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08-30-2006 Sports Wildcats stung 20-13 by Yellow Jackets
Wildcats stung 20-13 by Yellow Jackets
Dewain E. Peek/OCN Sports By MAC McLEOD, OCN Sports His dad, Danny McCoin, was a standout quarterback at Livingston Academy who made it all the way to the pros. He wore #1. His hero, Wilson Cates, set just about every offensive record the school could find and led the Wildcats to their first and only state championship last year. He wore #8. So when Livingston Academy took the field Friday night for the opening game of the season against defending state 1A champions Trousdale County, flashbacks of past greatness flooded the minds of everyone in the packed home town stands when #8 took the field. "That number 8 got a little heavy at times," a calm and collected Brannon McCoin smiled as he described his first start on the varsity team. "I was a little nervous and started a little slow, but with each play I got a little more confidence. I don't think I played all that well and we lost, but it was a start and we'll go from here." Considering the fact that McCoin is a true freshman and at 5-8, 155 pounds, one of the smallest players on the field, his first outing on the varsity team was a little more than just routine. "He was outstanding," pointed out former LA Head Coach Matt Eldridge after the game. "When you consider he's a true freshman and he took every snap (50) and only made one small mistake that I can recall, you can't say enough about what he did out there tonight. "Give him time and he'll be just fine. I don't remember much about Wilson's first game four years ago, other than we got beat pretty good by Crossville, but I could see a lot of similarities in Brannon and Wilson." At the final buzzer, the Yellow Jackets, mainly on two key mistakes by the Wildcats' defense, were on top 20-13, and saw their record even out at 1-1. Livingston will carry a 0-1 record to Kingston this Friday night. "It's the toughest loss of the season," LA Head Coach Danny McCoin told his team after the game. "You work so hard in the heat of August, then you lose the first game. But the season is not over. It's just started, and we'll work on some mistakes we made tonight and we'll be ready Friday night. "Offensively, we played pretty good tonight, especially in the line, but we didn't cover the punt well at all and we broke down on the pass for the TD." Coach McCoin's description of the game was pretty much right on the money. After being forced to punt on their first possession of the night, Trousdale County's Marco Wright took Jacob Collins' punt at his 32 yard line and raced around the right side, almost untouched, for a 68-yard return score. Jared White added the point-after and the Yellow Jackets led 7-0. In the second period, the Wildcats marched 70 yards following a Trousdale punt, and the scoring play brought back memories of Cates pitching to Jamey Vaughn. This time, McCoin rolled left, found Josh Carwile trailing, and hit him with a perfect pitch. Carwile then bulled his way in from 14 yards out. The point-after try by Blake Vaughn was wide right, but the Cats were back in the fight, trailing by a point at 7-6. Another defensive breakdown with only 7 seconds left in the half gave Trousdale a 14-6 lead at intermission. The Jackets went to the air on the final drive of the half, using six passes in seven plays, and marched 70 yards for the score. LA's Jake Reeder explained later, "Their quarterback was pretty good, and you had to be aware of the run or the pass, and we just didn't adjust on our pass defense." In the third period, Livingston had the ball on only one offensive series, and it went nowhere in just three plays. When the quarter ended, the score was still 14-6, but Trousdale was knocking on the door. On the first play of the final frame, the Jackets used Wright's running ability to put 7 more on the board. But the Cats didn't fold as Brannon McCoin steadily marched his team 82 yards on 15 plays with Carwile again going the final yards for the score. This time Vaughn split the uprights, but only 36 seconds remained in the game. "I thought Brannon did an outstanding job tonight," said senior Levi Holt, who was replaced by McCoin at quarterback after breaking a collar bone in the pre-season. "We kept it simple for him, using mostly running plays inside, and he kept his poise and executed very well. "I can't wait to get back out there, but until I do, this team will be just fine with Brannon running the offense. I was really proud of him tonight." McCoin took 50 snaps on the night. Forty-five times he handed the ball off, but on 5 tries he connected on 3 passes for 26 yards. Carwile took 30 of McCoin's handoffs, and bulled his way for 132 yards. Reeder and Drew Cannon completed the ground attack. "You never like to lose, but when you do, hopefully, you learn something," Carwile explained. "I thought we played well at times, and the offensive line was really getting the job done tonight. Up front, we beat them all over the place, but we let down on that punt return and didn't cover the pass very well. "We'll work hard this week and we'll be just fine." Led by Robert Holt, Curtis Beaty, John Willeford, Cody Shokoui, and Gary Massengille up front, the Wildcats offense appears to be strong. A few corrections in the defensive backfield could make this edition of Livingston Academy one to be reckoned with by mid-season. "Being a freshman and being a quarterback can be a little intimidating at times," Brannon McCoin said, "but with that offensive line we have, it starts to get easier. I can't say enough about them tonight, but I know I only got sacked once, so that says a lot. Can't wait for Friday night."
Jr. Cats fall to Tompkinsville 22-12
Kassie Hunley/OCN Sports
The Overton County Jr. Wildcats saw their season record fall to 1-1 with a 22-12 loss to Tompkinsville, KY, on Thursday, Aug. 24 at Tom Davis Field. The Jr. Cats jumped to a 12-0 lead, but T-Ville scored the last 22 points of the game. The Jr. Cats scored on their opening possession of the game, driving 67 yards in 6 plays. The key play in the drive was a 27-yard pass play from Hayden Hill to Jake Huitt on third down. Three plays later, Kyle Lee scored from 18 yards out. The Jr. Cats' next score came with 5:44 left in the half, this time on a 1-yard run by Dylan Roberts, giving them a 12-0 lead. Tompkinsville scored right before halftime, making the score 12-8. The second half was controlled by Tompkinsville as they scored one touchdown in each of the last two quarters. The Jr. Cats did have the ball at the T-Ville 9 yard line, trailing 16-12, but lost possession on a fumble. Offensively, Dylan Roberts rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Kyle Lee had 7 tackles and an interception. Jake Huitt also had 7 tackles. The next action for the Jr. Cats will be Thursday, Aug. 31 at Macon County. Individual Statistics Receiving (Catches-Yds.) Lead Rushers (Carries-Yds.-TDs) Lead Tacklers
Outlaws teams win at Cannon County
Rachel Smith/OCN Sports
Overton County's Outlaws program travelled to Woodbury to take on Cannon County's teams Saturday, Aug. 26. The Sr. Outlaws won 35-7, the Jr. Outlaws won 26-0, and the Jr. B Outlaws won 25-0. Junior Outlaws game Individual Statistics Passing (Comp.-Atts.-Yds.-TDs) Receiving (Catches-Yds.-TDs) Fumble Recoveries Lead Tacklers Scoring
LA Wildcats begin volleyball season
Dewain E. Peek/OCN Sports
By DEWAIN E. PEEK, OCN Sports The Livingston Academy Wildcats volleyball team opened the season Monday, Aug. 21 at a new venue for sports in the Upper Cumberland Ð Stone Memorial High School in Crossville. "We opened up their gym on Monday night, and had a good match," LA Coach Merl Smith said. "We played 3 out of 5, had a good match. It was a real close match all the way. Ultimately, the Cats lost 22-25, 19-25, 24-26. "They are pretty good," Coach Smith said of the new team. "They had a lot of good sized girls who could really hit it. "They blocked us and we blocked them. But we still made some crucial mistakes as far as not passing the ball very well. That was it. We hit with them and served pretty well with them, but they had some hard serves. We had some tough opportunities to get the ball up because they were a hard serving bunch." Stone Memorial High School is located near what is referred to as the Vanity Fair mall, and according to Coach Smith has one of the nicest facilities around for playing volleyball. The following night, Livingston Academy opened the home season by hosting Macon County. The Wildcats jumped out front with 25-19 and 25-22 wins, then dropped the next 19-25 and the next 17-25 before going to a 15-point tie breaker. "We had a bad break when it got 14-14," Coach Smith said. "One of the girls thought she was going to set it to her, Brittany (McCoin) fell down and Jada (Ledbetter) fell on top of her. They both were going after the ball. It was because they were both hustling. They just fell down on top of one another. "I thought we did a lot of good things. We just gave them some free balls there at the last that we didn't hit when we probably should have hit the ball. I didn't feel like the setters got the ball in the right position some of the time. But they're getting better at it; they're inexperienced. "We are a little bit slow on defense, but we're getting better at bringing the ball up," he said. "They're using their hands a little bit more now, and they're getting better passes. "The potential is there. If we can just make everything click at the same time. Of course, we're still young in the season. I'm not worried about it.Ó He didn't have anything to worry about on Thursday, Aug. 24 at Gordonsville either as the Wildcats defeated the host team 25-21, 25-11, then knocked off Cannon County 25-11, 25-9. "The first game with Gordonsville, they played us pretty strong," Coach Smith said. "They had improved and were playing good court defense. "Then we got to hitting the ball better and did some really good things. "Brittany and Jada both played well on the net. I don't remember Brittany making a mistake as far as hitting goes. She hit just about every ball that was up there, and hit it well. She's jumping a little higher and attacking the ball." The Wildcats' record stood at 2-0 in the district and 2-2 overall before heading to the White County Tournament over the weekend. After playing at Crossville on Monday, Aug. 28, then hosting Monterey and Red Boiling Springs on Tuesday, Aug. 29, Livingston Academy will host Smith County and Jackson County on Thursday, Aug. 31.
LA Wildcats Golf mixes experience, inexperience
Mac McLeod/OCN Sports
Mac McLeod/OCN Sports
By MAC McLEOD, OCN Sports If Livingston Academy Golf Coach Elizabeth Maxwell could use two words to describe this year's team they would be "experienceÓ and "inexperience". With two seniors and three juniors surrounded by six freshmen and one sophomore, this year's Wildcats squad can match up well through four or five places then its anyone's question who will round out the first six members. "In high school golf," Coach Maxwell explained, "you take the four lowest scores to make the team score, then you use the other scores to see who's improving and who's not. We are pretty strong through four places, and we are fairly deep with our fifth and six spots." Junior Michael Ledford is the Wildcats' top player as he has been for the past two years. Last season, as a sophomore, Ledford went to the state tournament and finished 27th. "That's not bad," Coach Maxwell said. "Michael is a good solid player and has both the physical and mental abilities to go even further this year. He's been our number one player ever since he came on the team, and that experience has made him better every year. "He is dedicated to the game and works hard at it." Ledford's nine hole scores in the team's first four matches this season have ranged from the mid to high 30s. Sophomore Clint West and senior Daniel Elder swap back and forth for the number two and three spots. West is a good athlete in several sports and has a good attitude about the game. Coach Maxwell said, "He can recover well after a bad hole, and seldom carries a mistake to the next hole. That's very important in golf. "Daniel (Elder) has played on the team for four years and grew up here on the course so he knows the game. He's a long hitter and a good team leader." Senior Nathan Dale has played for four years, and according to the coach, is the most improved player on the team. When he started with the team four years ago, his scores would be in the mid 50s. Now he is shooting in the mid to upper 30s. "Nathan has worked hard at the game and his progress shows it," Coach Maxwell said. "He has a great attitude, is a good leader to be around, and keeps the game lighthearted." Chris McDonald, Robert York, Will Mullins, Tyler Watkins, Justin Watkins, Tyler Collins, and Jamie Emerton round out the squad. "Most of those players are our future," Coach Maxwell said. "Jamie and Chris will make strong contributions this year, and the others will get better with practice and maturity. "After four matches our only loss has been to Jackson County, and our top four players have played some strong matches. "Our biggest problem is our players need to play courses other than just here in Livingston. Playing other courses gives them confidence so that when we do move on to the district, regional, and state tournaments they will have a variety of different courses under their belts so they wouldn't feel out of their league when they play at places that aren't as familiar as here (Hidden Valley County Club)." Coach Maxwell has only one girl on this year's team in Brandi Keisling. Keisling was a member of the squad last year and is at a disadvantage in that most other teams in the district have several female players. Her one score is all LA can post against other teams. The team will play 12 district matches between Jackson County, Celina, Monterey, DeKalb County, Cookeville, Pickett County, and Clarkrange before the regular season ends in late September. District tournament action will take place October 2-3 at Ironwood Country Club in Cookeville. Regional tournament action will be at The Legacy in Springfield, and the state tournament is slated for Old Fort Golf Club in Murfreesboro on October 17-18. The four top players in the district tournament will move on to the regional event, then the top seven teams advance to the regionals. In the state tournament, one team for each region and three individuals will advance. Patty Dale will again assist Maxwell this season. After playing against DeKalb County, White County, and Pickett County at Riverwatch on Tuesday, Aug. 28, Livingston Academy will play Cookeville and Lebanon at Cookeville Golf Club on Thursday, Aug. 31, then will host Cookeville and Pickett County at Hidden Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
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