This Week in Sports: May 18-23

Warren County track and field athletes will take the state stage this week at both the high school and middle school levels while local youth baseball and softball teams continue another packed stretch of competition.

Saldana chasing gold

For Warren County track and field star Luke Saldana, Thursday’s TSSAA Class AAA State Championships will represent more than just another trip to the podium. It will be another opportunity to finish what he started.

After placing second in the shot put at the 2025 state meet with a throw of 52 feet, 2 inches, Saldana returns to the State Meet this week as one of the top overall field athletes in the state of Tennessee. This time, he will compete for championships in both the shot put and discus after producing one of the most dominant throwing seasons in Warren County history.

Saldana has rewritten the Warren County record book multiple times throughout the 2026 season, setting new school records six different times across the two throwing events. 

His breakout year began March 24 at Cookeville, where he broke long-standing school records in both events. Saldana uncorked a discus throw of 151 feet, 10 inches, surpassing Cody Robinson’s previous mark from 2010, while also launching the shot put 56-6.5 to break another Robinson record that had stood since 2011.

The numbers only continued climbing from there.

Saldana pushed his discus record to 160-8 at Oakland on April 7 before breaking it again twice later in the month at Ensworth and Rhea County, eventually reaching 166-0. In the shot put, he nearly eclipsed the 59-foot mark at Knoxville on April 18 with a throw of 58-11.75, another school-best performance.

The consistency has been just as impressive as the distances themselves.

Saldana swept both the shot put and discus competitions at the Sub-Section and Section 2 meets, with his Section-winning marks of 55-10.75 in the shot put and 160-9 in the discus comfortably securing his spot in Knoxville while continuing a postseason run that has rarely seen him challenged.

The TSSAA Class AAA State Championships at the University of Tennessee’s Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium will begin Thursday morning with the discus event scheduled for 9 a.m. and shot put at 11 a.m.

WCMS carrying momentum into State Meet

While Saldana prepares for one of the biggest meets of his career, Warren County Middle School will also send athletes to the state stage earlier in the week.

The WCMS boys track program will have representation Monday at the TMSAA Class AAA State Championships in Knoxville following another strong postseason showing from the Pioneers.

Leading the charge is Kingston Judkins, who captured first place in the high jump at the Section 2-AAA meet after clearing 5 feet, 8 inches to match his personal best. Judkins’ sectional title performance continued a breakout postseason for the Pioneer standout and earned him an individual berth to the state championships.

Judkins will also be part of Warren County’s qualifying 4x100-meter relay team alongside Royce Morrison, James Mietling and Hutsen Morris. The quartet secured third place at sectionals with a time of 47.55 seconds, earning one of the final state qualifying positions in a loaded field.

The relay team has steadily improved throughout the postseason after previously finishing second at regionals with a 48.82 mark. At sectionals, the Pioneers finished behind only Oakland and Siegel while narrowly edging Smyrna to secure the state berth.

With a fifth consecutive CTC boys team Championship already secured in the trophy case, the Pioneers will now attempt to add state medals to an already successful season. 

The TMSAA Class AAA State Meet will be held on Monday, May 18, also at Laporte Stadium in Knoxville. The boys high jump event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., while track events begin at 3 p.m.

Youth sports still in full swing

Away from the state championship scene, McMinnville Youth Baseball and Softball continues to fill local parks with another packed week of action.

Monday’s slate features games across several age groups, including a 13-18 boys matchup between the Main Street Journal squad and the White County Babe Ruth League team, along with multiple girls softball contests beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

Tuesday shifts the focus back to boys divisions with games spread across the 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 age groups. The week concludes with another busy Thursday and Friday schedule highlighted by additional 13-18 boys games, several younger division matchups and a full evening slate across the Milner Recreation Center ball fields.

Full schedule

Monday, May 18
TMSAA Class AAA Championships (Knoxville) - 9 a.m.

MYBS (G10-14) Security Federal vs Moose Lodge 1725 - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B13-18) Main Street Journal vs White County Babe Ruth - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) Tree City Realty vs All-O-K’sions Flowers - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (G5-6) The Pink Parlour vs American Legion Post 173 B - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (G7-9) Leann Cordell/Edward Jones vs Pioneer Building Supply - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) Homeland Community Bank vs Begonias - 6:15 p.m.
MYBS (G7-9) Brent’s Computer Center vs McMinnville Pallet - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (G10-14) Fog House Firearms vs First National Bank - 7 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) Coffee Bank & Trust vs O’Neal Custom Tile - 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 19
MYBS (B11-12) Smartt Assembly of God vs Warren First 931 - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) Scooters Coffee vs BLC - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) Kirby Group/Compass vs T&M Metal Works LLC - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B9-10) Blessed by Grace Body Shop vs 3R Earthworx - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) Rains Rapidspray vs Southern Blue - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) Still Water Realty vs Clark Brothers Construction - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (B9-10) 3 Rusty Nails 2 vs Smile Doctors - 7 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) Turner & Sons Nursery vs 3 Rusty Nails - 7:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) TEH Construction vs MTR Equipment Rental - 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 21
TSSAA Class AAA Championships (Knoxville) - 9 a.m.

MYBS (G10-14) Fog House Firearms vs Moose Lodge 1725 - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) Begonias vs Tree City Realty - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (G5-6) American Legion Post 173 B vs Skyview Farm & Nursery - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (G7-9) Leann Cordell/Edward Jones vs ChampionChevy.com - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) A-Plus Fasteners vs Homeland Community Bank - 6:15 p.m.
MYBS (G7-9) Brent’s Computer Center vs Pioneer Building Supply - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (G10-14) First National Bank vs Security Federal - 7 p.m.
MYBS (TB3-4) All-O-K’sions Flowers vs Kirby Real Estate Co. - 7 p.m.

Friday, May 22
MYBS (B11-12) Smartt Assembly of God vs Roscoe Brown - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B13-18) Copper Top vs Main Street Journal - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) Southern Blue vs Scooters Coffee - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) Ben Lomand Connect vs Kirby Group/Compass - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B9-10) Smile Doctors vs Blessed by Grace Body Shop - 5:30 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) American Legion Post 173 vs Rains Rapidspray - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) Clark Brothers Construction vs TEH Construction - 6:30 p.m.
MYBS (B13-18) Citizens Tri County Bank vs White County Babe Ruth - 7 p.m.
MYBS (B9-10) 3 Rusty Nails 2 vs 3R Earthworx - 7 p.m.
MYBS (B5-6) BLC vs Turner & Sons Nursery - 7:30 p.m.
MYBS (B7-8) T&M Metal Works LLC vs Still Water Realty - 7:30 p.m.