The fall sports season is nearing its finish line for Knoxville-area high schools, with girls soccer championships decided in Chattanooga and cross-country runners preparing for their biggest races of the year.
Several East Tennessee programs made impressive postseason runs, while the next opportunity for state championship success arrives November 5–6 in Memphis.
Girls soccer: Local teams finish strong at state
Webb School of Knoxville
Webb came within a penalty-kick shootout of reaching the Division II-AA state championship game.
The Lady Spartans battled Christ Presbyterian Academy to a 1-1 tie in the October 28 semifinals before CPA advanced 3-2 on penalty kicks.
Webb’s postseason run was one of the area’s strongest, with the Lady Spartans entering the state tournament at 14-1-1.
CPA went on to lose the October 29 championship game to Harpeth Hall, 2-1.
Bearden Lady Bulldogs
Bearden advanced to the Class AAA state semifinals after defeating Ravenwood 2-1 in the October 27 quarterfinals.
The Lady Bulldogs’ championship hopes ended October 28 with a 5-0 loss to Houston, which went on to claim the state title with a 2-0 victory over Collierville on October 30.
Bearden’s appearance among the final four teams in Class AAA capped another successful postseason for the program.
West Lady Rebels
West also represented Knoxville in the Class AAA state tournament.
The Lady Rebels’ season ended with a 3-0 quarterfinal loss to Collierville on October 27.
Reaching the state tournament was an accomplishment for West, which rebounded from a regional championship loss to Bearden by defeating Science Hill in sectional competition.
Anderson County Lady Mavericks
Anderson County earned a Class AA state quarterfinal victory over Sycamore, 3-2, on October 27.
The Lady Mavericks advanced to the semifinals before falling 3-1 to South Gibson on October 28.
Liberty Creek ultimately captured the Class AA championship with a 2-0 victory over South Gibson on October 30.
Girls soccer: State championship results
The final championship games brought Tennessee’s girls soccer season to a close.
- Class A: Merrol Hyde 3, Westview 0
- Class AA: Liberty Creek 2, South Gibson 0
- Class AAA: Houston 2, Collierville 0
- Division II-A: Battle Ground Academy 2, Boyd-Buchanan 0
- Division II-AA: Harpeth Hall 2, Christ Presbyterian Academy 1
Complete brackets and postseason results are available through 5Star Preps’ girls soccer playoff coverage.
Cross-country: State championships set for November 5–6
The next major event on Tennessee’s high school sports calendar belongs to cross-country.
The TSSAA boys and girls state championships will take place Thursday and Friday, November 5–6, at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis.
Knoxville-area programs have demonstrated their strength throughout the fall, including Knoxville Catholic’s boys and Hardin Valley Academy’s girls, which won team championships at the October 17 Knoxville Interscholastic League meet.
Catholic’s Cade Duncanson won the boys 5K in 15:24.40, while Hardin Valley’s Alexandra Vesser captured the girls title in 18:15.70.
Webb sophomore Bennie Diddle also delivered an impressive performance, finishing fifth in the girls race with a personal-best 18:49.
Those performances offer a glimpse of the talent East Tennessee will bring into the state championship weekend.
Looking ahead: November 5–6
Thursday, November 5 — State cross-country championships
All times listed are Eastern.
- 10 a.m. — Division II-AA boys
- 10:50 a.m. — Division II-AA girls
- 12:30 p.m. — Division II-A boys
- 1:20 p.m. — Division II-A girls
- 3 p.m. — Division I-AAA boys
- 3:50 p.m. — Division I-AAA girls
Friday, November 6 — State cross-country championships
- 11 a.m. — Division I-A boys
- 11:50 a.m. — Division I-A girls
- 1:30 p.m. — Division I-AA boys
- 2:20 p.m. — Division I-AA girls
All races take place at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis. Spectators can find admission information, course details and official schedules on the TSSAA cross-country championship information page.
Performance of the Week: Webb girls soccer
Webb School of Knoxville earns this week’s recognition for its remarkable run to the Division II-AA state semifinals.
The Lady Spartans pushed Christ Presbyterian Academy to penalty kicks, coming within the narrowest of margins of reaching the championship game.
Bearden and Anderson County also deserve recognition for reaching the state semifinals in their respective classifications.
With soccer and volleyball now complete, attention turns to the cross-country runners hoping to bring home another round of state championship honors for East Tennessee.
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