TSSAA State Playoffs

Friday, Nov. 20

Quarterfinals

CLASS 6A

Brentwood 21, Franklin 20

Maryville 35, Farragut 14

Riverdale 14, Oakland 7

White Station 21, Whitehaven 16

CLASS 5A

Anderson County (9-3) at Columbia (11-1)

Beech 32, Gallatin 29

Mitchell (9-3) at Melrose (8-4)

Sullivan South 34, Daniel Boone 21

CLASS 4A

Giles County 36, Lexington 10

Greeneville 14 , Red Bank 13

Liberty Tech. Magnet 41, Crockett County 28

Whites Creek (9-3) at Maplewood (8-4)

CLASS 3A

Alcoa 21 , Loudon 3

Elizabethton 31 , Austin-East 8

Milan 42, Camden 7

York Institute 15, Smith County 14

CLASS 2A

Boyd Buchanan 21 , Cascade 0

McKenzie 46, Adamsville 20

Rockwood 28 , Hampton 14

Trousdale County 28, Friendship 14

CLASS 1A

Grace Christian 35, Harriman 21

South Pittsburg 46, Gordonsville 7

Union City 30, Huntingdon 7

Wayne County 14, Jo Byrns 7

Division II

Semifinals

CLASS AA

MBA 42, Brentwood Academy 41

MUS 23, Father Ryan 15

CLASS A

USJ (10-1) at Davidson Academy (10-1)

Knox. Webb 42, ECS 28

See Saturday's print edition of the Times-News for more information.

RICHMOND — Gate City lost six seniors from last season’s state championship volleyball team. Strasburg, the VHSL Group A runner-up a year ago, returned nearly every key performer.

Friday afternoon, youth trumped experience.

A Gate City team that used five freshmen at one point or another outlasted Strasburg in five games in this year’s version of the Group A semifinals, held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center.

Rallying with their season on the brink, the Lady Devils emerged with a hard-fought 30-28, 16-25, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory.

“These ladies do a good job handling pressure,” Lady Devils coach Amy Reed said. “They could easily fold, and they don’t. They push. That’s determination that they have.”

Gate City takes on Region C champion Bath County at 9:30 a.m. today for all the marbles. With a victory, the Lady Devils can claim their fourth state title, all coming in the past six seasons.

As part of that dynasty, Reed regularly brings her junior varsity and middle-school players to watch the state tournament. Over the years, those former spectators have become key contributors.

“Take them so they can get a feel for this. Because the first time or two we played in this gym, it was awful,” Reed said. “But knowing their environment helps.”

Middle hitter Erica Fugate, the tallest player on the Gate City roster at 5-foot-11, was one of three freshmen in the Devils’ regular rotation.

“I didn’t worry about making mistakes because it just felt like any other away game,” she said.

Fellow rookies Sydnee Snapp and Santana Bishop joined Fugate in the rotation, and freshman Celena Bolling and Mary Whitt also saw the floor, and in high-pressure situations. Reed put in Bolling or Whitt on the back row coming out of timeouts trying to stifle a Strasburg rally.

Both teams spent time inflicting and absorbing their lumps in this one.

The Lady Devils staved off three game points in the opener before tallying the 30-28 victory and seizing the early advantage. Strasburg dominated the second game to tie the overall match.

In the third game, the Lady Devils compiled a sizable advantage only to squander it and fall short, placing the Lady Rams 25 points away from a spot in the state championship match.

Strasburg carried that positive momentum over to the fourth game, building a solid lead.

“It was tough. They had the momentum, they were going strong. But really all it takes is just one play for us to get it back,” Gate City senior Lindsey Burke said. “That was all we needed.”

And Burke’s serves certainly fit her team’s need. Two of her five aces came in that pivotal fourth game.

“It floated, twisted, did everything,” Strasburg hitter Jenna Smoot said of Burke’s serve. “It was really hard to follow the ball and receive it.”

Strasburg fumbled another chance to put away the match in the fifth game, taking a 11-7 lead only to endure a five-point run in response by Gate City.

“We weren’t ready to go home,” Devils senior hitter Brittany Simpson said.

“I’m speechless right now,” Rams coach Suzanne Mathias said. “I thought that overall we played really well. We just needed to close out on the fourth and fifth game and we didn’t do that.”

The Lady Devils tallied the deciding point when Strasburg was whistled for a net violation.

“There were a lot of good plays and to go out on a play like that, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” Smoot said.

Junior Ashton Dougherty paced the Lady Devils with 19 kills. Simpson had 12 kills and Fugate 10. Burke tallied 11 kills and 10 digs to go with her aces. Libero Ashlee Mustard amassed 15 digs and setter Callie Sloop had 12 digs and 52 assists.

Sloop, a junior but first-year starter, had her own take on managing the high-stakes environment.

“I imagined we were in our house and it just made everything a lot smoother,” she said. “I was surprised how well I handled the high ceiling.”

Today, Gate City volleyball will try to ensure itself another year in the VHSL penthouse.

Injuries have sent a half-dozen Tennessee football players to the sideline this season, a total including four starters and further testing the team’s already questionable depth.

It could be worse.

For proof, just look west down Interstate 40 at Vanderbilt.

A string of season-ending injuries have sent the Commodores tumbling backward after securing a bowl bid in 2008. The combined lists of walking wounded make Saturday’s Southeastern Conference tilt at Neyland Stadium (7 p.m., ESPNU) a battle of subtraction.

Since the beginning of spring football, the Vols have lost center Josh McNeil, receiver Austin Rogers and linebackers Nick Reveiz and Savion Frazier to season-ending injuries. All four were starters or slated to compete for starting jobs at the time of their mishaps. Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) also has lost tailback Toney Williams and defensive back Marsalous Johnson. Other veterans like offensive guard Vladimir Richard, receiver Gerald Jones and defensive end Chris Walker have missed at least one game.

Add in the 15 players dismissed from the team since Lane Kiffin took over the Volunteers’ program, and the numbers become astounding.

Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7) has not sustained that sort of permanent attrition, but the injury bug has bitten the Commodores bad after qualifying for and winning the Music City Bowl last season.

The Commodores have 12 players who either have missed a sizable share of the season or are done for the year due to injuries. The list includes starters like quarterback Larry Smith, defensive end Steven Stone, running backs Jared Hawkins and Zac Stacy and offensive tackle James Williams. Vandy also lost top returning receiver Justin Wheeler to a knee injury sustained during spring drills.

Against the Vols, Vanderbilt also will be without cornerback Myron Lewis, who damaged his meniscus during last week’s loss to Kentucky.

Compounding Vandy’s injury woes, the Commodores have played their 2009 season without an open date.

FINAL FIVE: On Thursday, Tennessee safety Eric Berry was named one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is the defensive player of the year award for the Football Writers Association of America.

“He’s grown a lot,” UT linebacker Rico McCoy said. “He can play just about any position. He can cover guys in the slot, he can play corner, he can play safety, he came in knowing more than most freshmen, more than any freshman I’ve been around. His knowledge of the game has just kept on growing.”

Berry is considered one of the top prospects for the 2010 NFL draft. He did not address his future in his lone media availability with reporters after Wednesday’s practice.

Both Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin have spoken several times about Berry’s bright future in the NFL.

EXTRA POINTS: Two walk-ons, defensive back Tyler Wolf and linebacker Shane Reveiz, could start against Vandy if corner Dennis Rogan (leg) and McCoy (knee) can’t go. … UT running backs coach Eddie Gran already has interviewed for the vacant head coaching position at Memphis. … The Vols are favored by 17 points.

KNOXVILLE — Court dates have been set for a University of Tennessee football player and two former teammates charged in an attempted armed robbery last week.

Mike Edwards, 18, is set to appear Friday for arraignment in Knox County General Sessions Court. So is fellow UT student Marie Montmarquet, 22, accused of acting as the players’ getaway car driver.

Nu’Keese Richardson and Janzen Jackson, also 18, are set to appear Monday for a preliminary hearing, said John Gill, spokesman for the Knox County district attorney general.

Read the full report on the Koxville News Sentinel Web site.

In any given season, as Tennessee players make final preparations for the last home game of the football campaign, emotions can run high.

Guys reflect. They look back. Sometimes, they cry.

“Guys do cry at times,” linebacker Rico McCoy acknowledged Wednesday. “It’s the last game and a lot of guys have been there four or five years. It hits them right before they go out or when they’re on the field. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

This Saturday night, when the Volunteers host Vanderbilt, McCoy will be one of the players to run through the ‘T’.

The question might be whether McCoy runs or walks — and if he’ll be in full uniform at the time. An undisclosed knee injury has the veteran’s availability in doubt for Saturday’s contest.

Nevertheless, McCoy took a few moments on Wednesday to reflect as his collegiate playing career draws near an end.

“I’m just thinking how fast time flies by,” he said. “I have no regrets and I had a great time playing here. Sadly, I’m coming up on my last one at home and I’ve got to make it a good one.”

The fifth-year senior out of Washington, D.C., even found a little bit of synergy between this week’s game and the first contest where he saw considerable playing time at linebacker, back toward the tail end of the 2006 season. On both occasions, the opponent was Vanderbilt.

In the 2006 meeting, linebacker Jerod Mayo got hurt in the first half. McCoy replaced him and went on to lead the team defensively with eight tackles and a forced fumble.

“I played every snap after that,” recalled McCoy, who saw most of his playing time that season on special teams. “I kind of count that as my first start here.”

As a redshirt freshman, McCoy also led the Vols in special-teams tackles in 2006.

Three full years later, he’s once again setting the pace for Tennessee — now in overall tackles.

Averaging 8.4 stops per game, McCoy leads the team and ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference in tackles. McCoy also has forced four fumbles thus far this season, a total that leads all SEC players.

With 84 total stops, he’s only three shy of equaling his tackle sum from last season (87).

McCoy has remained a mainstay in the linebacking corps ever since replacing Mayo — aside from being ruled academically ineligible for the Outback Bowl at the conclusion of the 2007 season. He’s been on hand for a changing of the guard this year: first by adjusting to a brand-new coaching staff, and then by becoming the graybeard of a youthful linebacking corps.

Even before the season began, McCoy was the lone linebacker on the roster with significant collegiate experience playing the position. Season-ending injuries to Nick Reveiz and Savion Frazier deprived the Vols of their next most-experienced linebackers. At one point in Saturday’s loss at Mississippi, McCoy was on the field alongside redshirt freshman Herman Lathers and true freshman Greg King.

“This is as wild as it gets, I think,” McCoy said of all the injuries and turmoil on the depth chart in the linebacking corps. “There’s been a bunch of guys hurt, shuffling a bunch of guys around. It’s crazy, but we’ve got to deal with it.”

The Vols would get even younger on the second level of their defense if McCoy can’t play. Walk-on Shane Reveiz, Nick’s brother, would get the start in McCoy’s stead.

Either way, the Vols’ leading tackler wouldn’t be surprised if he sheds a few tears on Saturday.

“Probably. I’m an emotional guy,” McCoy said. “It wouldn’t shock me if I did.”

Gate City’s volleyball team knows the bus ride to Richmond by heart. They know what the inside of the Siegel Center smells like. The transition from small gymnasiums to expansive arena won’t faze them at all.

“We always let our younger ones tag along with us. This is not going to be new territory for any of them,” Gate City coach Amy Reed said.

The same applies to the opponent the Lady Blue Devils will face in Friday’s VHSL Group A state semifinal match.

Making their sixth straight Group A Final Four appearance, the Lady Blue Devils (23-1) will cross paths with Strasburg (25-1) for the third year in a row at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The rematch is set for noon. Bath County and Mathews will slug it out in the opposite bracket at 2 p.m. The championship match is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Call Friday’s semifinal the deciding match in a best-of-three series. The Rams overtook Gate City in five games in the 2007 state championship match. Last year, Gate City swept Strasburg in the finals.

“At this level, I want to face the best. And I think Gate City is definitely one of the best programs in the state,” Strasburg coach Suzanne Mathias said.

After losing most of its state championship roster, the Rams arguably overachieved last season. Not likely this year.

Two of Strasburg’s senior floor leaders — Jenna Smoot and Stephanie Conde — were with the Rams in 2007. Smoot, a 6-foot middle hitter, averages 2.4 kills per game, 1.3 blocks per game and has a .472 kill percentage. Conde, a 5-8 outside hitter, averages 1.1 kills and 1.5 blocks.

Jaclyn Ayers, a 5-6 outside hitter who doubles as a setter, averages 1.4 kills and 1.1 blocks.

“I feel that we’re pretty strong and playing good volleyball right now,” Mathias said. “I have an idea how (Gate City) is going to cover the floor, block and hit. Some of that may have changed a little bit with the group they have now. I’m looking forward to playing them.”

Gate City appears to be clicking on all cylinders — and the Lady Blue Devils have a lot of cylinders to click. Junior outside hitter Ashton Dougherty leads the team in kills with nearly 300 this season.

Despite a profusion of youth, all the Lady Blue Devils attackers are deadly. Dougherty has a .528 kill percentage. Senior middle hitter Brittany Simpson boasts a .525 ratio and freshman middle hitter Erica Fugate has a .509. After that, freshman outside hitter Santana Bishop (.447) and senior opposite Lindsey Burke (.444) round out a lineup that can keep the pressure on opponents.

“We make sure we have attackers. You can’t rely on one or two players. You’ve got to have all-around game,” Reed said. “We prepare our kids to attack the ball and play the ball wherever they’re needed.”

The Lady Blue Devils always strive to play fast, but this is the fastest, quickest squad Gate City may have ever put on the floor.

Junior setter Callie Sloop has done an outstanding job directing the traffic after the graduation of four-year starter Chelsea Spivey. Libero Ashlee Mustard, meanwhile, has been the go-to-girl on the back row.

“Callie has worked hard and she doesn’t have an easy job with the variety of attackers she has to set. They’re all different styles of hitters,” Reed said. “In big games, Ashlee has stepped up and taken control of the back row. She’s done a super job taking care of those big hitters, and she’s a good serve receiver.”

GATE CITY — Gate City volleyball coach Amy Reed admittedly does not like state quarterfinal matches. Her team made sure she didn’t have to endure a decisive fifth game Tuesday night.

A comeback bid from Radford crumbled in the fourth, and the Lady Blue Devils booked another trip to the VHSL Group A Final Four with a four-game victory over the Bobcats — 25-13, 25-15, 20-25, 25-20.

This will mark Gate City’s sixth straight appearance in the semifinals. The reigning champions are seeking a sixth appearance in the final as well.

The Lady Blue Devils’ title defense will continue Friday at The Siegel Center in Richmond. They face Strasburg (25-1) at noon for a spot in the championship match.

“I don’t like quarterfinals,” a candid Reed said after Tuesday’s contest. “I’m just glad it’s over. We definitely did not want to drop into a Game 5 with them.

“I wasn’t feeling as sick as I was last year,” Reed added, referring to Gate City’s win over Glenvar at this stage last season.

Radford recovered from a disastrous start — losing the opening two games comfortably — to take the third. The Bobcats (16-9) continued their assailment in the fourth, ripping momentum from a Gate City team that appeared to be fading.

Mix-ups, free balls, poor communication: It all crept in as Radford established a sizable lead.

At 17-11, Reed called a timeout to calm her girls.

“We just wanted to reinforce what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “We just wanted them to keep pushing ... to be relentless.”

It worked.

Gate City (23-1) won the next four points. Erica Fugate, a freshman, had three kills during the span, one that ripped the momentum — and perhaps fight — from Radford for good.

Radford still led 17-15 at that juncture. But the Bobcats dropped 10 of the next 13 points to see their season come to a close.

Senior Brittany Simpson provided the match-winner. Her kill at the far side caught the tip of the net and fell quietly to the floor.

“It’s a game of momentum,” Radford coach Toni Wright said. “When you get going and the other team gets down, it can switch in an instant. That’s why we play five (games).

“It’s the first time Radford has been to a state tournament in 15 years. These girls really played well.”

Six-foot junior Maryah Sydnor anchored the Bobcats, collecting 16 kills, 12 digs and seven blocks. Lindsey Smith had 21 assists and 20 digs, while Haley Dietz added 12 digs and seven kills.

Gate City, meanwhile, received production from all over the floor. Ashton Dougherty posted 18 kills, while Fugate added 15. Simpson and Santana Bishop each totaled 10.

Senior Lindsey Burke finished with eight kills and 15 digs. Setter Callie Sloop doled out 52 assists.

“Coach just told us to keep pushing,” Dougherty said. “We really wanted it, so we just kept persevering.

“This makes the third year I’ve gone (to Richmond),” Dougherty added. “I guess it’s become kind of routine.”

Gate City managed to secure the opening two games with little resistance. Radford led only once — at 3-2 of the second game — during the early onslaught.

Wright said her girls were likely intimidated. Regardless, it was a stellar display from the Devils.

Reed agreed. But satisfied she was not.

“The first two games, perfect,” she said. “That’s the best they’ve looked all year. But the scary thing is that’s not all they’ve got.

“We haven’t seen everything this team can do. They’re a lot stronger and a lot bigger than they have been in the past.

“They could be so dangerous, but they’ve got to keep it up.”

KNOXVILLE — Janzen Jackson, Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards were three of the late gets for Lane Kiffin in a signing class that was championed by the recruiting services.

One day after dismissing Richardson and Edwards from the Tennessee football team, Kiffin answered multiple questions Tuesday about what he called “a very difficult decision.”

Richardson, Edwards and Jackson were arrested on charges of attempted armed robbery early last Thursday morning.

“Our number one rule is protect the team. As a head coach, I have to make decisions that sometimes you don’t want to do,” Kiffin said during his weekly news conference.

“That decision making can’t be anywhere near what we’re doing and the last thing that I can do is have something like that go on and keep people around that did that and go back in and sit on somebody’s couch the year after that or the year after and say, ‘When you come here, we’re going to have a great culture. This is the best place for your son to come.’

“I made the best decision for the team.”

Kiffin has yet to determine the fate of Jackson, who was suspended for the Memphis game the week prior and remains barred from all team activities after this latest incident.

“We don’t have all his information in,” the coach said of Jackson, who started Tennessee’s first eight games at free safety. “I can’t get into too much detail on it, but I think that the easiest thing to look at is, he was released (from jail) right away. He was treated differently in this matter and you can tell that by what’s come out of this. I can’t get into much more detail until we get all the information in.”

Jackson was released on his own recognizance. Richardson and Edwards made bail.

Receivers coach Frank Wilson, the first UT assistant to attend a Tuesday media briefing all season, admitted it wasn’t easy to see a player under his charge leave the team.

“Especially when in that case with Nu’Keese, because we recruited him,” Wilson said. “But also it’s the reality of the business and those young men having to be accountable. It’s always tough because it’s somebody’s child. You form that relationship with them and you help foster that and build that maturation process with them.”

Many of the Vols have been tested under fire this season because of the team’s lack of depth. The roster is even thinner now, as Richardson and Edwards join a lengthy list of scholarship players who either left the team by choice, were dismissed or are out for the year because of injury.

“Unless all of a sudden commissioner (Mike) Slive lets us go to free agency, I can’t make answers,” Kiffin said in reference to the Southeastern Conference’s man in charge.

With a battle plan driven by recruiting, Kiffin didn’t think the Vols’ efforts in that area would be hindered greatly by recent events.

“We’ve already talked to a number of parents and a number of kids over the last two days, they understand that situations happen everywhere,” Kiffin said. “And it’s more about how you deal with them. Do you keep that type of activity around your program? Do you suspend them for a half? Do you suspend them for a game? Then you do have the parents questioning.”

Richardson and Edwards are free to join any other college football program that will have them, but must sit out a season if they choose to join another team at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. If convicted of the charges of armed robbery, Richardson and Edwards would be assured of prison time.

Kiffin said he does not have a team curfew throughout the week, feeling such an edict would be impossible to enforce given the widespread residences of players around Knoxville.

Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) hosts Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

KNOXVILLE — A fourth Tennessee football player has been charged with breaking the law in the last two weeks.

Nyshier Oliver is facing a charge of shoplifting. The 18-year-old freshman defensive back was cited at 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 7, a few hours before the Volunteers hosted Memphis. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Nov. 23.

According to court records, the Jersey City, N.J., native was spotted allegedly concealing a $110 brown polo shirt from Dillards in a shopping bag.

The court records were released Tuesday, a day after coach Lane Kiffin dismissed two of three players charged with attempted armed robbery. Kiffin says he will run a clean program.

A Tennessee spokeswoman did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

KNOXVILLE — Two of three Tennessee freshman football players charged last week in an attempted armed robbery have been dismissed from the team.

“Clearly, their actions have no place in our program,” coach Lane Kiffin said Monday.

Kiffin said wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, 18, and defensive back Mike Edwards, 18, were permanently dismissed from the team, while former starting safety Janzen Jackson, 18, will continue to be barred from team activities while Kiffin awaits more information in his case.

Richardson was the player whose recruitment first got Kiffin in trouble with the Southeastern Conference. Kiffin joked in February that Florida coach Urban Meyer cheated in trying to keep Richardson as a Gator, earning Kiffin a reprimand from the SEC.

All three players were out on bond but kept home Saturday when Tennessee traveled to play Mississippi.

Three people told police they were sitting in their parked vehicle about 2 a.m. last Thursday outside a convenience store near Tennessee’s campus when two males dressed in hooded jackets, one brandishing a handgun, approached and demanded, “Give us everything you’ve got.”

“The victims stated that they all presented their wallets to the suspects and showed them that they did not have money,” a police report said. “The victims stated that a third black male then approached and told the other two black males, ‘We’ve got to go.’”

The three players were arrested shortly afterward with companion Marie Montmarquet, 22, also a UT student. She allegedly drove their getaway Toyota Prius in which police said they found a pellet gun and hooded jackets.

The victims identified Richardson and Edwards as the men who approached their vehicle and Jackson as the one who told them to leave, the police report said.

“After extensive and thorough research of the situation ... and considering various disciplinary options, I’ve decided it’s in the best interest of our program to remove Nu’Keese and Mike,” Kiffin said in a statement. “We hold our student-athletes to an extremely high standard on and off the field. Our student athletes must be responsible members of society, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.”

Kiffin said he hoped Richardson and Edwards “will learn from their terrible decision.”

Richardson, a highly touted recruit from Pahokee, Fla., finished his Tennessee career with six catches for 58 yards. Edwards, a native of Cleveland, played in eight games and registered five tackles.

Jackson, a Lake Charles, La., native, has started seven games this season, logging 33 tackles and a forced fumble. He was suspended for the Memphis game for undisclosed reasons, a week after he was named SEC freshman of the week for a strong performance against South Carolina.

Opponents must choose which to defend.

Talk about a difficult decision.

Young and Johnson are showing how to run the option in the NFL, and the Tennessee Titans won their third straight after an 0-6 start with a 41-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Johnson ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and added 100 yards receiving, while Young threw for 210 yards and a TD with 29 yards rushing himself.

"It's fun," Young said of the option. "Definitely when you've got a guy like me and CJ in the backfield ... If they take CJ, I get to showcase my speed and make moves, things like that. They take me, I pitch it to the Sonic Hedgehog."

Tennessee (3-6) finished with 168 yards rushing against the NFL's worst run defense, which was missing four starters with injuries. Buffalo coach Dick Jauron said Johnson's speed is exceptional, bringing a new dimension to a difficult play to defend.

"Among a lot of really good athletes on their squad, but the quarterback and the running back are two exceptional athletes and make it very difficult to defend," Jauron said.

Johnson has four straight 100-yard rushing performances, and the back who ran onto the field carrying an American flag and took home Terrell Owens' jersey as a souvenir was the first to 1,000 yards in the NFL this season.

"I would be surprised if he isn't up for MVP of the league at the end of the year," Titans tight end Bo Scaife said. "The MVP of the whole league, not just the best running back, but the best player period."

Buffalo (3-6) now has lost two straight. The Bills scored on their opening drive when Fred Jackson found Lee Evans on a 27-yard TD pass off a wildcat formation and tied it at 17 in the third quarter on Rian Lindell's 25-yard field goal.

But Johnson put the Titans ahead to stay with a 1-yard TD run as the first of 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and Vincent Fuller and Rod Hood each ran back interceptions for touchdowns that had Titans owner Bud Adams dancing in his luxury box.

The Bills took another injury hit with left tackle Demetrius Bell hurting his knee and missing the second half. Trent Edwards made his first start since suffering a concussion Oct. 18 and had an 8-yard TD pass to Evans. But he had some passes batted down, was sacked and was benched after missing a wide-open Owens.

Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn't any better and also had a pass picked off.

"The two interceptions at the end just made things look significantly worse than it was, and it's always bad to lose," Jauron said.

Owens, who had yelled at coaches on the sideline in the first half, wasn't very happy even though he kept his Twitter promise to give Johnson his jersey if the Bills lost.

"What's new?" Owens said. "That's how it's been the last seven or eight weeks. We lose games in the third or fourth quarter."

The Titans outgained Buffalo 378-296 as the Bills hurt themselves with 10 penalties — at least five on false starts by the offensive line. The Titans are much more relaxed with this streak and unselfish, too. Young threw a block on Reggie Corner to free up Johnson after he cut back right with a short pass.

Young joked he didn't want to do a "Brett Favre" on the block. Johnson said that's just a sign of how much Young wants to win, and Young now has won seven straight starts and all three on this streak since returning as the starting quarterback. He was picked off once — his first since returning to the starting lineup.

But Titans coach Jeff Fisher said everyone can see Young is relaxed and having fun.

"Nobody is pressing, and the plays are starting to come," Fisher said.

Name: Letha Kyker Grogg

Born: Oct. 20, 1932

Where: Lamar

Residence: Johnson City

High School/College: Lamar/ East Tennessee State

Then: The favorite pastime of Lamar community residents in the late 1940s and early 1950s was gathering to watch the Lady Cherokees play basketball.

Hundreds would pack into the high school’s small gym. People stood along the walls and on the corners of the court during games.

The featured player was 5-foot-5 forward Letha Kyker. Put a ball in her hands and she could score from almost any angle. She had a number of releases — over-the-head two-handers, two-hand push shots, one-handers, hooks and layups. She even did the center jump.

In those days, the game wasn’t like it is now. A team’s lineup consisted of six players, with three stationed on each end of the floor. The guards played defense, the forwards did all of the shooting.

In her four varsity seasons at Lamar, Kyker scored 1,270 points for an 18.6 average. She was chosen to the All-District 2 tournament team all four years.

Kyker was quick and she could beat taller opponents to rebounds. She spent her first two seasons essentially feeding the ball to her cousin, Peggy Treadway, who had averages of 26.3 and 20.1 points.

Against Church Hill, Kyker fired in a school-record 47 points.

“It was one of those nights,’’ she said. “It didn’t seem like I missed a shot. Everything fell in.’’

Several times she scored 30 or more points. As a junior she averaged 22 points and followed that with a 24.7-point clip in her final season. She played alongside her sister, Betty, in both seasons.

Kyker was making headlines but didn’t realize it until a neighbor started bringing newspaper clippings to her.

“We couldn’t afford a newspaper,’’ she said.

She didn’t let the publicity go to her head. “I considered everybody on our team a star. There were no jealousies.’’

What made the game a challenge was the limited dribbling rule. A ball-handler was allowed just one dribble. Midway through Kyker’s career, it was changed to two dribbles.

Scoring in double figures often meant being able to hit from long range. One of Kyker’s favorite shots was from the circle — a distance by today’s standards that would count as a 3-point goal.

Letha was the eighth of 10 children born to Hugh and Adalee Kyker. Farm chores always came first for them.

The first basketball young Kyker saw was in physical education class. She and one of her sisters made a sock ball and took shots against a smokehouse wall at home.

“To score,’’ she said, “we had to hit a certain plank with it.’’

She fell in love with the game. “I couldn’t wait to get to school to play. There wasn’t anything about it I didn’t like.’’

Lamar won the district championship and qualified for the East Tennessee regional at Loudon in 1949 when she was a sophomore. Kyker provided the winning impetus with a 24-point performance in a 45-38 championship win over Boones Creek.

“I was so thrilled I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,’’ she said. “I’d never been out of Jonesborough.’’

At Loudon, Kyker got 18 points but Lamar lost to Midway 54-33.

The Kykers had no telephone and communicating with school officials wasn’t easy. When school was out because of snow, she wasn’t aware the district tournament was still being played at Johnson City. Bud Britton, who coached her as a freshman and sophomore, braved a slippery road to the Kyker home — located 7 miles from the school — and drove her to the Science Hill gym.

She got a lot of teasing after that for not knowing about the tournament.

There were six girls in the family. Three played basketball and one was a cheerleader. Two of their brothers were in the military service and it was up to the girls to take care of the homefront.

Raymond Williams, her coach as a junior and senior, offered to pursue a scholarship for Kyker but she chose to stay close home.

An outstanding student, she entered East Tennessee State upon graduation in 1951 and was selected as a walk-on to play for the Lady Buccaneers. She was there just one quarter. Before the team’s first game, her father suffered a broken hip while hanging tobacco in the barn. She left college to help out at home.

Kyker was an outstanding softball pitcher. Lamar didn’t have a program but she hooked up with various community teams and was one of Washington County’s outstanding fast-pitch performers. She threw one no-hitter and also was a long-ball hitter.

Kyker took up golf at the age of 33. “I started on a par-3 course in Johnson City. At the time, I thought it was a stupid sport. But the more I played, the more I liked it. I was self-taught.’’

Through the years, she has raised some eyebrows with her driving, chipping and putting. Some of her scores would put male golfers to shame.

When she was in her 40s, Letha carded a 71 on a par-75 course. In her early 70s, she was still shooting in the high 70s and low 80s. She’s had five holes-in-one.

Letha won the women’s club championship five times at Johnson City Country Club. She also was club champion at Pine Oaks and The Crossings.

Now: The recent illness and death of Letha’s husband, Sam Grogg, took a toll on her golf game. The scores are up considerably but she still gets in a couple rounds each week at The Crossings.

The roomful of trophies and medals in Letha’s home are a testament to her achievements.

“I’ve met a lot of nice people through golf,’’ she said.

Letha has two stepsons and one stepdaughter.

She’s active in church work at Clark Street Baptist in Johnson City.

Bill Lane is a Times-News sports writer. E-mail him at blane@timesnews.net.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt wanted to keep Brittney Griner’s dunking potential from being a distraction. So she reminded the Lady Vols that a dunk was only worth two points.

“Obviously going into it everybody’s talking about Brittney Griner and the dunk,” Summitt said of the 6-foot-8 Baylor freshman. “So I told them, Angie (Bjorklund) and (Shekinna) Stricklen, ‘If she dunks, just go hit a 3. Now we’re one up.’”

Stricklen ended up with 25 points and 14 rebounds and No. 8 Tennessee beat No. 7 Baylor 74-65 on Sunday in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic.

Griner, the sport’s celebrated recruit this season, dunked in an exhibition game and a few times in warmups. She scored 15 points and had four blocks but never got close enough to the rim for a chance to dunk during the game.

The Lady Vols (1-0) didn’t need many 3s, but instead used a combination of post players — who spent much of the game in foul trouble — to shut down Griner. The freshman found herself with four fouls two minutes after halftime and sat for 6½ minutes of the second half.

“They were petty fouls. That’s part of the learning I’m going to have to do coming from the high school level to the college level, playing with fouls,” Griner said.

Baylor led by as many as seven points in the first half and entered halftime with a 26-24 lead, but Tennessee scored the first 12 points coming out of the break.

Stricklen hit a fast-break layup on a steal and assist from Kamiko Williams to cap a 14-2 run that gave the Tennessee a 52-38 lead with 9:49 left.

“They made a few runs, and Shekinna would come down and make a jump shot,” Lady Vols center Kelley Cain said. “When she makes those shots, it really picks up our team and lets us know that we’re still in it, and that we aren’t going to let them come back.”

Baylor (0-1) got within nine several times but kept sending the Lady Vols to the free throw line, where they shot 85 percent in the second half.

Tennessee was looking for redemption after losing in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in March. Summitt has praised her young players for working harder than all her recent teams in the offseason.

“I brought them into a hornet’s nest,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “(Summitt’s) mad at her team. They lost in the first round of the tournament, they got kicked out of their locker room and I’m coming to Knoxville, Tennessee.

“You think I wasn’t sitting there proud as a peacock when we had a lead at halftime and proud at the end of the game? Absolutely, but I’m not into moral victories,” she said.

Melissa Jones led the Lady Bears with 21 points, and Morghan Medlock had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Cain had 15 points for Tennessee, and Bjorklund added 13.

Both teams featured underclassmen, and both teams shot poorly in the first half: Baylor 29.2 percent and Tennessee 28.9 percent.

“With the hype of the game and the large crowd, we were nervous in the first half,” Summitt said. “I told them at halftime, ‘OK, you can settle down now. Most of these people are cheering for you.’ ”

The 2010 women’s Hall of Fame class was introduced as part of the State Farm Tip-Off Classic festivities.

The inductees included Leta Andrews, the winningest high school girls basketball coach; celebrated Team USA basketball player Teresa Edwards; Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo; WNBA standout Teresa Weatherspoon; and former Maryland coach Chris Weller.

“You saw the past, the present and the future,” Mulkey said. “I thought it was a great way to start off the season, except for the loss.”

OXFORD, Miss. — Dexter McCluster ran for 282 yards and finished with 324 all-purpose yards, setting two Mississippi records, and the Rebels ran over the Volunteers 42-17 on Saturday.

McCluster broke the Rebels’ single-game rushing record of 242 set by Dou Innocent in 1995. He eclipsed the all-purpose mark of 317 yards by Deuce McAllister in 1999.

McCluster scored on runs of 15, 23, 32 and 71 yards in Ole Miss’ first win against the Volunteers since 1983 — and the best rushing day a player has ever had against Tennessee.

The previous high against Tennessee was 217 yards by Colorado’s Mike Pritchard in 1990 and Alabama’s Bobby Humphrey in 1986.

Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) — off to its best start since 2003 — clinched bowl eligibility for the second straight year with the victory. It was the Rebels first win against Tennessee in 13 games.

Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) was without three of their celebrated freshmen — wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, safety Janzen Jackson and defensive back Mike Edwards. The three was arrested early Thursday morning for attempted armed robbery in Knoxville.

McCluster scored his first touchdown just 1:31 into the game and added another with 1:20 left in the opening quarter. His 32-yard scamper came in the third quarter and Ole Miss opened the fourth quarter with McCluster’s 71-yarder.

Brandon Bolden added 46 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Rebels, who finished with 492 yards of total offense, including 359 on the ground.

It was former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron’s first return to Oxford since he was fired in November 2007 after three seasons. In his first year at Tennessee as defensive line coach the Vols have improved, but struggled against the Rebels.

Jevan Snead, who was 13 of 20 passes for 133 yards, was sacked only once.

Jonathan Compton finished 20 of 37 for 176 yards and two Tennessee touchdowns. He hit Jeff Cottam with a 16-yard TD in the first quarter and Denarius Moore with a 25-yarder in the second quarter.

But the Vols’ offense never got untracked, gaining just 275 yards over all, 99 on the ground. Their only other score was a 27-yard field goal by Daniel Lincoln in the third quarter.

Friday, Nov. 13

TSSAA State Playoffs

Second Round

CLASS 6A

Brentwood 31, Dickson County 0

Farragut 10, Bearden 3

Franklin 27, Independence 0

Maryville 28, McMinn County 20

Oakland 42, Cookeville 0

Riverdale 31, Blackman 7

Whitehaven 14, Wooddale 13

White Station 38, Kirby 13

CLASS 5A

Anderson County 31, Clinton 28

Beech 28, Clarksville Northeast 7

Columbia 35, Hillsboro 21

Daniel Boone 23, Tennessee High 14

Gallatin 35, Henry County 14

Melrose 26, Hardin County 0

Mitchell 54, Lawrence County 37

Sullivan South 14, Knox Catholic 7

CLASS 4A

Crockett County 30, Sheffield 12

Giles County 32, David Lipscomb 6

Greeneville 38, Brainerd 22

Lexington 21, Page 14

Liberty Tech Magnet 35, Fairley 12

Maplewood 56, Dekalb County 30

Red Bank 55, Fulton 22

Whites Creek 32, Livingston 10

CLASS 3A

Alcoa 31, CAK 10

Austin-East 64, Gatlinburg-Pittman 0

Camden Central 20, Westview 17

Elizabethton 37, Sullivan North 0

Loudon 24, Polk County 13

Milan 51 , Oakhaven 14

Smith County 20, Harpeth 10

York 32, Goodpasture 22

CLASS 2A

Adamsville 20, Humboldt 7

Boyd-Buchanan 28, Marion County 6

Cascade 25, Signal Mountain 24

Friendship 56, East Robertson 12

Hampton 26, Tellico Plains 12

McKenzie 22, Riverside 7

Rockwood 28, Oneida 14

Trousdale County 38, White House Heritage 16

CLASS 1A

Gordonsville 34, Middle Tenn. Chr. 20

Grace Christian 65, Sunbright 0

Harriman 28, Copper Basin 13

Huntingdon 53, Lake County 7

Jo Byrns 59, Perry County 6

South Pittsburg 50, Eagleville 0

Union City 49, South Fulton 7

Wayne County 27, Collinwood 7

Division II

Quarterfinals

CLASS AA

Brentwood Academy 31, CBA 21

Father Ryan 45, Briarcrest Christian 35

MBA 27, Ensworth 24

MUS 38, Baylor 7

CLASS A31

Davidson Academy 22, SBEC 21

Evangelical Christian 42, Franklin Road Academy 3

Knox. Webb 27, St. George's 10

USJ 40 , FACS 19

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Lee High 28, Thomas Walker 14

See Saturday's print edition for more coverage of games involving local teams.