MCT 8-22-24

Sports The Marion Tribune August 22, 2024 9A Area teams show up and out at the Prelude to a Championship HUNTER COOKSTON Writer Marion County battles delays in Friday’s Prelude to a Championship M arion County was the fi rst team to play Friday night at the Prelude to a Championship, howev- er, mother nature wanted to be di ffi cult. Lightning in the area caused the start to be delayed. Players anx- iously awaiting to kick o ff their season had to wait 30 minutes longer before they were able to play. Once the lightning passed, they were ready to play some football. The Warriors played Red Bank in the fi rst half of the night. The Lions started o ff the scoring when quarterback Logan McGinnis made the connection with Caden Loveless for a 76-yard passing TD. It would not be long for the Warriors to respond. On the next possession, Tilton Pickett hit Sam Pickett on a dime for a 21-yard TD. Ashton Martin was very disruptive on the defensive side of things. It seemed like he was in the Lions back fi eld wreaking havoc all night long. The score ended in a tie at 7 apiece. In their second half, the Warriors played the Wildcats of Hixson. The fi rst drive for the Warriors was a fairly simple one as they marched down the fi eld, where quarterback Tilton Pickett hit fellow se- nior Braydon Co ff elt for an 8-yard TD. That was the only score of the half as Marion County would go on to win 7-0. The Warriors looked impressive in their two halves of the jamboree. The senior experience and leadership are already showing up early on the fi eld. The chemistry is there as they have been playing since they were in peewees. The Warriors will travel to East Ridge on August 22 for the fi rst regular sea- son matchup. –Photos courtesy of Duane Sherrill Whitwell turns heads at Prelude to a Championship T he Tigers came into Saturday night ready to play. Whitwell comes into the year with a veteran group and a fi rst-year head coach with plenty of experience. The Prelude to a Championship is an early preview of what is to be expected of this year’s team. This senior group wants to make an everlasting impact in the football program. After Saturday night they showed that this season could be really special. The fi rst half against Sequoyah was an o ff ensive display for the Tigers, as they won 26-6. Seniors Brandon Easterly and Bennett McDougal were re- sponsible for the touchdowns as Easterly would get a rushing TD and McDougal scored 3 TDs in the half. The connection between the two seniors was a spe- cial sight to see and certainly shows the chemistry be- tween the wide receiver and quarterback is on point. In the second half it was a completely di ff erent story as Whitwell’s defense was swarming everything Chattanooga Prep attempted to do o ff ensively. Whit- well was able to hold the Sentinels to no yards gained in four of the fi rst six plays to start. Senior Wyatt Da- vis blitzed straight up the middle to get a sack. Whit- well drove down the fi eld before ultimately failing to convert a 4th down. The Tigers’ defense was then too much for the Sentinels on the second possession. The game ended 0-0, this is an early preview of the dis- trict game that is to come between the two in October. Whitwell certainly has people looking at them af- ter a night of good football. The seniors will be a big part of how far this team will go. The expectations in- side the locker room are high. Time will only tell if they get to where they want to go. Whitwell begins the season Friday, August 22 by traveling to Huntland. –Photos courtesy of Kristie Eggert South Pittsburg impresses at the Prelude to a Championship S aturday night, the Pirates of South Pittsburg stepped up to play in the Prelude to a Champion- ship. Coming into the day they had 7 or 8 guys injured who they will rely on during the season. For any team this could be a hard task to overcome. Young guys will get to play that necessarily do not have much ex- perience. It cannot be forgotten that the Pirates are the defending state champs. The defending champs played Silverdale Baptist Academy where they would win by a touchdown with a score of 7-0. The fi rst drive for the Seahawks was one to forget as they would lose 11 yards on the drive. JR Hardrick, who is a name to look for on this year’s Pirate team, got a sack that contributed to the loss of yards. South Pittsburg got a touchdown on their fi rst drive when all-state running back JaMychal Buckner outrun the Seahawks for a 10-yard rushing TD. That was all she wrote in this one as Silverdale was not able to score. The Pirates then went on to play Class 4A Soddy Daisy Trojans. The Pirates used the majority of their ground game to go down the fi eld and score a touch- down. It was thanks to the legs of Buckner who ran a 15-yard TD. Soddy Daisy quickly responded, capping o ff a 70-yard drive with a quarterback sneak for two yards that ended in the endzone. The Pirates answered some question marks com- ing into the game, the biggest one of them all, how will the young guys contribute to the veterans? Safe to say, they had a good blend of veterans and young guys making plays. Hardrick and Buckner will be the ones to count on, on their respective sides of the ball. Plagued with injuries, the Pirates came ready to play and show that there are no excuses once you step between the lines. The Pirates will hit the road for a Class 1A semi- fi nals rematch on Friday, August 22 at Oliver Springs. –Photos courtesy of Misty Thomas