The Polk County High School Wildkittens ran their record to 4-1 with a 56-40 win over the Lady Mustangs from Walker Valley.
20:02
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September
2010
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Last year the Polk County High School volleyball team enjoyed its finest season in the history of the program.
Last year the Polk County High School volleyball team
enjoyed its finest season in the history of the program. The Lady Wildcats won
22 matches and lost only 5. They finished second in the district and went to
the region for the first time, losing to eventual state champion Red Bank in
the region semi-finals. They dominated many of the teams they played last year
and did not lose a single match to any team they were favored to beat. At one
point in the season last year the Lady Wildcats won thirteen matches in a row.
But what a difference a year makes! Five starters were lost
to graduation, another starter decided to forego volleyball this year in order
to concentrate on another sport, and another would-be senior player had to quit
the team due to health reasons. “There is no doubt about it”, head coach Danny
Rogers stated, “we are facing a massive rebuilding job this year. When you lose
six players off a team who either started full-time or were part-time starters,
it is going to be a real challenge to get the program back anywhere near to
where it was last year.” Rogers and assistant coaches Ginger Harness and Leann
Thomason certainly have their work cut out for them if the Lady Wildcats are to
bear any resemblance to last year’s team.
There are a number of obstacles which could potentially be
stumbling blocks for the Lady Wildcats this year. One is a lack of experience.
“We have some really good talent”, coach Rogers said “ but we could be hurt by
our lack of experience because there are only two players who have very much
quality varsity experience.”
One is sophomore Emily Wilson who started last year as a
freshman and won “Rookie of the Year” honors. “Emily will have to be the glue
that holds this team together. I know that is a load to place on a young player
like that, but Emily is capable because she proved it last year.”
The other player with experience is senior Jeanna Smith.
“Jeanna has a great serve and is a good hitter. She began starting on the front
row during the season last year and proved to be a capable varsity player.
Jeanna will have to step up and assume a leadership role on this team if we are
to be successful”, coach Rogers observed.
Other seniors who will be called on to play huge roles for
the team this year will be Kala Rogers, Mallorie Harrison, Toni O’Berry, and
Kelsey Lee. Harrison and O’Berry have been with the team for the past three
years, while Rogers, a talented hitter, did not play last year. Lee, a transfer
from Virginia, has shown good potential in serving and hitting and will be
counted on to contribute significantly to the team.
One thing that will definitely work in favor of the Lady
Wildcats is that there are a lot of talented young players on this team who
will push the older ones for playing time. “We have a great crop of
underclassmen including junior Ashley Prill who has shown that she is as good a
player as anybody and will be in the starting lineup when the season begins,”
Rogers said.
Another junior who will be counted on to contribute is Lindy
Labree, a solid hitter and blocker. Junior Valerie Waldroup has probably
improved more than anybody on the team in the last three years and will see
playing time. Sophomores Carmela Martinez and Kayla Lowe have also been
impressive in pre-season practices. But the most pleasant surprise among the
new players has been the emergence of freshman Brittany Rymer. “Brittany
reminds me a lot of Emily Wilson with her maturity and savvy of the game. She
may be a freshman but she plays like a seasoned veteran. She probably has been
as impressive as anybody in the fall practices”, Rogers stated.
There is a lot of freshman talent on the junior varsity as well.
Kasey Combs and Molly Smith have been impressive as well as Angelica Martinez.
Other freshmen on the junior varsity include Lindsey Fallin, Haley Swann, Amber
Moyers, Christina Gargola, Catlyn Hughes and Kendall Buckaloo. These will be
looking to JV sophomores Lucina Six, Halee Merrill, Kayla Moats, and junior
Katie Conner.
It won’t take the Lady Wildcat varsity long
to find out exactly where they stand because Saturday, August fourteenth, PCHS
will be participating in the Patriot Playday at the BX in Chattanooga beginning
at 10 a.m. “Playing good teams like Lookout Valley, Signal Mountain, Silverdale
Academy and Chattanooga Arts and Sciences will provide us a good gauge on just
far we have come this fall”, Rogers said.
The regular season will begin for the Lady
Wildcats on August 23rd when they travel to Maryville Christian.
The governor’s proposal to increase class sizes in the elementary schools, and to base the state’s payments on those maximums, could mean a significant loss of revenue for teaching positions in Polk County.
At the Jan. 19 meeting, commissioners were told that the Library Board would like to move the library from the lower level of the Courthouse to the building soon to be vacated by the Benton Family Health Care Center.
Teachers across the state, still reeling from last year’s loss of negotiating rights and a complicated evaluation system, now face a loss of a guaranteed salary schedule based on longevity and education.
The Library Board will be asking the County Commission for approval to move the library from the Courthouse to what is currently home to the Benton Family Health Care Center.
Video surveillance has been installed at the county’s convenience centers to identify people leaving garbage outside the fence at the convenience centers or throwing it over the fence when the centers are closed.
The collision happened around 6:45 a.m. Dec. 28 when a westbound truck carrying around 20 tons of calcine lost control coming around a curve on Hwy. 64 and flipped on its side.
Board members spent a majority of the meeting listening to a laundry list of ranging from mold issues to the proper wording on “no smoking” signs on the outside bleachers.
The IBMA Leadership Bluegrass, now in its 13th year, is an intensive three-day program that brings together the most progressive leaders to collaboratively challenge issues facing the professional music industry.
Lee University’s Encore Program, which offers people age 60 and over the opportunity to take university courses, has a new line up of specially-designed mini-courses for the spring.
Horse Trainer and owner of Double S. Stables, Randy Speegle of Benton took second place in the Legends division at the Mustang Challenge in Murphreesboro on October 21st – 23rd.
Local residents got their first look at potential routes for a Copperhill-McCaysville Bypass, at a public information open house held last Thursday by Project Engineers for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson has authorized a statewide referendum for cattle producers to vote on a $0.50 per head increase in the assessment to fund the in-state promotion of beef.
While some students may be nervous about how the upcoming exams could affect their college options, the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) has the tools they need to succeed.
Principal Mrs. Patricia Smith proudly announces the Copper Basin Elementary 1st and 2nd honor students. Students must have a 93 or higher average in all classes for the 1st honor roll.
Mrs. Deborah Swafford of Old Fort, was chosen by Northwest Elementary Faculty in Murray Co, Georgia to be Teacher of the Year for the 2011-2012 School year.
On Oct. 7, with the help of Vice Principal Turner, who kept her out of class for a few minutes to get it set-up, The Senior English 12 Class threw a Surprise party for Mrs. Ellen Carr.
Virginia Deloris Brown Trantham, affectionately known to family, friends and coworkers as “Sally”, age 77, of Copperhill, TN passed away Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
I just wanted to say a big “Thank You” to Cheryl Maxwell, Mayor Stephens, Linda Caldwell, and others who planned and carried out a very successful 2nd Annual Heritage Days festival in Benton.
There is an old saying, which many credit to Native Americans as advising, “You can’t really understand someone else, unless you live their life or walk in their shoes (so to speak).
Photo from 1910 provided by Bill Lillard shows the family of Calvin Higdon, who built the Higdon Hotel in Reliance. Calvin (1836-1919) and Amanda Linderman Higdon (1845-1926) were married in 1860.
From Polk County News, 9/13/34
Famous Monroe County Hotel Is Now No More
People from All Over South Visited the “Saratoga of the South” in the Good Old Days.
The Museum Center at 5ive Points will host a presentation on Learning to Care and Maintain Your Featherweight Sewing Machine by Stan Pegram on Saturday, February 11 from 10:00 - noon.
Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is offering a Cherokee language class in Vonore, TN on the following Mondays, January 9, 16, 23, 30, 2012 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Each day kids will create their own holiday spirit by making decorations, learning games and trying foods from the past. Campers are asked to bring a sack lunch.
“It was like seeing a freight train coming down the tracks 90 miles an hour and trying to stop it by stepping in front of it”, Coach Danny Rogers said.
The Copper Basin Medical Center’s District Board honored Dr. William E. Lee last week. Dr. Lee, 85, has spent a lifetime in service, not only to the community but to the world through his medical mission trips.
EPA is proposing actions to improve the water quality of the Ocoee from Copperhill to Dam No. 3, at Dam No. 3, and at the upper reach of Parksville Dam.
The Ocoee River Outfitters Association will conduct a stream cleanup with the help of approximately 130 volunteers on Friday, May 27, 2011 starting at 9:00 am.
Beginning in mid-January culverts will be replaced on Sina Branch Road where it crosses Sawmill Branch in the Ocoee Ranger District in Polk County, TN.
Drawdown is underway at Apalachia Lake, according to David Bowling with River Operations at TVA. He said the lake will drop 18-20 feet for routine maintenance work.
Trout stocking will be reduced about 20% in the coming fiscal year and could be reduced 85% after that, according to Frank Fiss, Assistant Chief of Fisheries at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
TVA has created a smartphone app for those wanting to check on reservoir elevations, water release schedules and more. The information has been available online, but the new app will allow access by cell phone.
Unseasonably high temperatures -- in the 90s -- are sending folks to the water. The Ocoee Whitewater Center is a popular place when the river isn't flowing, and the Hiwassee and Ocoee are popular when it is.
People come from near and far to experience a variety of outdoor recreation activities including camping, picnicking, hiking, bike riding, water play, fishing and much more.
VEC was recently notified by a neighboring utility that they have been receiving complaints from customers who have been visited by scam artists posing as energy evaluators.
The Tennessee Historical Commission is now accepting nominations for its Certificate of Merit Awards to honor individuals or groups that have worked to preserve Tennessee’s cultural heritage during 2011.
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine offers personalized support for Tennessee residents who want to quit smoking by connecting them with trained quit coaches to guide them through the quitting process.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) Consumer Affairs division is urging consumers to be wary of emails that request participation in a survey and that promise a gift card in return.
While many job placement firms may be legitimate and helpful, others may misrepresent their services, promote outdated or fictitious job offerings and charge high fees in advance for services that may not lead to a job.
The annual campaign has enrolled tens of thousands of children in the low-cost health insurance plan, which provides coverage for everything from physician visits to hospitalization to dental and vision care.
The Tennessee Department of State has launched a campaign to educate citizens about the new photo identification requirement that will go into effect for elections held in the state after Jan. 1, 2012.
All of the legislation approved this year, during the first session of the 107th General Assembly, is now available online at the Office of Secretary of State web site.
Applications for the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP) are available online at www.e-rebates.org/teearp or by phone at 1-877-741-4304 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Individuals who have received LIHEAP assistance since July 2010 must wait until October 1 for the new program year to begin before they can re-apply for benefits.
“Kids Fishing Day” event in Cherokee National Forest’s Ocoee/Hiwassee Ranger District is scheduled for May 21, 2011 at McCamy Lake. Anglers 15 years and under are invited to try their luck.
Ducktown resident Jack Suites and his partner Bitt Ledford of Murphy, N.C. took home the $700 second place prize at the Tri-County Community College Foundation Fishing for Scholarships Bass tournament on April 2.
More than four months after a spotted bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces was caught on the Ocoee River in Polk County, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has confirmed the fish as a new state record
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