Morristown East

Two-A-Days: Hurricanes look to bounce back after 2-8 campaign in 2021

BY CHRISTOPHER MALONEY Correspondent Smoky Mountain Sports sat down with Morristown East head coach Caleb Slover, and this is what the head coach had to say about his 2022 team, the season they had in 2021 and the potential season ahead. Morristown East went 2-8 in 2021 and one big reason for this was that they had trouble putting together four “consistent” quarters. Though this year’s team has some youth in some skilled positions, there are a good number of returnees from last year, as well, who have a year or more of experience under their belts. Starting senior quarterback …

Alcoa State Champs

Two-A-Days: Alcoa sets sights on 8-peat with Nix at helm

BY BRIAN HAMILTON Alcoa completed its seventh consecutive Class 3A championship run last December, defeating East Nashville 45-14. The Tornadoes now hold the longest streak of TSSAA championships in the common era. Believe it or not, however, Alcoa is only halfway to breaking the nation record of consecutive state titles, as St. Louis from Hawaii won 14 straight from 1986 through 1999. South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Washington has also been credited with 14 straight from 1951 through 1964, but during that day and age, many of those titles were viewed as mythical. Regardless, Alcoa seemingly has a stranglehold on Class …

Alcoa Champs

Alcoa defeats two-time defending champs Forrest 6-1 to win first state title

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa faced Forrest twice on Saturday, as rainstorms cancelled all games on Thursday, stretching most of the softball series into Saturday. The Lady Tornadoes (29-13) lost to Forrest (30-12) in the 2:30 game 11-5, handing Alcoa its first and only setback of the state tournament, forcing a winner take all game at 6 p.m. The Lady Tornadoes would take an early lead in the championship game and came away with a 6-1 win and the school’s first state softball championship. It was the third consecutive time that Alcoa and Forrest had faced one another, with …

Pigeon Forge baseball

Tigers see promising season come to an end with 10-3 loss to Watertown in state championship

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – It was obvious that the Tigers were going to win the Class 2A championship, but a large contingent of folks felt that it would be the Pigeon Forge Tigers, rather than the Watertown Purple Tigers, as Pigeon Forge was seeking its second championship in school history with the first coming in 2013. Pigeon Forge (39-4) had gone wire-to-wire in the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association rankings since the preseason rankings were released in February. The only poll they would not be voted number one in 2022, however, would be the final rankings, as the Tigers lost …

Alcoa Emmert

Alcoa shuts out Community 4-0 to advance to semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa had never won a game in the state championships coming into this year’s tournament, but blink and the Lady Tornadoes have won two. Alcoa fought tooth and nail on Tuesday night to defeat Riverside in nine innings and then blanked Community after a two-hour rain delay for a 4-0 victory. “I’m super proud of our kids,” Alcoa coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said after the game. “We started about an hour-and-a-half late and it was raining a lot and the field was not in the best playing conditions. I told the kids that both teams …