Presenting a physical presence in the middle of the field, Grace Renegar has been outstanding to begin her senior soccer season.
Silverdale Baptist Academy's star striker scored four goals Tuesday for the third straight game to start the schedule. On a team filled with speed and playmakers, Renegar is grateful for the help she has been given as the Lady Seahawks have outscored their opposition a whopping 28-3.
Renegar's hat trick came in just the 22nd minute as she used dominant body control to box out a defender and send a well-aimed shot to the back left corner of the net past the diving Hixson keeper in Tuesday night's 9-1 victory.
"This senior season means a lot to me because I didn't get to play at all last year due to injuries," said Renegar, who is just one of two senior starters for a promising and prolific scoring team.
"I feel really happy I get to share this season with such a great group of girls. I don't even consider myself to be red hot, because I can't even take credit for most of my goals. Sure, I am the one finishing them but I have had a lot of help from (teammates). I have fantastic teammates who are making this season better than I thought."
Junior Elle Lam was a dynamic force for Silverdale as the speedster scored once and had two assists along with Caroline Upchurch, who sent spot-on crosses, two of which were turned into scores by Brooke Bolton and Bre Mendoza.
Silverdale has high hopes for this season and is excited about tough tests upcoming, which includes hosting back-to-back reigning Class A state champion Signal Mountain next Thursday.
"All but two of our starters have scored in the first three games," Silverdale coach Scott Chapman said. "We have lots of weapons and are tough to guard because our girls can really fly and bring a lot of pressure.
"Grace is fantastic and really knows how to dominate playing with her back to the goal. She is strong and knows how to make the great runs, too. She and several other girls were out all of last season, and they are making the most of their time this season."
Chattanooga Patriots 4, Bradley Central 1: Elizabeth Scott had a pair of goals as the Patriots did all of their scoring in the second half.
Signal Mountain 3, Walker Valley 2: The Lady Eagles won a hard-fought contest, with Briley Lowery providing the difference with two goals. Ava Duffy also scored and assisted one another in an impressive home win.
GPS 2, Hardin Valley 0: Ashley Grant assisted the first score to Hayden Wise. Grant helped put the match away as she scored off an assist from Kennedy Ball. Kaedra Thorstenson posted a shutout in goal.
Grace Academy 10, Sequatchie County 4: McKinley Tyson scored a whopping five goals, while Savannah Engelbrecht had three and a trio of assists for the Lady Golden Eagles.
SOFTBALL
Coahulla Creek 1, Sonoraville 0 (10 innings): Two of the top pitchers in northwest Georgia squared off in Varnell, and neither disappointed. Coahulla Creek's Sophia Voyles earned the win with 10 innings of one-hit, 19-strikeout pitching, while visiting Sonoraville's Taylor Long lost despite nine innings and allowing two hits, striking out 21 batters. Mary Day Eisenrath brought home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th with a two-out, bases-loaded walk.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 9, North Murray 1: The Lady Warriors (6-3, 3-1 Region 6-AAA) rebounded after losing 1-0 on Monday to rival Ringgold as Haley Stahl went four innings and allowed one run on three hits while also adding two hits and an RBI. Sisters Britni and Breonn Newbille drove in two runs each, and Heidi Johnson scored four times for LFO.
Ringgold 12, LaFayette 4: The Lady Tigers (5-3, 4-1 Region 6-AAA) broke the game open with nine runs in the third inning. Baleigh Pitts was 3-for-4, including two doubles, and drove in a pair of runs, while Amber Gainer had two hits, scored three times and drove in two runs. Maddy Bacon added two runs and an RBI, and Hannah Scott drove in two for the winners, while Summer Burkett had three RBIs on two hits and Rylee Gamlen was 3-for-4 for the Lady Ramblers.
Northwest Whitfield 15-10, Ridgeland 2-8: The Lady Bruins opened play in Region 7-AAAA with a doubleheader sweep of Ridgeland, with Kylie Hayes earning the pitching win in each game. Alyson Jarvi drove in three runs on a pair of hits, and twin sister Abygail Jarvi was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in game one, while Mia Sewell had three hits and scored three times. Torrey Cummings had three hits, scored three times and drove in five runs in game two for Northwest (6-1).
GOLF
Sam Levine and Jack Martin led McCallie to a one-stroke victory over Signal Mountain, which went undefeated last season. The Blue Tornado received a nine-hole scorecard total of 1-under-par 35 from both Levine and Martin, while Signal Mountain was led by Peyton Ogle at 1 under
East Hamilton's and Cleveland's girls won match play at the Cleveland Country Club. Griffin Law was sharp for the Hurricanes shooting a 1-over 37, while the Lady Raiders were led by junior star Hannah Nall's 37.
VOLLEYBALL
Sale Creek 3, Richard Hardy 0: The Lady Panthers improved to 4-0 as Reese Hendrix helped lead the way with five aces. Sarah Gibson and Ava Higgins combined for 22 kills in the victory.
Sequatchie County 3, Signal Mountain 1: The Lady Indians won the district match to improve to 3-1 overall as Zoe Smith blocked four shots to go with Abby Smith's six aces. Sarah Brown and Callie Green combined for 11 kills in the win, while Megan Hall had 13 digs.
Notre Dame 3, Boyd Buchanan 0: Gwen Jimenez had 17 digs to help the Lady Fighting Irish win their district opener. McKenna Brown had 20 kills and Mary Fillauer tallied 38 assists.
Heritage 2, Northwest 0: Heritage secured the match with a thrilling 33-31 second set victory. Lauren Francis contributed in big ways with nine kills, nine assists and three aces, while teammate Aaliyah Rodgers had seven kills, four aces and a pair of blocks.
Dade County 3, North Jackson 0: Dade County's Zoie Smith had five aces and 20 assists, while Bailey Davis had 10 kills, five digs and four aces in the sweep of their Alabama foe.
Silverdale 3, Oakwood 1: Savannah Williams starred with 23 kills, while Baylee Killingsworth had 23 digs. Ashlee Kugler added 30 assists and five kills in the win to go with six aces from Maddy Pereria.
GPS 3, East Hamilton 0: Chapel Cunningham had six kills and four aces, while Ansley Blevins had four blocks in the victory.
Red Bank 3, McMinn Central 0: Bailee Phillips and Shante Smith combined for 16 kills, while Hannah Brown had 15 assists and six aces for the Lady Lions.
Rhea County 3, Soddy-Daisy 2: Addie Miller picked up 52 assists in the close defeat. Soddy-Daisy's Caroline Lemons also starred with 27 kills and 28 digs.
CROSS COUNTRY
Boyd Buchanan's Nick Floied and Riley Robertson finished with two-mile times of 12:54 and 14:45 to lead the school's boys' and girls' teams, respectively in their season-opening race at Woodland Park.
Compiled by Patrick MacCoon and Lindsey Young. Contact MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon. Contact Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.