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Section
October 5,
2023
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CRIMINAL DEFENSE • DUI
ACCIDENTS ‘INJURY
Tin; LAW
oil ic i: of
NICOLE L.
McArthur
PHS Boys take 1st place at Rangers XC Invitation
In a thrilling display of
stamina, determination, and
youthful enthusiasm, the
Pickens Boys’ Cross Country
team emerged victorious at
the Rangers XC Invitational,
hosted by Fideles Christian
School on September 30. The
Pickens boys demonstrated
their mettle on a challenging
course that meandered
through Frogtown Trail,
complete with trails and
creek crossings.
The team left spectators in
awe as they secured a re
markable first-place finish in
the meet. The individual boy
performances were nothing
short of outstanding:
PHS Boys Cross Country Team
Senior Ethan Carlan led
the charge by claiming a 9th-
place finish.
Sophomore Luan Michau
displayed remarkable
prowess, securing a 10th-
place finish.
Freshman Jamin Martin
continuing to show his
toughness and ability, made a
significant impact by finish
ing 13 th.
Freshman Jacoby Stanley
stayed close to the top group
with his 16th-place finish.
Freshman Winn Ricken-
baker showcased his poten
tial by placing 30th in a
competitive field.
The Dragon girls also left
their mark on the competi
tion, with standout perform
ances that added to the team’s
success:
Junior Brylee Deering
proved her tenacity by secur
ing an 8th-place finish and
even ran the last two miles of
the race with only one shoe.
Freshman Heidi Thomp
son continued to impress, fin
ishing 13 th.
Freshman Piper Johnson
demonstrated her talent by
securing a 22nd-place finish.
Several PHS runners also
showed great improvement
from the beginning of the
season, and were able to
achieve season personal bests
on a difficult course:
Freshman Josh Arispe
demonstrated significant im
provement in his perform
ance.
Sophomore Miah Rich
showcased her determination
with a season personal best.
Sophomore Gavin Dailey
pushed himself to achieve a
season personal best.
Sophomore KJ Sar dis
played remarkable progress,
reaching a new personal best.
The Frogtown Trail
course proved to be a true test
of a cross country runner’s
skills, with its diverse terrain
that included challenging
trails and creek crossings.
The PHS boys’ victory in
such demanding conditions is
a testament to their dedica
tion and training.
Coach White expressed
immense pride in his team’s
accomplishments, highlight
ing the hard work and cama
raderie that have defined this
season. “These young ath
letes have demonstrated in
credible commitment and
spirit” Coach White re
marked. “Their performance
at the Rangers XC Invita
tional is a reflection of their
dedication to the sport and
each other.”
The PHS Dragons tri
umph at the Rangers XC In
vitational serves as an
inspiring example of what
teamwork, dedication, and
resilience can achieve. As
the season continues, the
local community eagerly
awaits more remarkable per
formances from these tal
ented young athletes who
wear the PHS Dragon em
blem with pride. Congratula
tions to the entire team on
their well-deserved success.
Brylee Deering finished the
last two miles with one shoe.
Softball Nettes tally 14 hits against West Hall
Lexi Grizzle rounds third after hitting a grand slam homerun into left
field against West Hall.
Lexi Grizzle hits
grand slam in
region matchup
On Monday, Pickens traveled
across the mountain to White County.
Both teams were strong in the circle.
White County opened the scoring in
the bottom of the fifth thanks to two
singles. Ainsley Jones and Skylar
Weaver were a force together in the
Ellie Hollis lunges after a fly ball.
lineup for Pickens, as they each col
lected one hit for the Nettes. Pickens
turned one double play in the game.
Lexi Grizzle started in the circle for
Pickens and recorded 18 outs.
On Tuesday, Pickens traveled to
West Hall for a region contest.
The Nettes got on the board in the
first inning after Lexi Grizzle hit a
sacrifice fly, scoring Jaedyn Tho-
mure, 1-0. The Nettes scored seven
runs in the second inning on the way
to victory. Ally Long drew a walk,
scoring Ellie Hollis, 2-0. Lexi Grizzle
hit a grand slam to left field, scoring
Madelyn Johnson, Jaedyn Thomure,
Ally Long, and herself, 6-0. Skylar
Weaver singled on a line drive to cen
ter field, scoring Ainsley Jones, 7-0.
Ellie Hollis singled on a fly ball to
left field, scoring Charli Fendley, 8-
0. In the third inning, Ally
Long scored on a wild pitch, 9-0. In
the fourth inning, Ally Long singled
on a ground ball to center field, scor
ing Madelyn Johnson and River
Becker, 11-0. Lexi Grizzle hit a home
run to left field, scoring Ally Long
and herself, 13-0.
The Pickens Nettes tallied 14 hits
in the game. Ally Long led PHS with
three hits. Madelyn Johnson, and
Ainsley Jones each collected multiple
hits for Pickens. The Nettes turned
one double play in the game.
Cheyenne Coleman earned the win
for the Nettes. She surrendered two
hits and zero runs over four innings,
striking out three, and walking none.
Pickens will host Gilmer at Dunn
Field on Monday at 5 p.m.
PHS Nettes Basketball: Caroline Mullins interview on
commitment to UVA Wise
Describe the overall re
cruitment process by the UVA
Wise Women's Basketball
program.
Caroline: The first
time the staff of UVA Wise
saw me play was in
Louisville, Kentucky with
my travel ball team. After
that tournament, Coach Tay
lor, an assistant coach,
reached out and said she re
ally enjoyed watching me
play and would love to con
tinue the recruitment process.
I kept touch with the coaches
throughout the summer and
in August they invited me up
for an unofficial visit and to
attend their elite camp. I went
and after the visit Coach
Cluesman offered me a full
scholarship. We kept in touch
for the next couple months.
Meanwhile, I went on a cou
ple other visits to other uni
versities. I knew after talking
to my family and friends
throughout the next month
that UVA Wise was the
school I wanted to attend.
What are some things
about the UVA Wise program
that contributed to your deci
sion to commit to them over
the other offers you received?
Caroline: Abig thing that
contributed to me choosing
UVA Wise over other schools
was the opportunities that
Coach Cluesman is giving
me. I want to go to a school
where I believe we can win
championships and I see that
opportunity at UVA, espe
cially with the coaching staff
and the program they are
building. Another big selling
point about the program was
the chemistry the girls have
with each other. I knew from
hanging out with them I
would fit right in. They are a
family there and I knew I
wanted to be a part of it.
Do you have any advice
for young Nettes that would
like to have the same oppor
tunities you have been af
forded?
Caroline: My advice for
young Nettes is to go all in.
Follow your dreams and put
the work in. Stay consistent
with the work. Always re
member that God has a plan
for you even though you
might not see it just yet.
Who would you like to
thank for this opportunity?
Caroline: First and fore
most I would like to thank
God for giving me the ability
to play the sport I love.
Thank you to Coach Thomas
and Coach Shaw for always
pushing me and helping me
through this process. Thank
you Coach Quinton and
Coach Krystyn for the count
less hours in the gym and
helping me achieve my goals.
Thank you to BJ at Fury Per
formance for the training that
has been instrumental in my
progress and growth not only
as a player but a person.
Thank you to my teammates
and friends for always being
there by my side through all
the ups and downs. None of
this would be possible with
out you. Lastly, thank you to
my family who have sup
ported me since the begin
ning. Thank you for
sacrificing your time to help
make my dreams come true.
Break out yo
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Racing across America
Race Recap - 2023 YellaWood 500
By Alex Korowotny
Racing Sports
Correspondent
Talladega started with Almirola on pole.
All of Stage 1 went caution-free until the
last lap. Pit stops started on lap 38 with each
of the manufacturers pitting at different
times. The Chevys got in front of the field
with Stenhouse continuing to lead. On the
final lap of Stage 1, Stenhouse ran out of
gas on the backstretch. This held up Busch
and caused Chastain to wreck out, leaving
Blaney to win the stage.
Continued on Page 3B
Sports
Fanatic
By
Tommy
Gartrell
Columnist
Impending
Chaos
The field for the College
Football Playoff looks magnifi
cently crowded as we embark
into the real substance of the
regular season. On October 1st,
nearly two dozen teams still
have a realistic chance at the
playoffs which means chaos
awaits.
I cannot remember a time in
which so many teams were vi
able contenders since before the
BCS era. No teams look elite
and dominant like in recent
years, but a host of teams look
really good. Each of the Power
Five Conferences contain no
less than two obvious con
tenders, while some of them
hold as many as five teams ca
pable of winning a playoff berth.
I am not confident that we
will see any unbeaten teams re
maining by mid-December be
cause of the delicious parity.
The conference title games
should tell us everything in the
end. A painful snub awaits one
of the five eventual conference
champions though.
With so many viable playoff
teams, usually ignored
matchups suddenly become
compelling. Once great rivalries
which lost luster in recent years
gleam once more.
Every college football fan
should be giddy right now.
Has the score of LSU at Mis
souri or Maryland at Ohio State
been interesting before now?
Certainly, neither one is a con
ference championship match,
but the results of both ballgames
tell us much about those teams
henceforth.
Florida State looks like the
leader in the ACC, but there’s
three other unbeaten teams
within the conference. The
Seminoles very narrowly beat
Clemson, so are they class of the
ACC?
I do not think so.
It’s hard to tell much about
Louisville or North Carolina yet.
Don’t forget; undefeated Miami
plays three of the four others
plus one loss Duke.
It’s been a decade since FSU
and Miami was a top 10 game
and two decades since the game
really had national champi
onship implications.
How could you not be excited
about these games?
In the Big 12, thirteenth
ranked Oklahoma (5-0) faces
third ranked Texas (5-0). The
annual Red River Shootout al
ways demands national atten
tion, but when was the last time
you really expected the Long
horns to win the game? National
rankings hinge on this game. Do
not be surprised if these two old
rivals must do it again in a win
ner-take-all game for the confer
ence crown.
The PAC-12 is loaded with
potent offenses as usual. Only
Oregon appears to have a credi
ble defense though. The Ducks
play five top 20 teams in their
remaining games. Normally,
these teams beat up on each
other enough within the confer
ence schedule that none of them
reach the playoffs. Could this
season be different?
I mentioned Maryland earlier.
The Terps (5-0) are unbeaten
with a powerful passing attack.
Could they upset the mighty
OSU? The Buckeyes (4-0) look
like the third best team in the
Big Ten currently behind Penn
State (5-0) and Michigan (5-0).
Unfortunately, the latter has not
played any notable competitors
yet. However, Ohio State hosts
the Nittany Lions on October 21
and the Wolverines travel to
Penn State on November 11.
The OSU v Michigan game fol
lows two weeks later in the sea
son finale.
No teams from the western di
vision of the conference can
match any of these competitors.
Is it possible though that say
Michigan gets so physically
drained in the final three ball-
games that Wisconsin triumphs
Continued on Page 3B