McKamey, Taylor sign letters of intent
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Lady Dragons’ shortstop Tomi Taylor signed a letter of intent to play softball as a student athlete for Maryville College. Pictured are (from left) Kailee, Tomi, Brian and Macall Greene Devils in the playoffs last season. The two teams will renew acquaintances in Northeast Tennessee Friday with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. The Mavericks (8-4) punched their ticket to the third round with a stifling defense in a game where points came at a premium. ACHS defensive linemen Eli Nelson and Gracen Bradshaw were dominant forces on the defensive front as the Mavericks all but shut down the Cyclones’ rushing attack, allowing just two runs that netted more than nine yards. Nelson finished the contest with six tackles (including three tackles for loss) and two sacks, while Bradshaw was constantly around the football. He and his teammates on defense forced the Cyclones to all but completely aban- don their ground game. Linebacker Taylor Davis came up with five tackles (including one TFL) and a sack. Landon Engle recorded a sack against Eliza- bethton (9-2). Xavian James and Daylen Cole each starred on both sides of the ball for the Mavericks, who turned the Cyclones away mul- tiple times on fourth down. James had a sack on defense. He also hauled in seven re- ceptions, including a touchdown catch. Cole caught two touchdown passes and pulled in a pair of interceptions for Anderson County, which opened a 14-0 lead by halftime. Quarterback Zae Hall was 13-for-21 through the air, amassing 206 yards and throwing three scoring strikes. “He was huge to- night,” ACHS Coach Davey Gillum said of Hall. “I’m so proud of my kids and my coaches for going back to work, taking almost a whole new team, Taylor. - Tony Cox
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Lady Dragons pitcher Bree McKamey signed a letter of intent to play softball as a student athlete for Roane State Community College. Pictured are (front row, from left) Jan McKamey, Bree McKamey, and Assistant Coach Emma Clevenger. Back row: Assistant Coach Brian Taylor and Lady Dragons Head Coach Leonard Sams. - Tony Cox
Two Clinton High School softball players recently signed national letters of intent and will continue their academic and athletic pursuits in college.
Tomi Taylor and Bree McKamey finalized their college plans as they officially made their decisions for the next phase of their education and softball careers.
Taylor, a two-sport athlete for the Lady Dragons, will play softball at Maryville College. A senior shortstop, she helped Clinton reach the Region 2-AAA tournament in each of the past two seasons.
She also played volleyball for head Coach Lorri Johnson’s team, which won the District 3-AAA tournament for the first time in school history and hosted the Region 2-AAA tournament for the first time.
Taylor, a member of the District 3-AAA Volleyball All-Academic Team, said she chose to play for the Scots and attend Maryville College because of the beauty of the campus and the softball coaching staff.
“It has a beautiful campus and the coach is really nice,” Taylor said after signing her letter of intent on Monday afternoon as her family, friends, coaches and teammates were in attendance at the ceremony. “I want to be a part of something that’s growing.”
Taylor noted that she’s glad to be close to home, although that wasn’t a big factor in her decision.
“I wanted to live on campus, whether I was going to play softball or not,” said Taylor, who also considered Johnson University in Knoxville. “It’s going to be nice living in Maryville and getting to come home to Clinton when I want to.
“It wasn’t a factor, but it will be nice to be close to home.”
As a small school, Maryville has a low student-to-teacher ratio, preferred by many student-athletes. But for Taylor, that also didn’t matter.
“I wasn’t so concerned with class size,” she said. “I was more concerned with the environment.”
Taylor will enter Maryville as an undeclared major. She does, however, have a pair of career ideas.
“I’m looking at either pre-physical therapy or early education,” she said. “I’m just thankful to have this opportunity, because not everybody gets it.”
McKamey, an outfielder and pitcher for the Lady Dragons, will play at Roane State Community College in Kingston. She could not be reached for comment.