Grace Academy fell on hard times this weekend, losing to Silverdale Baptist 18-5 in the District 5-A tournament.

Eagles coach Ruston Pierce probably wouldn’t mention it outside the Grace baseball family but his team lost catcher Logan Nico to a broken hand and the team played without one of its leaders Saturday. Starting left-fielder Josh Blake was absent after qualifying for Nike’s national combine of high school football players this weekend in Birmingham.

Blake, Grace’s football quarterback, qualified for that national showcase by running a laser-time 4.48 40-yard dash at a regional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio. The 6-foot, 180-pounder had the third-fastest time of players at regionals in Columbus and Atlanta.

He is sure to move up on national recruiting lists as an athlete, if not a quarterback.

Since we shifted so slightly to football, we should mention that the word is that a top running back is contemplating enrolling at Red Bank. The grapevine says the player, ranked among the top five running backs in North Carolina, has visited the school on three different occasions. With Red Bank supposedly looking at more of a running game next fall, what could be better than a good-sized prospect (reportedly 6-1 or better and 200 pounds)?

Even though the Lions are in spring practice, the baseball team currently is the sport of distinction. Red Bank plays Ooltewah this afternoon with a District 6-AAA championship berth on the line. The other best 2-of-3 series between Soddy-Daisy and Central is also tied at one game apiece.

They’re playing at Central, which has to be one of the most improved facilities in the area with its new wind screens along the fences, dugout protectors and lush infield and outfield grass. Central is always a favorite, though, because of those chair-back seats behind home plate.

All of the tournaments are playing at quality parks with the exception of District 5-A which is using Engel Stadium. The facility is in bad need of both work and renovation the basepaths and all areas where there is no grass could use at least a truckload of dirt and probably another of field conditioner. The lights don’t work in the bathrooms — or didn’t a couple of weeks ago — and some of the seats in the areas that haven’t been condemned are broken and need to be repaired or replaced. There is little equipment that runs to work on the field and, of course, the roof is near ready to fall in. It’s a shame that the city and county and the teams that currently use the stadium can’t pitch in and make national landmark the showpiece it was once.

District 6-A is playing at Lookout Valley, where the only complaint one could make is that it is a shade short. You’ll never see a bad bounce there, though, and the food from barbecue to pinto beans and cornbread and chicken fingers and cornbread salad is the best around. That goes without mentioning the variety of homemade deserts that usually includes banana pudding.

District 5-AA is using the fields at McMinn Central and Polk County. McMinn’s field was showpiece-style anyway but the Chargers have been using private donations and the labor of coaches and parents to add a clubhouse/hitting facility with plans to extend the concession stand and pressbox. Polk has one of the newer fields in the area – it’s three years old – and it would be grand if not for the severe storms that have left their mark over the last couple of years.

District 6-AA is at Hixson, one of the nicest and cleanest parks in the state.

The surprise, though, is Cleveland, which probably rivals Red Bank as the best-looking playing area around Chattanooga. The infield and outfield are a dark green and the ball plays fairly true on infield bounces. The outfield may still be a little uneven but the cosmetics are special with the addition of the Cleveland-blue wind screens on the outfield fences. The Blue Raiders are probably going to add the padded-rail dugout screens similar to those at Red Bank before next season.