Eight high school football players will be representing the Chattanooga area at the 10th annual Food City Border Bowl on Saturday: Baylor defensive tackle Cole Johnson, Boyd-Buchanan athlete Jeremy Borders, Hixson offensive lineman Brodie Gregory, Marion County offensive lineman Corey Tucker, McMinn County snapper Roman Lockmiller and offensive lineman James Moore, Red Bank linebacker Courvoisier Bell and Sequatchie County linebacker Kyle Cates.
The game, which matches Tennessee senior standouts against Kentucky counterparts, is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Sevier County High School.
Sequatchie coach Adam Caine, who directed his team to the Class 3A semifinals, is one of Tennessee's assistants.
Riddle picks Mercer
McCallie quarterback Robert Riddle has committed to Mercer University in the Southern Conference.
Riddle led TSSAA Division II-AA passers with 3,008 yards (250.7 yards) this past season. He also completed 70.6 percent of his passes (218 of 309) with 25 touchdown throws.
In a recent tweet, he said, "I would like to thank all of my coaches, family members and anyone who has been in my life and helped me throughout the journey of college recruitment."
Trio reach milestones
Calhoun senior Jana Johns became the school's all-time leading girls' basketball scorer when she passed the 1,500-point mark and former top scorer Taylor Palmer with 23 points in a win over Cartersville last week.
Johns, headed to South Carolina on a softball scholarship, also broke her own single-season scoring mark in the win.
Also at Calhoun, senior Chapin Rierson scored his 1,000th point in a crucial win over Sonoraville on Tuesday.
Southeast Whitfield's Maddie Pearson scored 39 points in a win over Gilmer this week and also passed 1,000 for her career.
Pendley steps down
Ringgold softball coach Shane Pendley resigned that position this week, school athletic director Robert Akins said.
Pendley had a three-year coaching record of 83-28 after taking over from Rachel Hodge in 2014 and led the Lady Tigers to the playoffs each season. His first team was 34-8 and finished as the GHSA Class AAA state runner-up, and that was followed by a top-four state finish in 2015. Ringgold went 21-14 this past season and made it to the second round of the state playoffs.
"Shane was a very good coach for us," Akins said. "I don't want to speak for Shane, but as a coach you get to the point where you get tired and you want to focus on your family more. He did a great job here and the kids responded to him well.
"We hate to lose him, and it's part of the process of life in the sporting arena."
Two sign from Polk
Polk County softball players Aubrie Bowman and Kallie Hawkins signed scholarship papers Thursday with Walters State Community College.
Bowman batted .486 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs last season. Polk County coach Bill Triplett said she could be a middle infielder or an outfielder in college but also learned how to pitch to help her high school team.
"She's been with us for four years," Triplett said. "Statistically she's got a chance to be one of the best to have played at Polk County High School. Athletically she's as good as it gets. She can play just about anywhere."
Hawkins transferred from Bradley Central after her sophomore year and hit .456 with nine homers and 32 RBIs in the regular season last spring before being ruled ineligible for the postseason. She's a catcher who can also play the corner infield spots.
"She's a dream to coach," Triplett said. "She's always the first one there and the last to leave. She's just a good leader. Both of them are better teammates than they are players. Their only concern is the success of the team."
Fisher to Milligan
Grace Academy's Josh Fisher signed scholarship papers Thursday with Milligan College, where he will continue his tennis career. Fisher is the first Golden Eagles tennis player to sign a college scholarship.
A Best of Preps honoree in 2015, Fisher won the district and finished as region runner-up. He is ranked No. 29 in the state.
Fisher, a two-year starter in football, also is a member of Grace's choir, the National Honor Society and Beta Club. He has a 3.78 grade point average.
Central meet Saturday
The annual Central Invitational wrestling tournament, postponed because of inclement weather two weeks ago, will be held Saturday. Admission is $8.
With action starting at 9 a.m., teams expected to join the host Purple Pounders are Baylor, Bolton, Clinton, East Hamilton, Greenback, Red Bank, Rhea County, LaVergne, McMinn County, Sevier County, Tullahoma, Walker Valley and Whitwell.
Bradley book available
A new book celebrating the history of Bradley Central football is now available. Written by Gary Ownbey, "100 Seasons of Black and Gold Glory" is 350-plus pages with stories on former players and coaches such as Steve Sloan, Bob Johnson, Rex Dockery, Louie Alford, Chris White, Dale Jones and others.
It also includes scores from every game - more than 1,000 played in program history. The book, which sells for $30, also includes a list of all program records and more than 160 pictures from the first Bears team through last season.
Ownbey will have a book signing at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Cleveland Public Library, where his previous book, on Bradley Central basketball, also will be for sale.