Sports Calendar: Sept. 14-19

The middle of September brings a shift in the fall sports season across Warren County, with some teams beginning to eye the finish line while others are reaching pivotal stretches of their schedules.

WCHS football heads back on the road riding consecutive victories, while Lady Pioneer volleyball looks to build on a strong finish to the previous week with three district matches ahead. The girls soccer team steps outside district play after having its five-match winning streak snapped, golf closes its regular season at home and the cross country squad faces a two-meet week after a strong showing in Crossville.

The middle school slate also carries plenty of significance, with Eighth Grade Night on tap across the board as unbeaten WCMS football puts its 5-0 record on the line and the volleyball and girls soccer squads enter their final regular-season stretches.

Pioneers seek third straight

The Pioneers spent the first two weeks learning how quickly a game could slip away, but since then, they’ve made sure they’re the ones taking control.

Warren County will take a 2-2 record and a string of back-to-back wins to Chattanooga on Friday, Sept. 18, when the Pioneers visit Hixson for a 7 p.m. EST kickoff.

The road trip comes after Warren County closed a three-game homestand on a high note, pulling away from Franklin County 34-21 Friday at Nunley Stadium. A.J. Whitman rushed for a season-high 236 yards and two touchdowns, threw for two more scores and Dylan Aguilar delivered a game-changing 34-yard interception return for a touchdown.

More importantly, the Pioneers repeatedly showed the ability to respond when things started going against them.

Warren County twice watched leads disappear against Franklin County, including a 14-0 advantage late in the first half. The Rebels tied the game 14-14 before halftime and answered Warren County's first touchdown of the third quarter to knot things again at 21-21.

This time, the Pioneers never let the game get away.

Whitman answered by leading another scoring drive, finding Colton Wood for a 7-yard touchdown to put Warren County back in front. Aguilar jumped a Baylor Hayes pass on Franklin County's next possession and raced untouched to the end zone, stretching the advantage to 34-21. The Pioneer defense took over from there, keeping Franklin County scoreless over the final 17 minutes.

“It goes to their character. They're just extremely disciplined in that regard of being in the moment,” coach Eric Belew said after Friday’s win. “Obviously, the penalties are extremely frustrating, and we've got to get those fixed. And that starts with me, from the top down, making sure that those problems are solved. But we are not letting those penalties affect us and we’re continuing to move forward and make plays.”

The victory followed Warren County's 41-12 rout of Hunters Lane and moved the Pioneers back to .500 after beginning the season with one-score losses to DeKalb County and Livingston Academy.

Hixson enters Friday at 0-4, but the Wildcats are only a year removed from a 5-6 season that included a runner-up finish in Region 3-4A and a Class 4A playoff appearance. Hixson graduated 16 seniors from that squad, including Region 3-4A Offensive Player of the Year Jake Pollock and Defensive Player of the Year Jemarion Moss.

Warren County won last year's meeting 31-14 at Nunley Stadium, overcoming an early deficit to earn what became its third consecutive victory.

Friday's kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. Star 107 will carry the game on 107.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. EST.

Lady Pioneers look to build on breakthrough

After spending much of the past two weeks searching for a way to finish close district matches, the WCHS volleyball team may have found something to build on.

The Lady Pioneers closed last week with consecutive victories over LaVergne and Van Buren County, and they'll try to carry that turnaround into three District 7-3A matches this week.

Warren County opens the week Monday at Charlie Dalton Gymnasium with a rematch against Cookeville before hosting Smyrna Tuesday. The Lady Pioneers will then hit the road Thursday for another district rematch at Lebanon. All three varsity matches are scheduled for 6 p.m.

Getting to that point required Warren County to endure another difficult start last week.

The Lady Pioneers raced to a two-set lead Tuesday at Wilson Central and appeared poised to snap a four-match district skid before the Lady Wildcats completely flipped the match. Wilson Central took a tight third set 25-23, dominated the fourth 25-5 and finished the comeback with a 15-7 victory in the fifth.

Two nights later, Warren County found itself in another five-set battle at LaVergne. This time, the finish belonged to the Lady Pioneers.

After splitting the first four sets, Warren County dominated the decisive fifth 15-6 to secure a much-needed district victory and complete a regular-season sweep of LaVergne.

“I’m definitely proud of the girls for settling in, not getting down on themselves or each other, and finding a way to win tonight,” coach Erin Blalock said after the road victory. “It was a big win that we really needed.”

The Lady Pioneers carried that response into a special in-school match Friday afternoon at The Dalt, sweeping neighboring Van Buren County 25-9, 25-12 and 25-12 in front of a packed crowd of students.

Warren County enters the new week at 8-10 overall and 4-5 in District 7-3A. Cookeville swept the first meeting between the teams Aug. 25, giving the Lady Pioneers an immediate opportunity Monday to show how far they've come since the first trip through the district schedule.

Lady Pioneers shift focus to road swing

A shutout loss brought the WCHS girls soccer team's five-game winning streak to an end, but it didn't erase the work the Lady Pioneers did to build it.

Warren County split a pair of District 9-3A matches last week, beating Coffee County 2-0 at home before falling 2-0 at Shelbyville. The results moved the Lady Pioneers to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in district play heading into a pair of non-district road matches this week.

Warren County will travel to Lafayette Tuesday for a 6 p.m. matchup with Macon County, then head to Lebanon Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.

Last week began with Warren County extending its winning streak to five against Coffee County. Ashlyn Bailey broke a scoreless tie late in the first half before Noelle Bratcher struck on a long free kick to give the Lady Pioneers a 2-0 cushion.

Freshman goalkeeper Kinsley Simpson and the Warren County defense made those two goals stand, recording the team's fourth regulation shutout in five matches.

Shelbyville presented a different challenge Thursday.

The Golden Eaglettes kept Warren County under pressure for much of the night and scored once in each half to hand the Lady Pioneers their first district setback. Warren County struggled to generate the consistent attack that had helped fuel its five-match winning streak, and a comeback never materialized.

“This was a tough night for our girls, but they continued to battle and compete throughout the entire match,” coach Todd Willmore said following the Shelbyville loss. “Unfortunately, Shelbyville was the more aggressive team and kept us under pressure for much of the game.”

With two non-district matches ahead, Warren County will have a chance to shake off the loss before diving back into District 9-3A play.

WCHS golf wraps up regular season

The regular season finish line has arrived for the WCHS golf team, and both Warren County squads will enter their final tuneup coming off one of their strongest performances of the year.

The Pioneers and Lady Pioneers will host Shelbyville Monday at McMinnville Country Club, with tee time scheduled for 1 p.m. It will be Warren County's final regular-season event before turning its attention toward the District 9-AA tournament.

Both teams will have some momentum behind them after sweeping Lincoln County and Shelbyville Thursday at Pebble Creek Golf Club.

The Pioneer boys fired a 327, shaving 14 strokes off the 341 they posted two days earlier at the Keith Maxwell Invitational and moving comfortably into the 330s range coach J.W. Holt has targeted.

Noel Davis continued to lead Warren County with a 78, while Ryder Hobbs fired a season-low 82. Sawyer Caten followed with an 83 and freshman Aiden van Vuuren added an 84 to complete the four counting scores. The Pioneers finished seven strokes ahead of Lincoln County and 17 ahead of Shelbyville.

The Lady Pioneers also continued their recent improvement, firing a 182 to beat Lincoln County by 12 strokes. Gabbi Molloy led the way with a season-best 82, while Lucy Mulligan supplied the other counting score with a 100. Sara Greer followed closely with a 102.

Monday gives both Warren County teams one final opportunity to sharpen their games before the postseason arrives.

WCHS runners face two-meet week

After both squads raced their way into the top three at Stone Memorial, Warren County will try to carry that strong showing into a quick turnaround and a two-meet week.

The first stop comes Tuesday in Chattanooga for the Woodland Park Meet, with the varsity girls racing at 6 p.m. EST and the boys to follow before both squads head to Cookeville Saturday for the Burnett Invitational at 10 a.m.

Those races follow an encouraging showing at Thursday's Crossville Invitational.

The Lady Pioneers finished second as a team, while the Pioneer boys placed third despite a challenging course featuring more inclines than Warren County had encountered earlier in the season.

Jolene Meadows led the Lady Pioneers with a fifth-place finish in 25:17, while Gracee O'Neal joined her in the top 10 by placing 10th in 26:39. Caroline Douglas took 15th, Claire Randall was 18th and Aubrey Alford finished 19th to help Warren County edge host Stone Memorial by three points for second.

“I was really happy with the team’s performance as a whole,” coach Kelsea Turner said of her group’s Crossville efforts. “It was a tough course with more inclines than we’ve seen so far this season, and the girls really stepped up and ran their way into a second-place finish.”

Freshman Shiloh White continued his strong start on the boys side, leading Warren County for the second consecutive meet with a 12th-place finish in 21:10. Christian Hewitt was right behind him in 13th at 21:39, while Lucas Rhea finished 22nd.

Warren County also expects to get Emma Woodlee back Tuesday. The Coffee County Invitational champion was running among the top two early at Crossville before a minor setback kept her from finishing. Turner expects her to be ready for Woodland Park.

WCMS football puts perfection on the line

Five games have brought five wins for the WCMS football team, but Tuesday's matchup carries a little more history than most.

The unbeaten Pioneers will host E.O. Coffman for Eighth Grade Night at Nunley Stadium, putting their perfect record on the line against the team that ended their 2025 season in the CTC semifinals.

Warren County enters the matchup after overwhelming Coffee County 44-6 in a Tuesday afternoon tilt in Manchester. The Pioneers exploded for 30 points in the first quarter and carried a commanding 44-0 advantage into halftime, improving to 5-0 while pushing their season scoring margin to 188-34.

Dallas Gater rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on only three carries, while Gabe Rowland, Brody Chisam, Bryson Carroll and Mikhail Wilcher each found the end zone. Warren County scored on six of its first seven possessions, with its defense and special teams repeatedly helping create short fields.

“This is by far the best game we've played so far, and we've still got better games left somewhere to find,” coach Ben Matheney said following the win over the Red Raiders. “This is nowhere near as good as we can be, but it feels good to come down to Coffee County and win.”

The defense has been particularly dominant. Coffee County's 71-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was the first score Warren County had allowed in more than 11 quarters.

Now comes E.O. Coffman, which handed Warren County a 34-14 loss in last year's CTC semifinals. Matheney isn't interested in allowing that result to define Tuesday's rematch.

“That could be a gut-check game: Are we gonna let last year's result dictate this year's result?” Matheney said. “Nobody else matters except us. You go out and be the best version of yourself you can be.”

Eighth Grade Night ceremonies will take place before Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Nunley Stadium.

WCMS volleyball enters final stretch

The WCMS volleyball team found its footing at just the right time last week, and now the Lady Pioneers have three matches remaining to close out the regular season.

Warren County will host Algood Monday for Eighth Grade Night, travel to Manchester Tuesday for a non-district matchup with Westwood and return home Thursday to close the regular season against Prescott South.

The Lady Pioneers enter that stretch at 12-5 overall and 7-5 in District 7-AA after putting together back-to-back sweeps last week.

Warren County first traveled to Cumberland County Tuesday and escaped a tight second set to win 25-21 and 27-25, snapping a three-match district losing streak. 

The Lady Pioneers carried that performance home Thursday and made quick work of Cannon County, winning 25-14 and 25-13. Warren County piled up 13 aces in only two sets, including five from Khloe Howell and four from Youngblood, while Dixon hammered home nine kills.

“Our girls played great defensively and did a great job of being big at the net,” coach Bethany Mesaros said following the win over the Lionettes. “I am very proud of the way they’ve played this week and I’m excited to finish out district play next week.”

Monday's matchup with Algood also offers Warren County a chance to reverse one of its earlier close losses. Algood won the first meeting back on Aug. 24 in three sets, 21-25, 25-23 and 15-13.

WCMS soccer closes regular season at home

The WCMS girls soccer team responded to its first district loss about as emphatically as possible, and the Lady Pioneers will try to carry that response into their final regular-season match.

Warren County will host Cumberland County Monday for Eighth Grade Night, with pregame ceremonies scheduled for 5:15 p.m. and kickoff at 6 p.m. The Lady Pioneers enter the finale at 8-2 overall and 6-1 in District 7-AA.

Their final week comes after a pair of drastically different results.

Warren County suffered its first district setback Tuesday at Prescott South, falling 1-0, but the loss did little to slow the Lady Pioneers when border rival DeKalb County visited three days later.

The Lady Pioneers erupted for eight goals in an 8-0 victory, matching their highest offensive output of the season while recording their fourth shutout.

Finley MacDonald led the charge with a hat trick, pushing her season total to six goals. L.B. Guthrie scored twice to increase her team-leading total to 19, while Jensi Griffith added two goals of her own to reach five. Shanti Hernandez also found the net.

The offensive explosion marked the fourth time this season Warren County has scored at least seven goals. The Lady Pioneers previously put seven past Avery Trace and Upperman and scored eight in a comeback victory over Stone Memorial.

Now the Lady Pioneers will get one final regular-season test Monday against Cumberland County before shifting their focus entirely toward the postseason.

Full Schedule

(Subject to change)

Monday, Sept. 14
WCHS golf vs Shelbyville - 1 p.m.
WCMS volleyball vs Algood (Eighth Grade Night) - 5:30 p.m.
WCHS volleyball vs Cookeville - 6 p.m.
WCMS girls soccer vs Cumberland Co. (Eight Grade Night) - 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 15
WCMS volleyball @ Westwood - 5 p.m.
WCHS cross country @ Woodland Park - 6 p.m. EST
WCHS volleyball vs Smyrna - 6 p.m.
WCHS girls soccer @ Macon Co. - 6 p.m.
WCMS football vs EO Coffman (Eighth Grade Night) - 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 16
No events scheduled

Thursday, Sept. 17
WCMS volleyball vs Prescott South - 5:30 p.m.
WCHS volleyball @ Lebanon - 6 p.m.
Boyd volleyball @ Cannon Co. - 6 p.m.
WCHS girls soccer @ Lebanon - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18
Boyd volleyball vs Highland Rim - 6 p.m.
WCHS football @ Hixson - 7 p.m. EST

Saturday, Sept. 19
WCHS cross country @ Cookeville - 10 a.m.
Boyd volleyball @ Coffee Co. playday