7 Most Read Williamson County Sports Stories of 2016

indy-eagles-21. Independence Football Wins 29 Straight Games, but Loses to Farragut in Championship Game

published Dec 2, by Chip Cirillo

Independence’s final game in Class 5A is one it would like to forget.

A 28-point lead disappeared and a 29-game win streak ended as the Eagles lost to Farragut 45-35 in the 5A final at Tennessee Tech.

The Eagles (14-1), who led 35-7 late in the second quarter, will move to 6A next season.

Farragut (14-1) won its first state title by scoring the last 38 points, completely reversing the momentum.

“It was 35-7 and we did not put them away,” Eagles coach Scott Blade said. “We had a chance and unfortunately the wheels came off – a lot like Cane Ridge a couple weeks ago.”

Read the entire article here.
spring-hill-baseball

2. Spring Hill Baseball Throttles CPA for First State Title

published May 27, by Sam McGaw

Spring Hill couldn’t be tamed at the plate.

With the help of 16 hits, the Raiders captured their first Class AA state baseball championship with a 14-4 victory over defending champion Christ Presbyterian Academy at Middle Tennessee State University Friday.

“This title means everything for anybody that’s ever put on a Raiders’ jersey,” Spring Hill head coach Paul Lamm said. “It’s not only ours for the players on this team, but it’s for every single person that’s ever suited up for Raider baseball.”

This was Spring Hill’s third trip to the state championship in six tournament appearances since 2010.

Read the entire article here.

franklin-basketball3. Franklin Basketball Upsets Brentwood, Advances to 11-AAA Semifinals

published Feb 17, by Sam McGaw

He may be a freshman, but Franklin guard Reese Glover might have already secured his top high school glory moment.

Down 36-35 with 1:26 remaining in Wednesday’s District 11-AAA quarterfinal matchup against second-seeded Brentwood, Glover nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer to help give the seventh-seeded Rebels (7-17) an eventual 40-36 victory over the reigning state runner-up.

“We were down, and I knew I had to make the play,” said Glover, who finished with 14 points. “I’m a freshman, but I just felt like I needed to step up.”

Read the entire story here.

a-game-closed4. A-Game Closing Leaves Athletes Out In The Cold

published Feb 4, by Zach Harmuth

With the A-Game Sportsplex abruptly and without warning shutting down and with police called in to manage clubs and parents as they gathered their equipment, those clubs and parents are literally left out in the cold. Local volleyball, hockey and other clubs, and their thousands of athletes, who had games and practice scheduled at A-Game tonight and beyond, as of now don’t know where to go.

Read the entire story here.

volleyball5. Brentwood Volleyball Four-Peats as State Champion

published Oct 22, by Chip Cirillo

Megan Jantzi doesn’t know what it’s like to not win a state championship.

The Brentwood senior middle blocker walked off the volleyball court with her fourth straight Class AAA title after the Lady Bruins swept Farragut 25-20, 25-22, 25-15 at Middle Tennessee’s Murphy Center on Friday.

“It’s crazy, it’s amazing to have that experience,” said Jantzi, who had nine kills. “I’m just so grateful that we’ve gotten to continue on the streak. (Expectations) get higher and higher each year as it goes on.”

Read the entire story here.

centennial-touchdowns6. Centennial Scores 2 Touchdowns in Final 73 Seconds to Defeat Franklin

published Aug 20, by Sam McGaw

The Centennial Cougars made about as improbable of a comeback any football team at any level could make.

Trailing Franklin 24-14 with just over a minute left in the game, the Cougars scored two unanswered touchdowns to defeat their cross-town rival 28-24.

“This was unreal,” Centennial first-year head coach Matt Kriesky said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been part of a game like this. These kids never gave up. I feel like we were down by 10 the entire game. I didn’t think we were ever going to catch up. These kids kept fighting and fighting and believing. I can’t say enough about that.”

Read the entire story here.

tsc-hall-of-fame7. Most Decorated Soccer Team Earns Place in Hall of Fame

published Dec 21

The Tennessee State Soccer Association announced that members of the Tennessee Soccer Club’s U18 girls team are 2017 Hall of Fame honorees.

The announcement came on Tuesday in an awards and recognition ceremony at Soulshine Pizza Factory in Franklin, as TSSA celebrated the team’s USYSA National Championship run from this past July. The ceremony was delayed until this week as many of the players left for college soon after the National Championship.

Read the entire story here.