Smith

Owls finish the season perfect, begin playoff run

November 2, 2011 By Casey Midgett Leave a Comment

Quarterback Gage Scurlock looks to lead his team throughout the postseason.

Someone once said “It’s hard to stop a freight train.” For 2011 at least, it’s been hard to stop Smith County football. This was a fact that York Institute was forced to realize last Friday night when the Owl’s paid a visit to Jamestown. York Institute proved to be no match for the Owls, as Smith County dominated, 49-0, ending the regular season with a perfect, 10-0 record.

Smith County got on the board early and often, scoring 21 points in both the first and second quarter, highlighted by a 60 yard pass and a 61 yard pass, both for touchdowns from quarterback Gage Scurlock. The Owls would add another touchdown to the tally in the fourth quarter on another long touchdown pass from Scurlock, this time to Brandon Powell.

The Owls defense totally dominated York Institute, as the Dragons could only manage two first downs and a total of 24 yards in the contest.

With the win, Smith County will enter the Class AAA state playoffs this weekend as the number one seed in quadrant three and is likely to have home field advantage throughout the postseason.

Coach Jimmy Maynord and the Owls will have a tough test in the opening week

Jameson Stevenson heads the high powered Smith County rushing attack.

as the team will face a deceptively good Pearl Cohn team. The Firebirds enter the postseason with a relatively unimpressive record of 5-5, but have a nice win over Maplewood and close losses to powerhouses BGA and CPA to their credit.

Smith County is still stinging from the Owls’ last encounter with Pearl Cohn, as the Firebirds ousted the Owls in last year’s playoffs in round two, beating Smith County soundly, 40-0. To compound matters, Smith County’s foes won’t get any easier should they advance in playoff play as their quadrant features perennial powerhouses, Goodpasture and CPA along with a very underrated Harpeth team this year.

Game time for the contest Friday night in Carthage is 7pm.

Filed Under: Featured, SCHS, Smith

Smith County Crushes Upperman

October 6, 2011 By Casey Midgett Leave a Comment

Owls' Quarterback, Gage Scurlock came up big for the Owls last Friday night.

Smith County crushed district rival, Upperman last Friday night by a score of 45-0. The game was never in doubt, as the Owls found offense early and often while their stifling defense was able to hold Upperman to just 141 total yards of offense.

Quarterback, Gage Scurlock had an outstanding game for the Owls, going 7 of 11 through the air, for 116 yards and adding 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Smith County running back, Jameson Stevenson, ran wild against the Bees last Friday night.

Owls’ running backs, Jalen Manning and Jameson Stevenson each had 102 yards and a touchdown rushing, spearheading the powerful Smith County rushing attack.

Four different Owls, Tyler Dennis (2), Trey Salisbury and Austin Enoch, caught touchdown passes in the game.

With the win, Smith County remains unblemished on the season, with a record of 7-0, 3-0 in District 8AA.

The Owls have a bye week Friday night, but will return to action on October 14^th when district rival, Cannon County pays a visit to Carthage.

Game time is 7:00pm.

Filed Under: Featured, SCHS, Smith, Uncategorized

Owls have record rushing night in 50-30 win over DeKalb County

September 19, 2011 By Phillip D. Self Leave a Comment

Ricky Spare wrestles Jalen Manning.

Carthage, Tn — Smith County (5-0, 2-0 in District 8-AA) had three different players rush for over 100 yards as the Owls racked up 449 yards of offense on the ground, a new school record, in their 50-30 shootout win over DeKalb County (4-1, 1-1 in District 8-AA) last Friday night. Jalen Manning had 215 of those yards, Gage Scurlock added 121 and Jameson Steveson tacked on another 107 rushing yards. The game was much closer than the final score indicated. The Tigers only trailed 35-30 half way through the fourth quarter before the Owls added two late touchdowns to put the game away.

Smith County opened up the scoring in a contest that did not lack touchdowns. Scurlock raced 54 yards on the game’s third play for an early 7-0 lead. After a three-and-out by the DeKalb County offense, Zach Taylor’s punt was fumbled by Trey Salisbury and recovered by Cody Puckett at the Smith County 35 yard line. Two plays later, the DC got on the scoreboard. Puckett hit Will Molander on a HB option pass for 32 yards, which set up a three-yard Taylor touchdown run to tie the game with 10:29 remaining in a first quarter that was filled with scoring.

Jake Odom tries to wrap up Gage Scurlock.

After the DC defense forced an Owl punt, they took the lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Puckett at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter. The drive covered 61 yards in seven plays. However, Smith County answered right back as they drove 77 yards in eight plays for their second score of the first quarter. Manning reeled off a 20-yard touchdown run with just 13 seconds remaining in the opening period to even the score at 14.

The Tigers received good field position after only a 16-yard kickoff, coupled with a SC personal foul, which put the visitors at the 42 yard line of the Owls to start their next drive. They would take advantage as Puckett bullied his way across the goal line from one yard out, which put DeKalb County back in front 21-14, with 9:39 left in the half. The Owls, again, had an answer. This time it was Steveson’s turn as he jetted 37 yards to the end zone to knot the game at 21-all, with 5:44 left in the second quarter.

Trey Salisbury chases down Tiger QB, Lucas Phillips.

DC committed its first turnover of the game on their next offensive play as quarterback, Lucas Phillips was flushed out of the pocket by the Smith County defense and fumbled deep in Owl territory. However, the Tiger defense rose to the occasion, holding the home team on a fourth-and-goal play from the 10-yard line. DeKalb County took possession with 2:51 to play in the second quarter and moved the ball, but Dustin Sapp’s QB sack ended the half and the Tiger’s attempt for a last second score before halftime.

The third quarter started with a three-and-out by the DC offense. Then, the Tiger defense came up huge again. Scurlock was hit on a quarterback keeper and fumbled the football on the Owl’s first offensive play of the third quarter. Eli Gill made the recovery for DeKalb County on the Smith County 34 yard line. From there, DC drove down inside the 10 yard line where the Smith County defense stiffened and forced a Taylor 25-yard field goal, which gave the visitors a 24-21 lead, with 5:13 left in the third quarter. This proved to be the last time the Tigers would lead in the contest.

Manning returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards all the way to the DeKalb County 29 yard line. From there, it took the Owls just three plays to regain the lead as Scurlock dashed in from 19 yards out. Casey Rushing added his fourth PAT of the night with 3:39 remaining in the third, which gave the home team a 28-24 lead.

Cody Puckett had two rushing TD's for DeKalb County.

SC’s defense stepped up on the next series as Cody Webb intercepted the Phillips pass and returned it 21 yards to the DC 35 yard line. Two plays later, Stevenson reeled off a 25-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, which gave Smith County a 35-24 lead, with 1:26 left in the third quarter. The Tigers did not show any signs of giving up after the quick strike from the Owls as they marched 76 yards in nine plays to climb back within a score of Smith County. Phillips found Molander on a fourth-and-16 play for a 33-yard touchdown pass. DC elected to go for the two-point conversion to try and cut the lead to three points, but were denied and trailed 35-30, with 8:46 left in the game.

It appeared as the Tigers might catch a break as Manning fumbled the football on the next Smith County play, however, a good bounce and a heads up play by Manning saw the football find its way right back in his hands as he rumbled for a 34-yard gain. Four plays later, Scurlock scored on a 24-yard QB keeper to make the score 43-30, after a successful two-point conversion.

The Owl defense stepped up as they forced DC to turn the football over on downs the next two Tiger possessions, while adding another score sandwiched in between them. Manning reeled off his biggest run of the night as he sprinted 82 yards for the final touchdown of the game, with 3:01 left in the contest, which resulted in the final score of 50-30.

Next week the Owls will host Macon County, while the Tigers will travel to Hixson.

Filed Under: DCHS, DeKalb, Featured, SCHS, Smith

Smith County gains a leg up in District 8-AA after defeating Livingston Academy

September 3, 2011 By Phillip D. Self Leave a Comment

Livingston, TN – It was a rather hot night for football Friday night, even though we are just a few days removed from August. The matchup on the field proved to be just as hot as the weather. Smith County and Livingston Academy were picked by just about everyone to be the atop the District 8-AA standings when all the smoke cleared in 2011. Both teams knew coming in that the winner of this game would get an early boost and both desperately wanted the win knowing the road throughout the rest of the season would be easier with it. The Owls managed to swoop in and carry away victory from the Wildcats as they won the game by a final score of 19-7. The game was close throughout, but saw Livingston just run out of gas at the end as SC bullied their way to the win.

The Smith County defense really set the tone, especially early in the game, as they just wouldn’t budge very much. The Owl defense forced LA to a three-and-out on the first two offensive series for the Wildcats. However, the SC offense wasn’t much better as they moved the ball a little, but were still forced to punt.

Smith County finally changed the scoreboard with 6:02 left in the first half. Gage Scurlock hit Truman Tuck on a 13-yard pass play for the first score of the contest. After a failed PAT, the Owls led by a score of 6-0. The drive covered 41 yards in seven plays and took 3:13 off the clock.

Not to be outdone, Livingston stormed right back with a remarkable 14-play scoring drive of their own which covered 63 yards. Wildcat quarterback, Brock McCoin lofted a pass just over the arms of Brandon Powell to tie the game at 6-6 with just 30 seconds left in the half. LA managed to knock through their extra-point attempt to take 7-6 advantage into halftime.

Smith County opened the third quarter with a good 25-yard kick return from Jameson Stevenson, which gave them starting field position at their own 43-yard line. From there, the team reeled off 11 straight running plays moving the football down to the LA eight-yard line. On the 12^th play, Scurlock connected with Beau Carr for his second touchdown toss of the game, which gave Smith County a 12-7 lead, after a failed two-point conversion try.

Grant Williams put the finishing touches on the Smith County win as he surprised the Wildcat defense with a 37-yard touchdown run. The score came after five consecutive runs by Jalen Manning as the home team was probably expecting the sixth and could only watch as Williams sprinted toward the end zone. This touchdown came at the 7:27 mark of the final period and pretty much sealed the game for the Owls. The PAT was good for the first time in the game and made the score 19-7, which would become the final.

Scurlock finished the game 5-of-9 through the air hitting five different receivers for 69 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Scurlock also added 12 rushes for 72 yards. Carr had one reception for eight yards and a touchdown, while Tuck also had one catch for 13 yards and a touchdown. Chris Butler grabbed one ball for 12 yards; Brandon Powell caught one pass for 15 yards, while Grant Williams also had one reception for 21 yards.

Manning had 78 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Stevenson rushed 13 times for 56 yards. Williams chipped in four runs for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Smith County is now 3-0 on the season and will travel to Warren County next Friday for a non-district matchup with the Pioneers.

Filed Under: Featured, SCHS

2011 District 8-AA Football Preview

August 9, 2011 By Phillip D. Self Leave a Comment

CANNON COUNTY LIONS

Last Season: 1-9 (Missed Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 1-4 (5^th Place)

Head Coach: Joel Schrenk (3^rd season, 7-14 at Cannon Co., 10-31 overall)

Key Players Lost: HB/LB Gabe Walkup, QB/WR/S Heath Simons, WR/DB Colin Jones, OL/DL Daniel Northcutt, OL/LB Jared Melton

Key Players Returning: QB Brandon James, Jr., TB Damon Collette, Sr., TB Hawk Love, So., OL/DL Thomas Stone, Sr.OL/DL Ryan McLaurine, Jr. (All-District)

Outlook: “Young.” That’s the one word third year head coach Joel Schrenk has used to summarize his 2011 Lions. Of the 46 members of this year’s roster, 26 of those players are freshmen. That bodes well for the future, but for the present, there will be some growing pains for the youngsters as they fill in gaps left by the likes of Gabe Walkup, Colin Jones and Daniel Northcutt. But all is not lost in Woodbury this season. A healthy group of returning players – who tasted a District Championship a mere two seasons ago – give this young squad hope of vying for the playoffs. Much will rest offensively on the surgically repaired shoulder of QB Brandon James and pressure will be on Damon Collette and Hawk Love to fill the void left in the backfield by Walkup. The defense was roughed up to the tune of 43.3 points per game last season, but 10 starters return for a chance at redemption in 2011.

Biggest Games: at DeKalb Co. (Sept. 2), at Smith Co. (Oct. 14), vs. Upperman (Oct. 28)

DEKALB COUNTY TIGERS

Last Season: 3-7 (Missed Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 2-3 (4^th Place)

Head Coach: Steve Trapp (7^th season, 22-42 overall)

Key Players Lost: QB/WR/DB Shane Salley, FB/LB Kevin Kijanski, OL/DL Devin Thomas, OL/DL Randall Hansard, WR/DB Matt Giles

Key Players Returning: QB Lucas Phillips, Jr. (28 of 58, 570 yds., 6 TD, 1 INT), TB/LB Sebastian Phillips, Sr., WR/DB.K Zach Taylor, Sr., WR/DB Will Molander, OL/DL Gage Brown, Jr.

Outlook: Seventh year Tiger coach Steve Trapp has been to the lowest valley (a horrendous 0-10 campaign in his first season) and to the highest point (a record-breaking 9-3 record and the program’s first-ever playoff win in 2008). He has instilled the Tiger Pride way of life in the school and the community. Now, he wants to get the DeKalb County program playing at a high level on an annual basis. Last year’s 3-7 season was a bit of a letdown after back-to-back playoff campaigns, but with a promising young quarterback, a veteran offensive line and a stout front seven on the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers are thinking playoffs again in 2011. Lucas Phillips took over the starting duties at QB down the stretch last season and earned a trial by fire along with a young offensive line. Phillips won’t likely recapture the Mr. Football magic of Hunter Poteete, but what he does bring to the table is a good football mind, poise and grit, ingredients that make for a successful QB. Meanwhile, the defense must adjust to its third coordinator in as many seasons, as Don Berninger takes over for the departed Ben Johnson. Success on that side of the ball may dictate the outcome of the Tigers in 2011.

Biggest Games: at Smith Co. (Sept. 16), at York Institute (Sept. 30), vs. Livingston Academy (Oct. 28)

LIVINGSTON ACADEMY WILDCATS

Last Season: 5-6 (Lost to Giles Co., 28-10, in the 1^st Round of the Class 4A State Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 4-1 (2^nd Place)

Head Coach: Bruce Lamb (4^th season, 14-19 at Livingston Academy, 23-40 overall)

Key Players Lost: WR/DB Jake Huitt, WR/LB Hayden Hill, RB/LB Dillon Roberts, OT/DT J.W. Lee

Key Players Returning: QB Brock McCoin, Jr. TB Creed Hayes, Jr., WR Tyler Martin, Sr., OT/DT Ronnie Linder, Jr., OT/DT Cole Presley, Jr.

Outlook: The Wildcats were young in 2010, losing only seven seniors off a playoff team that placed second in 8-AA. In all honesty, Coach Bruce Lamb’s team is still young as it enters 2011, but both the talent and experience is there to make some significant noise. The McCoin name in Overton County is synonymous with quarterbacking excellence, heaping a great deal o expectations on junior signal-caller Brock McCoin. He can handle the pressure, and will thrive behind an experienced offensive line. Explosive tailback Creed Hayes is a player to be watched this season, and when you combine his athleticism with that of McCoin, Livingston’s offense will be tough to contend with. Nine starters return on the defensive side of the ball, including Lukas Reagan and Corey Hamilton, both First Team All-District selections in 2010.

Biggest Games: vs. Smith Co. (Sept. 2), vs. York Institute (Oct. 14), at DeKalb Co. (Oct. 28)

SMITH COUNTY OWLS

Last Season: 10-2 (Lost to Pearl-Cohn, 40-0, in 2^nd Round of Class 3A State Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 5-0 (1^st Place)

Head Coach: Jimmy Maynord (13^th season, 113-35 at Smith Co., 161-77 overall)

Key Players Lost: WR/DB Jagger Edgell (20 rec., 247 yds., 2 TD), WR/DB Joshua Johnston (18 rec., 273 yds, 2 TD), RB Lucas Wakefield (120 carries, 631 yds., 8 TD), FB Cody Holder, DE Logan McKinney, WR/LB Nathan Nuss

Key Players Returning: QB Gage Scurlock, Sr. (78-147, 1,345 yds., 12 TD’s, 5 INT; 521 rush yards, 8 TD’s), TB Jameson Stevenson, Jr. (89 carries, 515 yds., 6 TD’s), TB Jalen Manning, So. (39 carries, 276 yds. 6 TD’s), TE/DE Trey Salisbury, Sr., WR Cody Webb, OL Zach Carter, Jr. (2^nd Team All-District)

Outlook: Just win. It may not necessarily be the Owls’ motto, but it’s what they do, year in and year out. After a 7-4 campaign in 2009 ended with a playoff loss to Pearl-Cohn, Smith County ran the District table en route to a 9-1 regular season in ’10; however, Pearl-Cohn again was waiting, this time in round two of the playoffs. There are certainties with the Owls – no matter how many players Coach Jimmy Maynord loses, the veteran coach reloads, not rebuilds. The Owls will be well-coached. They will play hard every Friday night. They rarely beat themselves. These attributes, plus a boat-load of veteran talent back from last year’s team, make the Owls the favorite again this season in 8-AA. Winning the District is task number one; getting by Pearl-Cohn – or at least that second round of the playoffs – will be the next goal for the Owls this season.

Biggest Games: at Gordonsville (Aug. 26), at Livingston (Sept. 2), vs. White House (Oct. 21)

UPPERMAN BEES

Last Season: 1-9 (Missed Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 0-5 (6^th Place)

Head Coach: Ben Herron (1^st season, 0-0 overall)

Key Players Lost: RB Max Key, RB/CB Kaleb Block, DL Conner Williams, DL Ryan DeVilanueva

Key Players Returning: QB Connor York, So., WR/LB Tyler Hadynski, Sr., WR/DB Vincent Ferguson, Sr., WR/SS Dustin Buck, Sr.

Outlook: A new season, a new head coach and a new outlook for the Upperman Bees football program. After Jason Evans resigned following back-to-back 1-9 seasons, former Upperman player Ben Herron was brought back to Baxter to try and reverse the recent fortunes of his alma mater. What Herron inherited was a young quarterback in Connor York, who took over as a freshman last season, and ended the year with a promising 217 yards and three touchdowns passing in the Bees’ season ending loss to Cannon County. York has a solid corps of receivers to throw to, including All-District selection Tyler Hadynski and fellow seniors, Vincent Ferguson and Dustin Buck. With some talent at the skill positions, Coach Herron will be looking to a group of sophomores and juniors to help provide protection for his young QB up front. Expectations are high in the long run for Upperman’s native son, but there will be work to do in his first year on the job.

Biggest Games: vs. York Institute (Sept. 2), at DeKalb Co. (Oct. 14), at Cannon Co. (Oct. 28)

YORK INSTITUTE DRAGONS

Last Season: 4-6 (Missed Playoffs)

District 8-AA: 3-2 (3^rd Place)

Head Coach: Dickie Brown (3^rd season, 14-10 at York Institute, 119-137 overall)

Key Players Lost: QB Tyler Stephens, TE/LB Denver Hall, OT/NG Tyler Crabtree, OT/DT Shane Doss, DT Trent Dishmon

Key Players Returning: TB Drew Starr, Sr., TB Tyler Huddleston, Jr., QB Brandon McNellis, Jr., C/LB Galen Collins, Sr.

Outlook: The Dragons lost only seven seniors from their 2010 team, which barely missed the playoffs after a State semi-final run in 2009. The Dragons always bring a smash-mouth brand of football, and this year will offer no exception, as York will pound the ball with the tandem backs of Tyler Huddleston (a 1,000-yard rusher last year), Drew Starr, Cullen Roysden and Lance Crockett. Brandon McNellis moves from receiver to under center, and will guide the Dragon attack. Galen Collins will help lead what should be an athletic defensive unit.

Biggest Games: vs. DeKalb Co. (Sept. 30), at Livingston Academy (Oct. 14), vs. Smith Co. (Oct. 28)