Warriors saved their lead for last

The White County Warriors went north to meet the Cookeville Cavaliers under the Friday night lights in a rivalry that, not all that long ago, was pretty one-sided — and not in favor of the Sparta boys.

Things have changed.

Since 2020, the teams have split those wins, with White County evening the series back up on Labor Day weekend in 2025.

The Warriors entered Friday night at 2-0 but hadn’t been tested for a full four quarters. In their first two games of the season, they had solved some early woes and put games away well before the final 12 minutes appeared on the clock.

That wouldn’t be the case in Cookeville, where the Cavaliers came in at 1-1 and looking to avenge last season’s White County rout.

It was the kind of battle rivalries are made for. It took until the final two seconds ticked off the clock to know who would own this year’s win. And for a Sparta team that didn’t lead at all until the final minute of the game, coming home with a 28-21 repeat win was worth all the hype.

Getting the win wasn’t easy, but it was fun.