UT's Serrano to speak at Rhea baseball banquet and more area high school sports news

Tennessee baseball head coach Dave Serrano
Tennessee baseball head coach Dave Serrano

University of Tennessee baseball coach Dave Serrano will be the speaker for Rhea County's preseason baseball banquet on March 9 at the school's auditorium.

The banquet begins at 6 p.m. and a full meal will be served. Rhea coach Rusty Ray said numerous quality silent-auction items would be available for bid, including a La-Z-Boy chair and a suite and tickets to Chattanooga Lookouts games.

Former Rhea County and Tennessee quarterback Andy Kelly, currently a sideline commentator for the Vol football network, will be emcee for the event.

Tables next to the speaker are $150, and individual tickets are $20. Interested persons should contact Ray at rayr@rheacounty.org or 423-290-6099 for tickets and further information.

Skiles to Tusculum

Trevor Skiles became the second lineman from the 2014 Red Bank team to commit to play college football, giving Tusculum his commitment Sunday afternoon. Earlier, Myles Smith committed to East Tennessee State.

"He was a four-year starter, which is rare here," Lions coach Chad Grabowksi said of the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Skiles. "He was the strongest player on the team. He 's explosive off the line and he was a hard worker on the field and in the classroom -- a kid with great character. I think he can help Tusculum right away."

Braswell joins Bears

Cortney Braswell will be joining Bradley Central as the Bears' defensive coordinator, coach Damon Floyd said Monday afternoon.

Braswell served last season at Central's defensive coordinator, and the former Baylor running back also has coached at East Ridge, Soddy-Daisy and Notre Dame.

Byrd honored for 1,000

Notre Dame junior guard Tyler Byrd will be honored tonight between the Fighting Irish's girls' and boys' basketball games with Sequatchie County for recently surpassing 1,000 high school points.

Byrd this year is averaging 24.7 points per game.

State duals openers set

Defending traditional tournament champion Hixson will begin its quest for another A/AA state duals title against Forrest at 4:30 Friday afternoon at the Williamson County Expo in Franklin. If the Wildcats win they will face the Greenbrier-Greeneville winner Saturday morning.

Also in A/AA, Notre Dame, in the same bracket with Pigeon Forge, opens with Alcoa.

In Class AAA, defending champion Cleveland opens against Summit at 6:30 Friday night. Summit is coached by Pete Miller, the son of former Cleveland head coach and current assistant Al Miller. Meanwhile, Bradley Central is in the bottom half of the bracket with touted Wilson Central, but the Bears wouldn't meet Wilson Central until the semifinals Saturday afternoon. Bradley opens with McGavock.

In Division II-AA, top-ranked Baylor opens Friday afternoon with Brentwood Academy and then likely would catch Montgomery Bell Academy in Friday night's semifinals. McCallie faces Christian Brothers in its Friday afternoon quarterfinal with Father Ryan the likely semifinal opponent.

Saturday's championship matches are to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Bales to Boomers

Jeremy Bales, a pitcher/shortstop from Red Bank who found his niche as a right-handed reliever at Lee University, has signed a contract with the Frontier League's Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers.

"The league has been a good springboard for guys trying to get in a big-league club's farm system," Lee coach Mark Brew said. "It's not affiliated with major league baseball, but it is equivalent to Class A affiliates.

Brew said he sees Bales as a situational guy -- "probably a seventh- or eighth-inning guy to pitch versus right-handed batters or a predominantly right-handed lineup."

When asked how he'd desribe Bales, Brew said, "Not really submarine because I think of those guys almost dragging their hand on the ground before they deliver. He's more of a sidearm with a lot of movement and sink that gets a lot of ground balls."

FCA lacrosse meeting

The area Fellowship of Christian Athletes is beginning its third season of "at-large" lacrosse for middle- and high-school aged players, and it is holding an informational meeting tonight from 7 to 8. The gathering will be in the FCA offices in the Faith Building of Abba's House on Hixson Pike.

The FCA teams' schedules include established school teams such as McCallie, Baylor, Signal Mountain, Soddy-Daisy, Loftis and Dalton. Experience is not necessary: Instruction in the sport is part of the program. Call Powell Grisham at 774-6177 with questions.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765.

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