Chattanooga Christian's Nathan Boldt has become the school's first football player who will move on to the college game.
The offensive lineman has accepted an academic scholarship at Birmingham-Southern with the intent to play NCAA Division III football.
"Nathan is the kind of player and person that every coach dreams about coaching," CCS coach Barry Loyal said. "He works extremely hard and is very coachable. He always put the team before himself. His ability to play at a high level was due to his attention to detail during every practice. He made our team better in many ways."
A member of the original CCS team in 2006, Boldt has played in every game either at center or offensive guard.
The all-district offensive lineman is expected to be worked out at H-back and defensive end at BSC.
"I just like that I've got an opportunity," said Boldt, currently playing soccer at CCS. "It's been a dream of mine, and I hope I can make the most of it."
Offbeat occurrences
There will be softball and baseball programs go years without a quirky development like having a baserunner called out for passing the preceding runner. That scenario has happened twice to Baylor's Lady Red Raiders in less than a year.
Baylor trailed 1-0 in the seventh inning Tuesday at Central when Kelsie Clark batted with the bases loaded and one out. Coach Kelli Smith said Clark hit a drive down the left-field line that ended up going over the fence. After making contact, Clark charged out of the batter's box and around first base, only to find the teammate who had been occupying first heading back to the bag, as if to tag up in case the fly was caught. They passed and Clark was ruled out and credited with a single, but the three who were on base were allowed to complete the circuit and the Lady Raiders won 3-1.
At home last May 21, in the first game of a Division II-AA best-of-three sub-state series the Lady Raiders won against Briarcrest, Haley Andrus hit a shot to a similar spot as Clark's for an apparent go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth. A similar mishap occurred between first and second, leaving Andrus with a single and the game tied instead.
"Maybe we need to give them flares out there," a perplexed Smith said.
Softball tourneys set
Two area softball programs are hosting tournaments in this first weekend of the TSSAA spring sports' season. Meigs County is holding its Lady Tiger Classic at Dayton's Market Street Complex, and the Lady Wildcat March Madness will take place at Hixson High and Hixson Middle schools.
Meigs County's tournament includes 16 teams and begins pool play today at 4 p.m. The final pool-play games will take place Saturday morning - four each at 10 and 11:30. Then the top two teams in each of the four pools will be placed in an Orange bracket and the others in a Black bracket for single-elimination scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Both finals are slated for about 6:30.
Two four-team pools comprise the field in Hixson's tournament, which is scheduled to start today at 3:30 p.m. Action will continue Saturday starting with three pool-play games on both fields - the first at 9 a.m. Teams will be seeded for single-elimination set to begin with the first two quarterfinals at about 2:15. The championship games is scheduled for 8.
Softball pool play today
Meigs County Tiger Classic at Dayton Market Street Complex
4 p.m.-Kingston vs. Clarksville Northeast; Christian Heritage vs. Bradley Central; Meigs County vs. Obion County Central; Sale Creek vs. McMinn County. 5:30-Clarksville Northeast vs. Arts & Sciences; Bradley Central vs. Polk County; Meigs County vs. Whitwell; Sequatchie County vs. McMinn County. 7-Kingston vs. Sequoyah; Christian Heritage vs. Stone Memorial; Obion County Central vs. Johnson County; Sale Creek vs. Tellico Plains. 8:30-Arts & Sciences vs. Sequoyah; Stone Memorial vs. Polk County; Whitwell vs. Johnson County; Sequatchie County vs. Tellico Plains.
Hixson Lady Wildcat March Madness at Hixson Middle School
3:30-Red Bank vs. Signal Mountain. 5:15-Chattanooga Christian vs. Marion County.
At Hixson High School
3:30-Silverdale Baptist vs. Notre Dame. 5:15-Hixson vs. Bledsoe County. 7-Silverdale Baptist vs. Bledsoe County. 8:45-Marion County vs. Red Bank.