MCT 9-5-24

10A —The Marion Tribune, Thursday, September 5, 2024 Marion County wipes out the Hurricanes SHANE SHOEMAKER Writer O h, have mercy—which is what it took for the Marion County War- riors (2-0) to stop their scoring bar- rage last Friday night after they beat 5A school, East Hamilton (1-1) 35-0. In their home debut, with under six minutes remaining in the third quar- ter, the Warriors had already mercy- ruled the Hurricanes after Tilton Pick- ett found Sam Pickett for a 44-yard touchdown to make it 35-0. That—coupled with a stingy, physi- cal defense—was the theme of the night as the Pickett-to-Pickett connec- tion happened twice before their third- quarter score. After a quick three-and-out by the Hurricanes to open the game, it took the Warriors fi ve plays to go 56 yards for their fi rst score. The drive was capped o ff by the fi rst of the Pickett-to- Pickett touchdowns when Tilton found Sam for a 41-yard reception. The Hurricanes then proceeded to fumble on their next three possessions, all of which occurred going into the opening minutes of the second quar- ter. The fi rst fumble came o ff a sack and recovery by Ashton Martin, while Mason Mays forced one fumble and re- covered the other two. All four of the Warriors’ scores came o ff the arm of Pickett. His second touchdown pass was to Braydon Cof- felt, who found himself wide open on a nine-yard reception. Tilton would fi nd Sam two more times: once on a 27- yard reception with under 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, and again on a second half opening drive that ended on a 13-yard reception. Tilton Pickett missed just two pass attempts all night, going 11 of 13 for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Sam Pickett scored four times on four re- ceptions for 131 total yards. He also had another 70 yards rushing. Even with the Warriors’ impressive running game taking a back seat for the evening, they still had 122 yards on the ground to go with their 201 through the air. Marion County has now scored 35 and 40 points in its fi rst two games while holding its opponents scoreless. They had one shutout total last season. Last Friday, the Warriors’ defense held the Hurricanes to just 103 yards of to- tal o ff ense, forcing three turnovers. The Warriors will be back on the road this Friday, September 6, as they face Chattanooga Central (1-1). –Photos courtesy of Gene Fuller & Marilyn Quarles MCHS recognizes 2024 track winners On Friday, August 30, these young men were recognized for their superior performances in track. In May, after graduation, seniors, Ty Johnson and Ryan Kitchen competed in the state championship in Murfreesboro. Ryan Kitchen placed 6 th overall for the shot put and Ty placed 2 nd in the state for the high jump at 6’2”. This was the first opportunity for them to be recognized since the competition was after school was out for the year. –Pictured left to right: Track Coach, Tristan Chubb, Ryan Kitchen, Ty Johnson and Principal, Larry Ziegler. Marion County High School has received a $5,000 grant from T-Mobile in the first round of giveaways to high schools. Every high school who enters Friday Night 5G Lights is automatically entered for a chance to win $5,000 in their weekly sweepstakes between August 1 and September 20. T-Mobile will randomly select 50 schools per week, totaling 300. 16 finalists will each receive a $25,000 cash grant and will be announced in early October. Everyone in the country will be able to help pick the grand prize winner by voting for their favorite via Instagram. The Grand Prize includes a $100,000 cash grant, a new teched-out scoreboard, 5G network upgrades, the ultimate tailgate party for the entire community, a 5G powered halftime drone show and a special gift from four-time Super Bowl champion, Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski: an upgraded weight room from GronkFitness.com.