Ringgold's Peyton Tennant, a senior left-handed pitcher, will sign with Georgia Highlands College today.
Noah Bankston of Notre Dame High School lifts Jalyn Allen of East Ridge during their 152-pound match Thursday at East Ridge.Trion junior Gabe Howell will sign with baseball power Chipola College today during a ceremony at the high school.
Howell, who also starred in football for the Bulldogs, hit nearly .560 a year ago. He will join a program that has produced numerous major leaguers, including Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista and catcher Russell Martin, as well as Arizona pitcher Patrick Corbin.
Chipola, located in Marianna, Fla., has had 15 players drafted in just the past two years.
"It is a great baseball school," Trion athletic director and football coach Justin Brown said. "We're extremely excited for Gabe. One thing I appreciate about Gabe is that, in a time where kids concentrate on one sport, he did it the right way. We supported him in the summer when he played baseball, but he made it to a lot of football workouts.
"He could have signed a football scholarship if he wanted to go that route, but baseball is his favorite and he's got a great shot at a long career."
The three-year starter in football and soon-to-be four-year starter in baseball also has worked out for the Minnesota Twins and has, Brown said, a chance of being drafted this summer.
"Gabe's getting some interest from the Twins and others," Brown said. "It couldn't happen to a better kid. He's worked hard and earned it. Hopefully this one door will open up several others."
Peyton Tennant latest Tiger bound for college
Ringgold senior pitcher Peyton Tennant will sign with Georgia Highlands College today.
The left-hander will become the fourth member of this year's Tigers to sign with a college program, joining Devin Lancaster (Tennessee Tech), Cade Gilbert (East Tennessee State) and Jacob Justice (Bryan).
"Peyton started to come into his own at the end of last year and had a really good summer," Ringgold coach Brent Tucker said. "He had a couple of good workouts this fall, and he's put a lot of time and effort into it."
Tennant throws his fastball in the low to mid-80s, displays an above-average curveball and has good location. After pitching for the junior varsity team his first two high school seasons, he was a regular member of the varsity rotation last year and is expected to team with Lancaster to give Tucker two solid starters this spring.
At Georgia Highlands, a junior college about to begin its third season playing baseball, Tennant will join a program that Tucker believes is primed to break out.
"They're sitting in a great location around Cartersville," he said. "They started three or four years ago and had an outstanding year last year. They can go about 45 minutes in either direction and find plenty of talent. It's an up-and-coming junior college program in Georgia."
Notre Dame wrestling will host alumni event
Notre Dame has scheduled a wrestling alumni event for Jan. 21 in conjunction with senior night for the Fighting Irish.
They'll wrestle Boyd-Buchanan at 6 and longtime rival East Ridge at 7:15.
"It will be a great chance to showcase the storied and colorful history of Notre Dame and also a chance to help the program," said Yogi Anderson, one of at least four former Irish head coaches expected to attend. "I'll get to see my old coach (Schaack Van Deusen), and it will be an opportunity to reconnect with great kids from those days gone by in that type of environment."
Other former Notre Dame wrestling coaches joining Anderson and Van Deusen are David Held and John Mullin, who retired from coaching after the 2014-15 season. There's a chance that Steve Hammond, currently a principal in Virginia, also will be in attendance. Hammond, Held, Anderson and Mullin also wrestled for Notre Dame, which over the years produced one of the area's most competitive programs.
"There is a lot of tradition there," Anderson said. "Wrestling has likely produced more state champions than any other sport at the school."
Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant Rocco Mansueto took over as Irish head coach this season and is working to rebuild the program.
An informal reception is scheduled for 4:30 in the Varallo media room (new gym) and recognition of Irish Wrestling Club members will take place prior to the first dual.
"We'll spend some time telling lies about how good we were and all the great things we did," Anderson said.
Notre Dame has reached four state duals finals, winning three, and has won two traditional state titles. The Irish have captured 47 individual state titles, with those champions including Anderson, Hammond and Held, along with two-time outstanding wrestler Chris Mullin and Martin Francis, the state's first four-time state champ.
Central's Tanner Mowery will play ball in Arkansas
Central's Tanner Mowery has signed a baseball scholarship with Lyon College, an NAIA school in Batesville, Ark.
"Tanner has worked hard to improve his baseball skills," Central coach Glen Carter said. "As a catcher, he blocks the ball well. He is one of those kids that you want behind the plate because he has a good baseball IQ. He's a great kid and a straight-A type student."