Signal's Pickett going to Wesleyan

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Signal Mountain goalkeeper Adam Pickett recently signed scholarship papers to continue his soccer career at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens.

The lanky Pickett has eight shutouts this season and has allowed 13 goals in 17 matches. His contributions have helped the Eagles to a 15-0-2 record and a top ranking in Class A/AA. They will face sixth-ranked Central Magnet (14-0-2) in the Region 4 championship match at 6 p.m. EDT today in Murfreesboro.

"Adam's done extremely well for us. Fortunately we haven't had to rely on him as much as we have had to in the past," Signal coach Richard Northcutt said. "He's been trying harder and finding more success in the classroom, and I'm happy for him signing to go to school and happy that he's achieved his personal goal of getting to college."

Ellis also to TWC

Soddy-Daisy senior Abigail Ellis signed recently to continue her tennis career at Tennessee Wesleyan. The Lady Trojans' lone senior currently is 15-2 in singles and 19-3 in doubles. The former volleyball player has teamed with junior Chloe Mitchell to win the Region 3-AAA individual doubles title, and the duo will be in Murfreesboro next week with a shot at a state championship.

In addition, the 17-0 Lady Trojans will be visiting Siegel this afternoon in a Class AAA sectional, and a win would give them a spot in the state semifinals next week.

"Four years ago I agreed to take tennis over for one year, and Abigail is the reason I'm still doing it," Soddy-Daisy coach Lorri Johnson said. "There are those kids that come along that you take to heart, and I enjoy everything about Abigail. There's no substitute for her kind of leadership: We haven't had drama, and she's a big reason why, because she takes care of it.

"The girls respect her. She works hard and that work ethic is contagious and causes the whole team to follow suit. I'm excited to see her at Tennessee Wesleyan."

Cleveland's boys also will play a sectional match at Old Fort in Murfreesboro against Siegel this afternoon.

Region championships

There are three region soccer finals involving area teams slated for this evening. Only one of the three is in town: 11th-ranked Boyd-Buchanan (14-3-1) at Arts & Sciences (11-6-2) for the Region 3-A/AA championship. It is scheduled for 7 at CSAS, but should the weather continue to be an issue, the match will be played at 6 at Finley Stadium.

Winners from tonight's matches will host state sectional matches Saturday, while losers tonight will travel.

Boyd-Buchanan and CSAS have met twice, with the Buccaneers winning a 2-1early in the season before the Patriots won 1-0 in the District 5-A/AA title match last week.

East Hamilton (10-7-2) will travel to face eighth-ranked Cookeville (15-3-1) in the Region 3-AAA final. East Hamilton's Hurricanes advanced to the A/AA state quarterfinals in their final season before moving up in classification and now are a win Saturday away from returning in their first season in AAA.

Friday in Division II-AA, third-ranked Baylor (12-4-1) will host fifth-ranked St. Benedict at 7, while fourth-ranked McCallie (9-4-3) will visit second-ranked Montgomery Bell Academy at 6.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

Upcoming Events