GC Grizzlies

Rutledge did beat PF 7-1 Thursday night. Mudd struck out 12 batters and Brabson was 4-4 at the plate. The pitcher from PF hit the ball really well, too. It was a good close game until the Lady Pioneers broke it open in the middle of the game. I believe right now Union has 2 losses with a game left against Rutledge. PF has 3 losses after being swept by Rutledge and splitting with Union. Rutledge sits atop the district for now...undefeated. But, the Lady Pioneers don't take either of them for granted. They realize what happened last year and they haven't forgot it! Great job so far LADY PIONEERS!

WOW! I heard today about the Cumberland Gap and Rutledge game. I'm in shock that nobody has commented on what took place. I did not see the game, so can anyone fill me in on the facts, please? I heard one Rutledge player, two Cumberland Gap players and both Cumberland Gap coaches were thrown out of the game.

True, Rutledge has no superstars this year like most years in the past, but they are getting solid play throughout the lineup. They still play good defense, hit the ball consistently 1-9, and are suprisingly getting solid pitching from several people. I know most people are conceding the #1 spot to Pigeon Forge, and rightfully so. I still think the Pioneers will compete with everyone. I would not be suprised to see them finish 2nd or 3rd. Who knows, the Tigers could pickup a loss or two in the district this year. One thing for sure, the Pioneers play to win them all. We know thats not going to happen, but every game will be competitive. Good Luck Pioneers!

Pigeon Forge looked solid today against a good Rutledge team, but Rutledge won 2-0. Rutledge now stands 4-0 in the district with 2 wins over GP, and 1 each over CG and PF. I haven't had a chance to see Union County yet. Does anyone know anything about them? It looks like it could be another battle this season between the Lady Tigers and Lady Pioneers. Usually Rsquared has some info. on Union. How about it...anyone?

Some of the players the Pioneers will count on big this year are Zach Blanken, A.J. Frost, Jacob Trent, Brack Ballard, and of course Ryan Webster. They have some returning players that did not get much time last year, but they will get the opportunity to play and hopefully produce. If they don't, there are a few Freshmen and Sophomores that may get a chance to show their stuff before the year is over.

I haven't heard from anyone. So I will post what I have been able to find out so far. It looks like Pigeon Forge, Rutledge, and Union County will battle again this year. Claiborne, Gatlinburg-Pittman, and Cumberland Gap still seem to be in the bottom half of the District. Cierra Mudd at Rutledge is already 3-0 with a win @ (AAA) Cherokee. She had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning. Freshman Savannah Grubb (1-0) has pitched well and is leading the Lady Pioneers in hitting right now. Senior 1b/Pitcher Kendall Brabson has just started playing after dealing with an injury. She will add another good bat and arm to the mix, but she will probably not pitch until April. They have good speed and slapping ability coming out of (Jr.) Melissa Fifield and (Fr.) Megan Greer. (Jr.)Tia Black has hit the ball well in the opening week, and had the game winning double @ Cherokee on Thursday. I look for (Fr.) Jessie Fennell to be a difference maker with her stick and the ability to play SS and C. She really has a big arm. The Lady Pioneers lost two Seniors, but the improvement of the team coming back and the addition of several capable Freshmen has them looking to compete in District and Region.

Rutledge defeats Claiborne 10-0 in six innings. They play again @ Claiborne tomorrow.

Who are going to be the teams to beat this year in the district? Who are the returning players to look out for and the newcomers?

Good to see the girls get back on the winning track Friday night. I couldn't believe what I heard happened on Thursday night against Cocke County. I didn't get to the game, but one of the coaches later told me 5-6 of the girls, that get the majority of the minutes, were really sick and feeling poorly. This had a lot to do with the poor performance of the TEAM. It was not just one or two, but it seemed the girls just did not have anything in the tank. They were able to gut it out on Friday and get back on the winning track. A couple of their key players stepped it back up for the ladies. I too thought it was good to see Ashlee able to be back with the team. I hope her surgery goes well and she has a speedy recovery. It looks like a three way tie for 3,4,5 in the District. I think Rutledge has the last spot in the draw. Does anyone know if GP or Claiborne will be 3 or 4 in the seeding?

It's very possible that 2,3,4 could finish at 6-4 in the district. I,m not saying it will happen, but if so, does anyone have the tie-breaker system in check. If numbers were drawn, does anyone know who has what?

It looks like there is a possiblity of a three way tie for 3,4,5. If all those teams win 5 games, does anyone know what tie breaker would be used?

Regardless of how correct your predictions may be, there is probably a District 1 thread somewhere that you can post your predictions for the schools in that District.

I saw where Claiborne defeated Gatlinburg-Pittman. That means they have to be playing pretty good basketball right now. It could be a tough one on Friday night at RHS. The girls havent played in a week, so they need to get out of the shoot quickly. Claiborne's best player did not play much when they played @ Claiborne. If I remember correctly, she hurt her arm early in the game and later twisted her ankle or something. She has been a force inside, at times, in games this year. I think the Lady Pioneers may have too much when it comes to the whole package. I think the Lady Pioneers win it in a close one.

Here are my picks... 1. Pigeon Forge 2. Cumberland Gap 3. Rutledge 3. Gatlinburg-Pittman 5. Claiborne 6. Union Pigeon Forge will be hard to beat, but there are still some upsets lurking out there.

The girls played a good game against Cumberland Gap. They were able to get some good scoring from several different players and their outside shooting was on target, too. Still a few too many turnovers, but what a great win against CG. It looks like Pigeon Forge may be a little better than GP, Rutledge and CG. But, don't forget CG did defeat PF earlier in the season. So it will be anyone's tournament when district rolls around. I think anyone of those four teams could get hot and play good enough to win it. You can't take Claiborne or Union for granted either. They will play hard and would love to be able to upset one of these teams. On another note...I think some people have been frustrated with the Lady Pioneers overall win/loss record. As I stated earlier, I think they will be around .500 or a little better. That said, a lot of that has to do with the out of conference schedule they play. Some schools play teams they can usually beat easily to help their overall record. Rutledge has played a very tough out of conference schedule this year. They have played (AAA)Morristown West, (AAA)Cocke County, South Greene, Gibbs and Seymour. Rutledge is currently 0-6 against these teams this year with games left against Cocke County, South Greene and Gibbs. Sometimes I wonder if its better to play a tough schedule like this and try and put the losses in perspective or if it would be better on their confidence to play teams they could beat. What's everyones theory on this one?

A.W. Davis, Phil Garner, Melissa McCray...take your pick.

First and foremost, the games this past week at Seymour and Pigeon Forge are best if forgotten. The Lady Pioneers were soundly beaten by two good teams. End of story. I love the Lady Pioneers and have been watching Rutledge play for over 25 years. They did not play very well, at all, in either game. But, I am sure this had a lot to do with the play of the teams they were playing. EVEN WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE LAST TWO GAMES, WE STILL DO NOT NEED TO PANIC OR THROW IN THE TOWEL. Many may disagree with me and thats okay, but I feel like the Lady Pioneers are probably a team that will finish a couple of games above .500. Pigeon Forge looked better than Rutledge, but the Lady Pioneers are as good as any of the other teams they have played in the district. They have split with GP and beaten Claiborne on the road. We should know about where they stand after next Tuesday's game @ Rutledge against Cumberland Gap. This game could be very important in deciding 2,3,4, in the district. We need a good crowd at the games Tuesday night! Come on out and support the Lady Pioneers!

Definitely a great game at Pigeon Forge last night. Good job Pioneers! The Pioneers were just a little too much for the Tigers. Not to take anything away from them though. They played a great game as well. Kudos to the Tigers coach for managing the five in five out substitution better than anyone I have ever seen. It was sad to see anyone lose that game, but if someone had to win I'm glad the Pioneers were able to pull it out. Rutledge did get a great effort from everyone and Skylar McBee had an outstanding game. Good job by Coach Combs and the STAFF for changing defenses up in the second half and causing the Tigers some problems. Its good to get wins on the road in the district. Gonna be a good challenge every night. Good Luck Pioneers and GREAT JOB!

Great win Friday night against GP. Katie Crews had perhaps her best game as a Lady Pioneer with 18 pts. The girls did a good job handling GP's press and played some pretty impressive "D" of their own. They go to Seymour Tuesday night, Pigeon Forge Friday night, and play Cumberland Gap at home the next Tuesday. This is a pretty important stretch for the Lady Pioneers. Seymour is not a district game, but we know it is always extremely tough playing there. After Pigeon Forge and Gap things should start to shake down a little in the district. It looks like it is going to be a battle any given night. Good luck Lady Pioneers! Keep up the great work!

Coach Parkey was at the Gatlinburg-Pittman/Rutledge game last night scouting. Does anyone know if he was scouting for Claiborne or someone else?

This group of young ladies is playing pretty good right now. The senior leadership is good, too. This group does not have any girls as you said...like a few years ago. I was told the competition at Union County's Tournament was not very strong, but the Lady Pioneers looked pretty good. They are playing together and geting ready to make a run into conference play with GP on Friday. Right now they are 1-1 with a loss @ GP and a win @ Claiborne. Everyone come out Friday and support the girls. It would be good to have a big group of Rowdies for support.

This is the last year for the Rutledge Pioneers. They will become the new Grainger High School next season. The mascot will be the Grizzlies. Thus, the Grainger Grizzlies. Colors will become Navy,White and Orange. The new school is only a couple of miles away, from RHS, on 11-W. This Friday should be a couple of important and defining games at RHS against GP. Everyone that can needs to come out and support the Girls and Boys. Both teams came away with championships at the Union County Christmas tournament last week. I hope they can continue their good play and even the score with GP. Good luck Pioneers!

BearClaw, Hey, don't get me wrong on the coaching staff. I think the mix of Coach Roach, Coach McBee, and Coach D is great. They've probably forgotten more than most of us know. I fully support all of them as coaches. You know how it is though. Sometimes we like to be arm chair quarterbacks...er I guess in this case arm chair coaches. It really looks like the girls are playing better. I've been able to see three or four of their last games and they are playing together, and they keep playing hard. That's what it's gonna take. The teams they have lost to are really good teams. If they keep playing like this they will beat some of those good teams from here on out. As for Brabson, (I never made any comments about her being rough) she was hammered in a couple of the games I saw and she really kept her cool and played with great poise. They need her to continue her hot play and it also seems Acuff and Crews are starting to find a good groove, too. The Lady Pioneers need those three to continue to play well, Stratton to keep knocking down the threes, and as it always seems, Edde finds a way to be around the ball with a big steal or something. She is probably one of the most underated on defense. She is always around the ball. Also, there are three or four coming off the bench giving Coach Roach good minutes. I like where this team is right now. Everyone seems to be settling into their role. They are going to get better with each game and they are finding their identity right now. Good luck ladies! Keep playing together and keep playing hard. I probably won't make any of the Union County tournament games, can someone put scores on here if they have them?

rSquared, I didn't get a chance to catch any of the games today. Do you, or anyone else, have any of the scores from the games? What boys and girls teams looked good today?