Jan. 2
Chester County High School Eaglettes Conquer North Side
The Eaglettes played in the Hub City Classic Dec. 27-30 and earned another district win after triumphing over Jackson North Side again.
The team already demolished North Side by 35 points on Dec. 17 when they won 72-37 but had an even bigger win this weekend after winning by 41 points with a score of 65-24.
Jan. 9
Freed-Hardeman University’s Haylee Croom passes 1,000 career rebound mark
It took a bucket with seven seconds remaining from Haylee Croom to seal the win for the Lady Lions (10-3, 7-0 AMC) to defeat Williams Baptist (8-4, 4-3 AMC) 62-58 in the first game back from Christmas break on Saturday Jan 4.
The All-American senior became the sixth Lady Lion to surpass the 1,000 career rebounds mark. She did it in the first period of play, needing seven to reach the milestone. She would go on to finish the game with 16 rebounds and 16 points to complete the double-double.
Jan. 16
Kortland Martin Scores 1,000th Career Point At Missouri Baptist
The Freed-Hardeman University men’s basketball team (10-4, 7-2 AMC) fell to Missouri Baptist (11-5, 7-3 AMC) 85-83 on Saturday.
The Lions offense would go on a cold streak, and the Spartans would gain the momentum. The two went back-and-forth through the final minutes ofthe game, but in the end John Musselwhite’s half-court attempt fell short, giving Missouri Baptist the win.
The Lions had three double-figure scores in the loss. Kortland Martin scored his 1,000th career point against the Spartans and finished with 22 points.
Jan. 23
Chester County Eaglettes clinch victory at Adamsville
The Eaglettes started last week with a rivalry game against Lexington on Tuesday, Jan. 14. They beat Lexington 60-34.
“We shot the ball extremely well,” Head Coach Lee Pipkin said. “The girls came out ready to play.”
The main action of the week for the Eaglettes was at Adamsville though.
That game was a real nail-biter that came down to the very last moments.
The Eaglettes played well throughout the night by keeping the lead, even if it was just by a few, or having it tied the whole game. However, a gamechanger occurred when the Cardinals took the lead with 24.9 seconds remaining in the game, with score of 42-43. The Eagles were not done though. Madison Williams was able to take the lead back with some free throws and Ava Craddock stretched out the lead further with some more. The score was 46-43.
Jan. 30
Chester County Junior High School Football Awards
The Chester County Junior High School Football team had their Awards Banquet on Thursday Jan. 23. Award winners are, left to right: Chad Barham – Offensive MVP, Gavin Moody – Rookie of the Year, Hunt Pipkin – Lineman of the Year, Jagger Young – Eagle Award, Cooper Bates – Defensive MVP and Jaleo Smith – MVP.
Feb. 6
Chester County Eaglettes’ clean sweep against North Side
The Eaglettes dominated the courts as a brute force when they played against Jackson North Side on Jan. 28.
The first half consisted of multiple steals, turnovers and points. On some possessions, the Eaglettes did not even let the Indians get the ball passed-in.
Since the team’s defense gets energized and plays well when the offense is making shots, the CCHS girls defense became a team that completely shut down the Indians. The final score had Chester county up by 51 points; 77-26.
Feb. 13
Chester County Eaglettes and Eagles win Homecoming – Eads for the win
The Chester County Eagles put on a show for their fans during Homecoming Night and played one of their better played games to date this season.
They shutout Scotts Hill in the first and ended it quarter 22-7, which was the biggest lead they have had at the beginning of a game.
After three or four three-point attempts to tie it in the fourth, the Lions eventually knocked one down, tying the game 81-81 with 14 seconds remaining. The Scotts Hill fans were going wild as the Chester County fans were stunned.
The Eagles still had the chance to end it with the win if they were to score, so they went down the court, looking for the right play…looking for the right person to be open to take the final shot.
Then the magic happened.
Number 14, Evan Eads, was found in the post to make the final shot with one Lion guarding him. Being well guarded with two seconds remaining, he jumped from the side of the net for a distant layup, and it went in. Eagles fans everywhere were ecstatic.
The Eagles won 83-81.
Feb. 20
Chester County Junior High School Baseball starts strong
The Chester County Junior High baseball team started off their season strong this year with a 2-0 record after victories against Bolivar (7-2) and Trinity Christian Academy (4-1).
Feb. 27
Chester County High School Girls Basketball advance to regionals
In the first game they played in the district tournament, the Eaglettes worked together to pull off a great victory against the Decatur Riverside Panthers, 63-43.
The Eaglettes, who entered the district tournament with a rank of number 3, was expected to win this game over Riverside at number 6.
Now with that win, the Eaglettes will automatically compete in the Regionals tournament.
March 5
Chester County Eaglettes end season with a heartbreaker
The Chester County Eaglettes basketball team ended their season at Dyersburg on Friday, Feb 28 in a close match up after losing by just two points.
The heartbreaker occurred with 2.3 seconds left. The referees called a critical blocking foul on the Eaglettes which allowed the Trojans to shoot two free throws for the win.
“We just ran out of time,” Pipkin said.
Pipkin was proud of the girls season though which ended with a 17-14 record.
March 12
Chester County Jr. Golf wins first match
The Chester County Junior High Golf team won their first match ever in school history, and defeated Henderson County North 124-125. Ty Baker, Jett Cox and Carlie Brewer earned second place in their divisions. Pictured is Ty Baker.
March 19
Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions Become Back-to-Back AMC Champs
After knocking off Lyon College (29-3) 74-60 to win their second straight AMC Tournament Championship, the Lady Lions (27-6) become the second team since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Lady Lions to win back-to-back titles and their fifth overall AMC title.
April 2
New facility for Chester County Baseball/Softball
Chester County baseball and softball teams will soon have a new, invaluable resource; indoor practice facilities.
Accessible to both the girls’ and the guys’ teams, the facility will feature an indoor batting zone, turf, space to throw the ball to each other, locker rooms and coaches’ offices. The buildings will prove to be helpful when fields are wet and they still need to get some practice in.
April 30
Collin McPherson hired as Chester County High School basketball coach
Last week, the Chester County School Board and Chester County High School Athletic Director Clay Murley announced their decision to hire Collin McPherson as the new CCHS boy’s basketball coach.
June 4
Back to the courts/fields
COVID-19 has had Chester County athletes and fans alike dealing with the absence sports since about mid-March.
Since then, players have missed the adrenaline and activity, and fans have missed the emotion and atmosphere.
Now with the Coronavirus settling down, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has allowed the return of non-contact sports as of May 22.
This week, Chester County Schools returned for tryouts of various sports. Dixie softball/baseball has also returned to play their seasons.
June 11
Claire Maxon receives Chester County Independent 2020 Athletic Award
The multi-talented Claire Maxon is the winner of the 2020 Chester County Independent Award.
The Chester County Independent Award is presented annually to the senior athlete at the school who have given the most to the CCHS athletic department throughout their four years at the school, as chosen by the coaches.
She was chosen for her athleticism in both soccer and basketball.
July 2
Abby Stutts joins Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions program as assistant coach
The Freed-Hardeman Athletic Department and Lady Lions basketball program announced the addition of Abby Stutts as the assistant coach of the Lady Lions on Tuesday afternoon.
“I am so thankful for the opportunity to become the Lady Lions assistant coach,” Stutts said. “I would like to thank coach Epperson, Mike McCutchen and president David Shannon for this opportunity.
The Lady Lions have established a strong program, and I look forward to helping continue that tradition.
“I love Freed-Hardeman and the Christian values it upholds. I am so excited to be a part of the Freed-Hardeman family.”
Aug. 6
Gov. Lee allows contact sports
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently signed Executive Order No. 55, allowing the resumption of contact sports and extending local authority to require masks, among other provisions.
“Athletics is an important part of our way of life and provides many benefits for our student-athletes, but common-sense precautions must be taken to combat COVID-19,” said Gov. Lee. “We have worked directly with the TSSAA to coordinate a framework so that football season and soccer seasons can begin while keeping student-athletes, staff, and fans safe.
Aug. 20
Chester County High School Volleyball defeat Choctaws in season-opener
Eaglettes Volleyball started their season ready to compete. With the first game on their schedule being a tough opponent, Dyer County, the Eaglettes were able to defeat them in a clincher.
“Dyer County’s always tough, and they were tough tonight. I felt that it was a good match. I thought that we were evenly matched but I had some girls step up,” said CCHS Volleyball head coach Susan Humphry. “I could not be any happier right now.”
The good match-up led the game going to a tie-breaker in set 5.
In set five, the Eaglettes picked up good momentum to win 15-8 which gave them the win 3-2.
Aug. 27
Chester County Eaglettes Volleyball defeats Scotts Hill with ease
On Monday August 24, the Chester County Eaglettes Volleyball team played Scotts Hill.
The Lions were no match for the Eaglettes though.
Chester County defeated them three and out.
the first two sets resulted in wins 25-9 each.
In set three, the Eaglettes sealed the win with a larger win in the set of 25-5.
Sept. 3
Chester County High School XC wins first meet/Chester County Junior High School earns second
The CCHS boys and girls Cross Country teams competed for the first time this season at West Carroll’s course. The boys team clenched the first place team trophy. Placing individually were Tucker Allen – second, Carter Welch – fourth, Garrett Robison – sixth, Stewart Brown – 20th. Freshmen Hunter Mims held the fifth spot for the team. CCHS’s top girl finishers were Julia Briggs, Anna Bolton, Cecily Davis, Valerie Butterfield, Laila Goodman and Emma Grace Miller. Juniors Carter Welch and Tucker Allen were recognized as West TN top 10 runners to watch this season. The boys and the girls CCJHS teams traveled to Union City for their first cross country meet at Lake Road Middle School. The boys team placed second place overall. Silas McManus was the team’s top finisher.
Sept. 10
Two selected for FHU Hall of Fame Induction
The selection committee for Freed-Hardeman University’s Sports Hall of Fame has chosen two athletes for the 2020 class. Jim Carter, Lion first baseman from 1995 to 1997, and Haley Newby McRady, All-American Lady Lion basketball player who graduated in 2015. The official induction is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 14 during Homecoming weekend.
Sept. 17
Anna Bolton wins first Cross Country medal
The Chester County High School Cross Country team recently had a 3.1 mile race at Lexington’s Soccer Complex hosted by Lexington High School. The boys team placed first overall. Covington High School and Dyer County High Schools placed second and third. Individual medal winners were Tucker Allen first place, Carter Welch fourth place, Garrett Robison eighth place, Stewart Brown 16th place and Anna Bolton 12th place. After several meets being postponed or cancelled, the high school team will travel to Hardin County on September 17 to face “the hill” at Horse Creek Natural Wildlife Refuge. Anna Bolton won 12th medal at Lexington. This was her first medal.
Sept. 24
Chester County Football ends losing streak with 22-6 win over Liberty Tech
It has been a long time coming for Chester County Football, but they celebrated a win against the Liberty Tech Crusaders.
After losing a playoff game in the 2018 season, all games in the 2019 season and the first four games of this year, the Eagles broke a 15-game losing streak on the road during Friday night lights.
Oct. 1
Humphry coached 300th Victory
Chester County Volleyball Head Coach Susan Humphry reached a milestone and won her 300th game as head coach against Scotts Hill on Sept. 15. After 14 years of coaching, as of Sept. 28, she has a record of 305-162.
Oct. 6
CCJHS Eagles Football go undefeated, 6-0
Chester County Junior High Eagles Football and Head Coach Chad Hanna went undefeated for their 2020 season.
To make it even better, they wrapped up the season and put a bow on it with a big win over Henderson County South.
Scoring a total of 252 points during the season, the Junior Eagles outscored their opponents by an average of 28 points and beat Henderson County South by 50 points, 56-6.
Oct. 15
Chester County High School Volleyball becomes District Runner-up, falls in Regionals
Chester County Volleyball was able to place themselves in the District Finals last week against Lexington, however, they came up short which made them the runner-up for the district.
Entering the district tournament, Chester County was first in the district.
Since they were the runner-up in the District, they were still able to advance to Regionals, however, they lost 3-2 against Crockett County in the semifinals.
Oct. 22
Chester County Lady Eagles Soccer win District Tournament
The Chester County Lady Eagles Soccer team enter regionals after winning the district tournament last week.
Going into the tournament as number one in the district, Chester played Jackson South Side after JSS defeated Hardin County.
During the game against the Hawks, the Lady Eagles were tied with the Hawks 1-1 at the end of the first half, but by the end of the game, CCHS managed to score another two goals and keep their opponents to 1 goal. The final was 3-1.
Scorers in the game against South Side were Sydnie Quarles, Daisy McManus and Stephanie Gutierrez.
Oct. 29
Chester County Eagles football win last away game vs Tigers
The Eagles found their second win of the season Friday night during their last away game against the Bolivar Central Tigers.
Highlights include: A deep pass that flew from Tony Washington to Tyricus Anderson that resulted in a touchdown. Anderson returned a punt that would have been a touchdown if it was not called back due to a penalty. Then, Eagles defense put Bolivar in a third-and-32 situation after a stop in the backfield and penalties on the Tigers which resulted in them eventually punting.
The final score of the game was a shutout score of 47-12.
Nov. 5
CCHS Cross Country goes to State for third year in a row
Chester County High School Girls’ Soccer, Volleyball, boys’ and girls’ golf and Cross Country all represented Chester County during regionals this year, but the CCHS Boys’ Cross Country team is the only team from fall sports that will be competing at State.
Nov. 12
Chester County Boys Cross Country team earns 16th place at State
The Chester County High School boys’ cross country team ran the TSSAA Large School Division State Championship meet this past Thursday at Sanders’ Ferry Park in Hendersonville, TN. The team placed 16th out of 24 teams with a score of 446 and an average time among the top 5 of 18:09. Carter Welch and Tucker Allen earned a spot in Tennessee’s “Elite 50” based on their race times.
Nov. 19
Mia Hurst signs with University of Tennessee at Martin
On Nov. 11, the National Signing Day of 2020, Chester County High School Eaglettes Basketball player Mia Hurst signed with the University of Tennessee at Martin to extend her basketball career.
Nov. 26
Chester County Basketball starts off
1-1: McPherson wins first game as head coach
Chester County High School Basketball seems to have a good start with both girls and boys being at 1-1 after their games against Hardin County and Bolivar.
The boys were victorious, against Hardin County (71-55), and the girls were victorious against Bolivar (64-49).
The boys’ win against Hardin County was a good start to the year with it being their first game. Additionally, it was Collin McPherson’s first win as head coach.
Dec. 3
Chester County Eaglettes find momentum with winning streak
The Chester County Eaglettes enter this week at 3-1 with a three-game winning streak after victories against Bolivar twice and one against Humboldt.
The second time they played Bolivar, Monday, Nov. 23, they managed to have a bigger win than the first time they played them with the final score of 61-39 having a difference of 22 with their first one being a difference of 15.
Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, the girls traveled to take on the Humboldt Vikings and took the Vikings down 50-11.
Dec. 10
CC Eaglettes lose in buzzer beater shot
On Tuesday Dec. 1, Chester County fans witnessed the Eaglettes demolish the Humboldt Vikings 66-15.
Then, on Friday, Dec. 4, the Eaglettes faced the competitive team of Crockett County after playing relatively easier games. They almost won it too.
Within the last minute, the Eaglettes took the lead following a 3 pointer and layup by Mia Hurst with 15 seconds left on the clock. The score was 52-51 and the Chester Co. fans went wild. Unfortunately, Crockett was able to make a buzzer beater shot for the win, 53-52.
Dec. 17
Former Freed-hardeman Lions basketball star, signs professional contract In Bosnia
Former Lion Bryan Battle signed a professional contract to play for KK Promo in Bosnia’s top professional basketball division, less than one year removed from his stellar season in an FHU uniform.
Dec. 24
Josh Sears, Alex Huey named NAIA Preseason All-Americans
Lions baseball players Josh Sears and Alex Huey were named NAIA Preseason All-Americans, the league announced Wednesday, with a little over a month and a half before the 2021 season begins.
Sears looks to become a three-time First-Team All-American after hitting .350 and four home runs last season in just 19 games. He is currently FHU’s all-time leader in career home runs with 46.
Huey enters his junior season after being named a Preseason All-American a season ago. In four appearances, Huey had a 3-1 record with a 3.24 ERA.
He had 31 strikeouts while only walking five batters in 25 innings pitched.
