Marshall County Post

Sports Marshall County Post May 30, 2024 11A Looking back on Year 1 with the Post… W hen I say it’s been a break-neck pace for us over the past year, I’m not kidding. Last July, our world was turned upside down with the closure of our previous publication and in the weeks that fol- lowed, we were lucky enough to build some- thing special from the ground up. Here we are, wrap- ping up the school year and fi nally, we can have a bit of a breather. Sometimes, I look back and am not sure how I’m able to juggle a full-time day job, balance the sports coverage in the Bedford County Post and follow it up with the coverage in the Marshall County Post. It certainly takes its toll on you, but one thing I’ve learned over the years, nothing I accom- plish could be done with- out the best team in the business. From our pagination crew of Mary Cook and Carol Spray, to our Gen- eral Manager, Diandra Womble, to our o ffi ce crew of Patty Blackburn and Tracy Harris, to those of us on the front lines covering sports each and every day of the week, Kacy Kincaid, Den- nis Holley, Rickey Clardy and Gary Johnson, it truly takes a village to do what we do. But most importantly of all, it takes you, the reader. Without the sup- port of the community, we wouldn’t be able to continue delivering the news. This is a passion of mine. There’s a rush I can’t really describe in running to three di ff er- ent games in one night, staying up past midnight and getting the fi nal edits completed on that last story of the night. Following the mad- ness of spring sports comes the lull in activi- ties on the sports front. I’ve got to say, I’ve done this for 14 years now and it’s always a weird adjustment from having almost too much content to cover, to hav- ing to scrap and fi nd local content to produce. It’s a weird change, but honestly, it’s a nice chance to recharge the batteries before ramping up our fall preview cover- age. So from the thrills of covering Marshall Coun- ty football, to watching the Cornersville Lady ‘Dawgs knocking on the door of a state sectional appearance, to follow- ing the Forrest Rockets and Lady Rocket baseball and softball teams this spring—it’s been a ride. While we work through our log of sports features in the com- ing weeks, we want to know—what do you want to see in your Marshall County Post? Where can we im- prove? What did you like? What did you dislike? As we move forward into Year 2 of our adven- ture with the Post, we want to make sure we can deliver the best possible local news. Chris Siers is sports editor of the Marshall County Post. Email him at csiers@bedfordcoun- typost.com. Cowthorn joins Teat, headed to Bethel By CHRIS SIERS csiers@ bedfordcountypost.com F rom an early age, Antomme Cowthorn always wanted to play football. As the years progressed through his high school career, it became apparent he had the ability to play at the next level. Earlier this spring, joining teammate Silas Teat, Cowthorn made it a reality and signed his letterof intent tocontinue his football career at Bethel University. “I was nervous at fi rst, just because I had to get in front of everybody and talk. I’m very excited for the future and I’m very excited to be part of a great program at Bethel,” Cowthorn said. Throughout his high school career, he logged a ton of snaps, seeing time out of the back fi eld and on the defensive side of the ball. While e ff ective in the high-octane Tiger o ff ense, Cowthorn found his true niche in the defensive secondary. “He started some games as a freshman. Antomme would have said he was probably a running back or receiver when he fi rst got here— and he had some really good moments at that over the last three or four years. But he found his calling as a DB,” Marshall County coach Thomas Osteen said. “More than likely, I’ll go on defense because most of my fi lm is on defense. I play corner, safety, rover, linebacker spots and all that type of spots. I don’t know the certain position, but it will be on defense,” Cowthorn added. Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps and play at the collegiate level, Cowthorn has been immersed in the game since he was fi ve. Coupled with the fl ash and dazzle of his favorite college program, he’s been in love with the game for as long as he can remember. “My dad played at Tennessee Tech and I’ve been playing since I was fi ve. And I’m a huge Or- egon Ducks fan. I saw them (Oregon) playing, the cool uniforms and playing fast and fell in love with the game,” he said. When it came time to look at schools in the recruitment process, Bethel stood out from the crowd early on. “I was looking at other schools, but Bethel just stuck out to me. I feel like they have something great coming in the 2024 class. I feel like we’re go- ing to be great,” he said. Based o ff the ac- complishments during his high school career, Osteen feels Cowthorn can immediately contrib- ute for the Wildcats’ sec- ondary. “There’s no doubt An- tomme is a DB at the next level. He’s played a ton of football for us.Very few freshman have started for us over the years,” he said. “I think he could play safety, corner or nickel at the next level. They’re wanting guys who can not just cover, but can come down to the box and hit. He led our team with over 120 tackles. No doubt, Bethel is getting a DB that I think can com- pete Day 1 in the second- ary.” Cowthorn plans to pursue a degree in engi- neering and a path into graphic design. Antomme Cowthorn makes it official and signs his letter of intent to continue his career at Bethel University. While primarily ex- pected to be a defensive back at the next level, he was a key component out of the Marshall County backfield during his senior season. –Post Photos by Chris Siers