Powell football, softball lead 2017 sports highlights
It was quite the year in sports in Powell in 2017.
Topping the list was Powell High School’s girls softball team, which made it all the way to the state Class AAA championship game.
Meanwhile, on the football field, coach Rodney Ellison and the Panthers delivered a breakthrough season after some lean years.
There were also some notable comings and goings in the coaching ranks.
Looking back, here’s a look at some of the highlights from this year in sports in Powell:
Softball – Lady Panthers rock
Coach Jeff Inman guided the Lady Panthers to an appearance in the state Class AAA tournament championship game in May.
Powell finished with a sterling 37-8-1 record, falling to Gibbs in the state championship game in Murfreesboro.
The finish was the culmination of a steady climb under Inman, who is 152-70-1 since taking over the Powell program in 2013.
“These girls were just awesome kids, both on and off the field,” said Inman.
Madison Tidmore, Brittney Franse, Kiley Longmire and Ashley Wheeler supplied the senior leadership.
Some of the underclassmen standouts were Lilly Holston, Kennedy Cowden, Allison Farr and Mackenzie Lamb.
With several key players returning, don’t discount the chances of the Lady Panthers returning to the state championship circle in 2018.
More:Baseball coach continues winning tradition for Powell softball
Soccer – Breaking new ground
Powell advanced to the Region 2-AAA soccer championship for the first time in school history.
Bailey Taylor’s penalty kick with just less than 13 minutes to play gave the Lady Panthers a 1-0 decision over Maryville in the region semifinals to vault Powell into its first title game.
“We’ve had some good teams, but these girls have separated themselves from our other teams,” said Powell coach Mark Smith.
The Lady Panthers then fell just short of punching their ticket to the state tournament as they dropped a pair of tough matches to Farragut (1-0) in the region championship and Science Hill (2-1) in the sectional.
Powell finished 14-5-1 with Taylor and Rachel Ross earning selections to the THSSCA all-state team.
More:Powell girls play dominating soccer, hope to break barrier
Football – Turning the corner
The Panthers finished 5-5, winning more games than the last three seasons combined (4-27).
Led by Walker Trusley, who was named quarterback on the All-Region 3-5A team, Powell won five of its first six games to signal that Panthers football was back.
Other Powell players named to the all-region team included Bryson Reed, Jonathan McQueen, Alvin Stacy, Colton Webb, Michael Treadwell, Riley Bryant and Bailor Walker.
With several key players returning, the future looks bright for Powell football.
More:Powell Panthers aim to scratch out more wins
Basketball – A model of consistency
For the second season in a row, the Panthers won 22 games under coach Gary Barnes.
Powell (22-10) advanced to the District 3-AAA championship game before losing to Oak Ridge. The Panthers then put up a fight before falling to Bearden in the Region 2-AAA semifinals.
Both Oak Ridge and Bearden advanced to the Class AAA state tournament.
Senior Jack Richards led the way for the Panthers.
He averaged 18.2 points and 7.6 rebounds game, earning second-team All-PrepXtra accolades.
More:Powell boys basketball team returns with strong guard play, tenacity
More:Powell girls eye steady improvement with new basketball coach
Moving on – coaching changes
Powell named John Fisher coach of the Powell’s girls basketball team following the April resignation of Christin Webb.
Jay Scarbro, coach of Powell’s baseball team since 2012, resigned in June to become athletic director and baseball coach at First Baptist Academy.