This Week in Sports: April 27-May 2

District play is all but over. Now it’s about survival.

Across Warren County, the calendar has flipped from positioning to elimination. Records don’t carry over anymore, and what happened over the last two months won’t matter unless teams can find a way to win the next one. For some, that means chasing championships. For others, it’s about extending a season that has already shown flashes of being special.

WCHS, WCMS and Boyd teams are scattered across tournament brackets and postseason matchups this week, with little margin for error and no time to ease into anything. By the time the week ends, some seasons will still be alive and others will be finished.

As always, This Week in Sports is brought to you by Westwood Church of Christ, the presenting sponsor of all Main Street Journal spring sports coverage this year.

Let’s get rolling.

Last chance at district wins

There’s no more need to focus on 0-8 in district games or 21-1 in non-region games for the Pioneers anymore. Their record is officially resetting to 0-0 — and if they want to keep playing this season, it’ll have to be 1-0 by the end of the night in Manchester.

Warren County baseball kicks off postseason play across the border Monday, with the showdown with Coffee County being an elimination game in the District 6-4A tournament. The winner will advance to face Cookeville in a best-of-3 series that will determine one region qualifier, while the loser will see its season end before the calendar flips to May.

The Pioneers are coming off one of their most impressive regular seasons in two decades, going 21-9 (the Moore County game has officially been ruled a no contest) and capping the regular season with sweeps of Livingston Academy and Whitwell. The only blemish has been their district goose egg, where Warren County was close in a majority of games but was unable to fly the W flag in any.

That district drought included losing a pair of close battles with Coffee County (2-0, 6-5) to end March. In both games, the Pioneers had their chances, but the Red Raiders were able to hold on late.

If the Pioneers are to advance, coach Phillip King knows they’re going to have to do it while facing off against the best the district has to offer. Davis McKenzie, the co-pitcher of the year, could be in line to be on the bump for the Red Raiders Monday night in a win-or-go-home situation for both teams.

“It’s gonna be a tough task with McKenzie on the mound, who’s been great for them all year,” said King. “We’re just going to have to try and win every pitch, we can’t make mistakes in any facet of the game. I think our kids know we can play with those guys.”

First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Three Pioneers honored as all-district

Warren County will have some leaders at the plate to throw at Coffee County Monday night. Seniors Kylan Jones and Sam Robinson, along with sophomore Gage Walker, were named to the All District 6-4A team last week for their standout seasons.

All three have made a major impact since transferring to Warren County, including Jones and Walker stepping right into the lineup this season. Robinson has been a two-year starter since arriving from Siegel before the 2025 campaign.

Walker sets the tone on the mound and at the plate, working as the team’s No. 1 starter and lead-off hitter. He has a 1.91 ERA for the season, sporting a 3-4 record while throwing a team-high 40.1 innings. He also leads the team with 38 strikeouts this year — 22 coming in district battles where Walker is the only Pioneer with a sub-5.00 ERA that has thrown more than one inning.

The trio also lead the team in hitting in district battles, led by Robinson’s .286 batting average in eight games. Jones (.273) and Walker (.217) have seen their numbers dip in district play, but overall have been two of the most reliable bats in the lineup.

All three hit over .300 for the season (Jones .370, Walker .352, Robinson .326) and are among the team leaders in RBIs, runs scored and extra-base hits.

WCMS looking for more championships

It will be a different look to the postseason for the Warren County Middle School teams this spring, but the Pioneers and Lady Pioneers are just as likely as ever to bring home championships.

For WCMS baseball, the district is working with two four-team pods to determine which teams will meet for the championship. The Pioneers, entering as the No. 2 seed after a 13-4 year, will welcome Algood, Stone Memorial and DeKalb County to town for what amounts to a four-team, double-elimination tournament over the next four days.

Warren County is scheduled to face Algood at 7 p.m. Monday, following a matchup between Stone Memorial and DeKalb County at 5 p.m. The winners of those games will play Tuesday at 7 p.m., while the losers will meet in an elimination game Tuesday at 5 p.m.

The championship game is set for Wednesday night at 7 p.m., with an if-necessary contest scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

For WCMS soccer, it’s much simpler: beat DeKalb County in the semifinals at home Monday night and the championship game awaits. Warren County has been sharp all year, including capping a perfect regular season two weeks ago with a 3-0 win over DeKalb County.

The Pioneers will be trying to make it 12 wins in a row when they kick off at 6 p.m.

The Lady Pioneer softball team, riding a hot streak over the last month, enters the district tournament at Algood as the No. 3 seed and will face Upperman Monday at 7 p.m.

The double-elimination bracket will continue through Friday, when the championship game is set for 5 p.m.

Championship game set for Lady Pioneers

All that stands between WCHS girls tennis and a district championship is Lincoln County.

The Lady Pioneers will get their second shot at the top team in District 9-AA Monday on the road. Warren County lost only one regular-season match all year, and it came the last time the team made the trip to Fayetteville, where Lincoln County edged out a 4-3 win.

The Lady Pioneers will have to flip at least one singles result or sweep doubles to bring home the championship.

That doubles sweep is possible. Abby Graves and Izzy Pitts have yet to lose a doubles match all year, including last week when they claimed the individual district championship. In the finals, they defeated teammates Anna Graves and Natalie Payne.

In the last matchup with Lincoln County, Ashlyn Bailey and Livia Jaco won 8-6 in doubles, while Payne and Anna Graves fell 8-4.

Warren County must win to advance as a team to the region tournament. Some individual players have already qualified for the individual region tournament, which will be played May 4 in Lincoln County.

Action Monday is set to begin at 4 p.m.

Full schedule

Monday, April 27
Boyd tennis at Webb, 3:30 p.m.
WCHS tennis at Lincoln County, 4 p.m.
WCMS golf at White County, 4 p.m.
WCHS baseball at Coffee County, 5 p.m.
Boyd flag football at Smith County, 5 p.m.
Boyd MS baseball at Legacy, 5 p.m.
WCHS softball at White County, 7 p.m.
WCMS softball vs. Upperman, 7 p.m. (at Algood MS)

Tuesday, April 28
WCHS track in subsectionals, 11 a.m.
Boyd soccer in TNCAA tourney, home – 5:30 p.m.
WCHS soccer vs. Franklin County, 7 p.m.
WCHS flag football at Cumberland County, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 29
Tourney games for WCMS baseball, TBD

Thursday, April 30
Boyd MS tennis at Webb, 3:30 p.m.
Boyd flag football at Livingston Academy, 6 p.m.
WCHS soccer vs. Stone Memorial, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 1
WCHS flag football at Stewarts Creek, 7 p.m.