By Ron Barry
Managing Editor
In the very next game following the end to the unbeaten start to its season, Crockett County’s boys soccer team posted a big district win Monday over Dyer County to highlight the week in Cavalier spring sports.
Action was sparse on the various athletic scenes as inclement weather wreaked havoc on the past week’s schedule. Storms and heavy rains have made the local outdoor fields virtually unplayable, and several baseball and softball games were canceled due to the wet grounds.
Of the contests that were played, none was bigger than Crockett’s 7-0 soccer triumph over the Choctaws, as Jonathan Grajeda scored two goals and assisted on two others and goaltender VJ Pillar posted his third shutout.
The roundup of spring sports action from April 12-18…
Soccer
Crockett 7, Dyer Co 0: Alex Nolen joined Grajeda with a two-goal effort as the Cavs improved to 7-1. Avery Hurst scored his first career goal for the winners, who also received tallies from Salvador Negrete and Edgar Juarez. Nolen, Jose Garza, and Walter Smith each contributed an assist to the Crockett scoring parade.
Pillar made five saves to continue his outstanding play in goal for the Cavaliers.
South Gibson 1, Crockett 0: The high-scoring Cav offense was finally stopped in a road game at Medinalast Tuesday evening as the Hornets picked up a key district win and halted the undefeated start to the Crockett season with a late first-half goal that stood up for the remainder of the contest.
Tennis
Crockett Boys 5, Dyer County 4: The lower part of the Cavalier lineup prevailed for the Cavs as they won the bottom four singles matches and the number-three doubles matchup to post the victory last Tuesday, moving to 4-1-1 for the season.
Baker Jones kicked off the singles winners, topping Mason Adkins 8-4 at #3; Miles McCarter took care of Dyer’s Riley Doss by the same score at #4; unbeaten Jack Sanders moved to 3-0 in the #5 slot, downing James Harris 8-3; and #6 Lane Hamilton got past Tucker Sims 8-5. Crockett’s Dallas Teel fell to Dyer’s Cole Dodds 8-4 at #1 and Colyer Blackwell was edged 8-6 by Riley Thompson at #2.
In doubles play, the #3 team of Hamilton and Alek Hernandez pulled off a 6-3 win over Harris and Sims to secure the match for Crockett after the #1 and #2 pairings had fallen. Jones and McCarter lost to Dodds and Thompson 8-4 at #1 and Sanders and Gabe Ramsey lost to Adkins and Doss 8-2 at #2.
Dyer County 7, Crockett Girls 2: The Lady Choctaws became the first team to defeat the Lady Cavaliers (who are also now 4-1-1) by sweeping the #3-#6 singles and all three doubles matches. The highlight for Crockett was the singles play of #1 Erin Brookshire and #2 Kate Gourley, who each remained unbeaten for the season at 6-0 apiece.
Brookshire toppled Addie Burns 8-2 and Gourley blanked Emily Delashmet 8-0, but Dyer then took every remaining matchup. Grayce Shaver shutout Crockett’s Kaitlyn West 8-0 at #3 and then the Lady Choctaws won the next three positions by a 9-7 set score. Ashlynn Poe edged the Cavs’ Hayden Wilson at #4; Hailey Wynne Morgan slipped past Bekah Mallard at #5; and Kennedy Smith held on over Rachel Luckey at #6.
In doubles, Burns and Delashment handed Gourley and West their first defeat of the year by an 8-4 score at #1. Shaver and Poe topped Ashley Boone and Izzy Yearwood 8-3 at #2 and Morgan and N. Sisk blanked Campbell Currie and Addison Mitchell 6-0 at #3.
Baseball
Obion County 10, Crockett 5: It has been a full week since the Crockett diamonders have been able to get back on the field after losing a doubleheader to Obion last Tuesday. In the first game, despite a 4-for-4 performance and four RBIs from third baseman Joseph Gould, the Cavaliers dropped the opener 10-5 as the Rebels jumped to a 7-0 edge after two innings and never looked back.
Obion cranked out 16 hits, 11 of them off starter Braden McCanless in the first five frames. The Rebel attack included four doubles and a home run, and five different players posted multiple-hit games. For Crockett, Gould had a double and three singles and Will Holyfield collected a double and single in three trips. The Cavs were shut out until Luke Riley singled in Holyfield in the fifth and then Gould followed with a bases-loaded double, clearing the sacks. Gould singled in the final Crockett tally in the seventh.
Obion County 11, Crockett 1: In the nightcap, which dropped Crockett’s season record to 8-8, the Rebels broke open a close 3-1 game with an eight-run fifth. Winning pitcher Thomas Yates, who had homered in the opener, scattered five Cav hits and struck out eight without allowing a walk.
Riley went 2-for-2 and was also hit by a pitch to head Crockett’s offense. Gould singled in the Cavs’ only run, and Will Garrett had a double for the team’s only extra-base hit. Preston Vernon managed the only other Crockett safety. Garrett took the pitching defeat.
Softball
Obion County 6, Crockett 3: Crockett’s girls fought the Lady Rebels to a 2-2 tie until Obion struck for four runs in the bottom of the fifth last Tuesday. The Lady Cavs had tied the game in the top of the fifth when Piper White tripled home Malea Marbry, who had singled and was sacrificed to second by Makenna Tibbs.
But in the bottom of the frame, a leadoff single was followed by a bunt and an errant throw, allowing the tie-breaking run to score. Another error was then followed by a triple, and suddenly it was 5-2. Obion made it 6-2 with another single.
Anna Goldsby led off the Crockett sixth with a single and took second on an error before coming around to score on a Madison Solis single. But the rally ended with runners stranded on second and third for the Lady Cavs, who fell to 4-9 with the loss.
White and Goldsby each had two hits for Crockett. Lynden Cole launched a home run for the Lady Cavs in the fourth to get them on the scoreboard. Tibbs suffered the pitching loss in relief of starter Brooklyn Haynes.
Track and Field
The Crockett teams are scheduled to compete in an invitational meet at the University School of Jackson on Friday. It will be their first competition in three weeks.
