Stories from Sunday, September 28, 2008

MURFREESBORO -- A trio of three-and-outs by the Cascade offense midway through their Region 5-A showdown at Middle Tennessee Christian left some of the Champion faithful restless. To make matters worse, a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Cougar quarterback Scot Bartilson on fourth down compounded the issue by putting the hosts up 21-14...

If there's one word to describe Anita Fields of Shelbyville, it has got to be the word interesting. As a retired woman in her 70s, one would think her days would be somewhat leisurely. But not Anita ... that would be much too boring for her taste. "When you say you're retired people think you sit at home and twiddle your thumbs," Anita said. "I don't sit still well ... I make all my own clothes, too."...

A high-speed police chase through two counties ended abruptly Friday when the vehicle being pursued overturned in a Bedford County field. Jason Hargrove of Lewisburg lost control of the SUV he was driving on Russell Road, a narrow, dead-end road off Bethlehem Church Road in western Bedford County, after a chase of approximately 10 miles...

MURFREESBORO -- Economic forecaster Dr. Donald Ratajczak said on Friday that, while he doesn't forecast a return to bread lines, the current financial crisis is "the biggest event since the Great Depression" in terms of an upheaval in economic philosophy...

A foster mother charged with three counts of statutory rape involving a minor in her care waived her right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over to Bedford County Grand Jury on Friday. Jennifer Renee McWhirter, 33, of Mountain View Road, Bell Buckle, appeared briefly before Judge Charles Rich with her attorney Jeff Seckler, who said that McWhirter was waiving her right to a hearing. She left the courtroom immediately after the appearance...

Turnovers have had a major impact in every game Shelbyville Central has played this year and, fortunately, the Golden Eagles were on the positive side of that twist in their impressive 24-0 win over visiting Franklin County on Friday night. The Eagles (2-4) collected nine Rebel turnovers, only had a pair of fumbles of their own and improved their give-away/take-away from negative 11 to minus four along the way...

The Community Junior Viqueens entered the season with high expectations, despite their status as a second-year program, and they lived up to their promise and more. They may have fallen to Westwood 3-2 on Saturday in the season-ending Middle Tennessee Small School Tournament, but the Purple and Gold were definitely winners in the big scheme of things...

The Community Vikings gave their fans a brief look at what their football team is capable of, even if it was just for one quarter, on Friday night against visiting Region 5-A opponent McEwen. The offense was clicking on all cylinders, the defense manhandled the vaunted Warrior linemen -- who are known for their physical play -- and it was the Vikings that dominated time of possession in the first eight minutes...

Playing a high school volleyball match in front of a packed house is not an everyday occurrence for many teams, including the Community Viqueens. On Friday, the local girls got to put their skills on display for their classmates as they took on Cannon County with much of the student body in attendance. Community didn't disappoint, taking down the Lions 25-13, 25-13...

Another hard-fought battle ended in a close loss as Webb Middle fell to Westwood's Lady Rockets on Friday night at Bell Buckle's Lagler Field in a Middle Tennessee Small Schools District Soccer tournament semifinal match. The regulation game ended 1-1. After two scoreless five-minute overtimes, Westwood won a penalty shootout to end the season for the Lady Feet (5-3)...