced a much tougher challenge Thursday against Bobby Ray.

The Tigers watched an eight-point halftime advantage disappear as the Stars rallied to tie the game 13-13 after three quarters. Irving College recovered in the fourth, however, outscoring Bobby Ray 7-3 to secure a 20-16 victory.

Tucker Fann led the Tigers with nine points, while True Lusk added five.

Monday's matchup will determine which team takes sole possession of first place, but Irving College's challenging week will be far from over.

The Tigers will return home Tuesday to face Centertown before traveling to Dibrell Thursday, giving them three games against teams that enter the week with a combined 11-2 record.

Dibrell has become one of the county's hottest teams after opening the season with a loss to Centertown.

The Wildcats have responded with four consecutive victories, most recently defeating Hickory Creek 21-10 on Thursday to improve to 4-1.

Jean Garcia led Dibrell with nine points, while Owen Willis added six. Garcia has scored 16 points in the Wildcats' two games since fall break, following a seven-point performance against Eastside Tuesday.

Dibrell will visit Morrison Monday before hosting Irving College Thursday in another matchup with potential implications near the top of the standings.

Centertown, meanwhile, enters the week at 3-1 after suffering its first loss against West last Tuesday. The Warriors will have an opportunity to respond when they travel to Irving College Tuesday before visiting Morrison Thursday.

With West and Irving College preparing to settle their unbeaten showdown and Dibrell riding a four-game winning streak, the boys division could look considerably different by the end of the week.

Full Schedule

(Subject to change)

Monday, Oct. 19
Bobby Ray basketball at Hickory Creek - 6 p.m.
Dibrell basketball at Morrison - 6 p.m.
Eastside basketball at Boyd - 6 p.m.
Irving College basketball at West - 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 20
Centertown basketball at Irving College - 6 p.m.
WCMS 6th grade basketball at Coffee Co. - 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 21
No events scheduled

Thursday, Oct. 22
Boyd basketball at Hickory Creek - 6 p.m.
Centertown basketball at Morrison - 6 p.m.
Irving College basketball at Dibrell - 6 p.m.
WCMS 6th grade basketball at White Co. - 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 23
WCHS football at Howard (Chattanooga) - 7 p.m. EST

Saturday, Oct. 24
WCMS 6th grade basketball (boys) vs Dibrell - 10 a.m.
WCMS 6th grade basketball vs Irving College - 11:30 a.m.