Lady Jets finish second in district; travel to Clinton Tuesday

Heather Mullinix, Crossville Chronicle, Tenn.
·2 min read

Oct. 17—Cumberland County High School's Lady Jets soccer team finished as runners up in the District 6AA tournament Thursday, falling 6-3 to Livingston Academy.

"Livingston came out on fire last Thursday," CCHS head coach Cub Whitson told the Chronicle. "We really didn't have an answer for their striker. The rest of their team did their part in getting her the ball. We were on our heels pretty much the entire first half."

Livingston is undefeated in district play this season, and they're the only blemish on the CCHS district schedule.

The Lady Wildcats got on the board quickly, scoring 6 goals in the first half.

"Luckily, Nana Alva was able to get us on the board before halftime, even though we were down 6-1," Whitson said.

As the teams took shelter from the chilly fall night during halftime, Whitson said his team was determined to make a game out of the contest.

"The girls came out swinging from the get-go in the second half," Whitson said. "We scored two goals within five minutes."

Whitson said Emily Farely took a great free kick that Livingston's keeper couldn't get her hands on, and Grace Baldwin tapped it in for the score.

Peyton Dunlap added another a few minutes later.

"We found Peyton behind the defense for a 1-1 with the keeper," Whitson said.

"We played a great second half. Unfortunately, even with a second-half rally, we had too big a hole to climb out of and couldn't get the job done," Whitson said.

"I was very proud of the girls' second-half effort. It was pretty inspiring to see them fight back so hard in the face of defeat."

The second-place district finish advances the Lady Jets to the regional tournament, playing District 5AA champion Anderson County High School Tuesday night in Clinton. The game begins at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.

The two teams faced each other early in the season, with Anderson County winning 3-1 at their home field.

A win Tuesday night would advance the Lady Jets to the regional finals on Thursday, to be played at the winner of the Livingston-Kingston match and a spot in the sectionals to qualify for the state tournament.

Several players from CCHS and Stone Memorial High School were recognized during the District 6 AA tournament championship Thursday.

Alva was named the District 6AA Offensive MVP and Baldwin the District 6AA Midfield MVP.

Earning spots on the First Team All District were, from CCHS, Molly Neal, Tia Swallows, Peyton Dunlap and Jaci Brannon; and from SMHS, Peyton McGinnis, Haley Suggs and Lilly Boston.

Second Team All District honorees were, from CCHS, Jesla Uribe and Kylie Tanner, and from SMHS, Ellie Strong and Karli Page.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.