TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Sept. 9

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 3 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class A
1. McKenzie (3-0) – 209 (20)
2. Gordonsville (3-0) – 179 (1)
3. Coalfield (3-0) – 155
4. Whitwell (3-0) – 145
5. Oliver Springs (2-1) – 107
6. South Pittsburg (2-1) – 94
7. South Fulton (3-0) – 67
8. Moore County (2-1) – 52
9. Chattanooga Prep (2-1) – 41
10. Halls (3-0) – 36
Others receiving votes: Union City 22, Gleason 10, MASE 9, Clay County 8, Cloudland 7, Oakdale 7, Middle College 3, Harriman 1, Greenfield 1, Cosby 1, West Carroll 1

Class 2A
1. East Robertson (3-0) – 203 (17)
t2. Marion County (3-0) – 171 (3)
t2. Milan (3-0) – 171 (1)
4. Decatur County Riverside (2-1) – 138
5. Bledsoe County (3-0) – 112
6. Fairley (2-0) – 105
7. Forrest (3-0) – 63
8. East Hickman (3-0) – 52
9. Huntingdon (1-1) – 48
10. Mt. Pleasant (3-0) – 27
Others receiving votes: Loretto 19, Tellico Plains 13, Jackson Central-Merry 9, Monterey 7, Summertown 7, Fayetteville 4, Westmoreland 3, Oneida 2, Happy Valley 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (1-1) – 207 (19)
2. East Nashville (3-0) – 179 (1)
3. Covington (3-0) – 174 (1)
4. Meigs County (2-0) – 133
5. Westview (3-0) – 128
6. Unicoi County (2-0) – 76
7. Sequatchie County (2-1) – 64
8. Johnson County (3-0) – 51
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (2-1) – 46
10. Bolton (3-0) – 36
Others receiving votes: Giles County 14, Pigeon Forge 10, Fairview 9, McMinn Central 8, Tyner Academy 7, Union County 5, Dyersburg 4, Bolivar Central 3, Kingston 1

Class 4A
1. Upperman (3-0) – 202 (15)
2. Greeneville (2-1) – 180 (6)
3. Anderson County (2-0) – 165
4. Pearl-Cohn (1-2) – 105
t5. Haywood (2-1) – 103
t5. Dyer County (3-0) – 103
7. Marshall County (3-0) – 89
8. Macon County (2-1) – 81
9. Signal Mountain (3-0) – 41
10. DeKalb County (3-0) – 19
Others receiving votes: Loudon 18, Crockett County 11, Red Bank 10, Gibbs 7, White County 6, Elizabethton 6, Stone Memorial 5, Soddy Daisy 4

Class 5A
1. Page (3-0) – 209 (20)
2. Southwind (3-0) – 181 (1)
3. Knox West (2-1) – 161
4. Sevier County (3-0) – 142
5. Powell (2-1) – 108
6. Beech (2-1) – 85
7. Henry County (2-1) – 84
8. Walker Valley (2-1) – 69
9. Centennial (2-1) – 41
10. Shelbyville (2-1) – 29
Others receiving votes: Hendersonville 26, Rhea County 14, Munford 2, Nolensville 2, Knox Karns 1, McMinn County 1

Class 6A
1. Oakland (3-0) – 204 (15)
2. Germantown Houston (3-0) – 176 (3)
3. Maryville (3-0) – 171 (3)
4. Ravenwood (3-0) – 143
5. Cleveland (3-0) – 114
6.Collierville (3-0) – 79
7. Brentwood (2-1) – 76
8. Mt. Juliet (3-0) – 49
9. Riverdale (2-1) – 43
10.Science Hill (2-0) – 31
Others receiving votes: Cookeville 19, Germantown 18, Bartlett 10, John Overton 9, Green Hill 4, Antioch 3, Bearden 3, Whitehaven 1, Rossview 1, Clarksville 1

Division II-A
1. Jackson Christian (3-0) – 97 (18)
2. Donelson Christian (3-0) – 77 (2)
3. Nashville Christian (2-1) – 52
4. Columbia Academy (2-1) – 42
5. FACS (1-0) – 13
Others receiving votes: Friendship Christian 7, Providence Christian 7, Mt. Juliet Christian 4, Trinity Christian 1

Division II-AA
1. Christ Presbyterian (3-0) – 86 (14)
t2. Boyd Buchanan (3-0) – 85 (5)
3. Battle Ground Academy (3-0) – 46 (1)
4. Franklin Road Academy (3-0) – 29
5. University School of Jackson (3-0) – 21
Others receiving votes: Lausanne 19, Grace Christian-Knoxville 8, Silverdale Academy 3, Davidson Academy 3

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (3-0) – 99 (19)
2. Ensworth (3-0) – 65 (1)
3. McCallie (2-1) – 60
4. Knox Catholic (3-0) – 47
5. Montgomery Bell Academy (2-1) – 15
Others receiving votes: Brentwood Academy 10, Father Ryan 2, Lipscomb Academy 2

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - Sept. 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a weekend of some incredible performances to open up the college football slate, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association selected Vanderbilt graduate quarterback Diego Pavia as its offensive player of the week, narrowly beating Tennessee redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava for the honor as both signal-callers put together impressive performances.

Pavia, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., rolled together 296 total yards of offense and collected three touchdowns in the Commodores’ overtime victory over Virginia Tech. Through the air, he completed 12 of his 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Pavia also rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 26 carries, including the game-winning four-yard touchdown in overtime.

He was the only Power 4 QB to throw and run for over 100 yards this weekend and became the first Commodore QB to accomplish that in two seasons. Pavia also helped Vanderbilt win a game when trailing by seven or more points in the fourth quarter since the 2016 campaign.

Iamaleava, in his second career start and first in front of the home fans, set a Volunteer record for passing yards in a half with 314 on 22-for-28 passing with three touchdowns in a 69-3 victory over Chattanooga.

On the defensive side of the ball, Vanderbilt sophomore linebacker Bryan Longwell earned the nod after recording a career-best nine total tackles, including an assist on a tackle-for-loss. Longwell, a Nashville product, broke up a pass that resulted in an interception, leading to a touchdown drive and 10-point lead early in the second quarter. He also had a big third-down stop in the third quarter, forcing the Hokies to punt with Vandy leading by one possession. The Commodores held Virginia Tech to 75 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech’s Maddie Isringhausen was named the TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week, capturing the honor after claiming the MVP nod at the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis. The senior from Edwardsville, Ill., was an unstoppable force while leading Tech to a perfect 3-0 weekend without dropping a set, piling up 48 kills (5.33/set) while hitting a robust .354. Isringhausen dropped 18 kills with a pair of aces and five digs in the opening win over Austin Peay before smashing .382 with 15 kills, an ace, and nine digs in the sweep over host Memphis. She rounded out the weekend with 15 more terminations and a gaudy .500 attack percentage with two more aces in the win over Mississippi Valley State.

MEN’S SOCCER: Belmont senior midfielder A.J. Chastonay played a part in all three of the Bruins’ goals this past week. On Thursday, the Louisville, Ky., native scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Northern Kentucky – his first goals since the spring season of 2021 and 16th of his career. Both scores were in the first 30 minutes of the match. He followed that with an assist at Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: After a tough 1-0 loss at Mississippi State on Thursday, Tennessee Tech sophomore forward Neve Renwick had a great showing as Ivy League foe Columbia came into Cookeville. The forward from Sheffield, England, collected five total points in the contest as she scored two goals – an equalizer in the 70th minute, then an unassisted strike in the 80th minute. Renwick also assisted on Anna Baker’s go-ahead goal at 85:50 before Columbia’s Nata Ramirez knotted the game at 4-4 at 88:57 – all eight goals scored in the second half.

2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
Football
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)

Volleyball
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)

Men’s Soccer
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)

Women’s Soccer
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Sept. 2

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 2 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class 1A
1. McKenzie (2-0) – 168 (16)
2. Gordonsville (2-0) – 144 (1)
3. Coalfield (2-0) – 128
4. Whitwell (2-0) – 108
5. Union City (1-1) – 97
6. Oliver Springs (1-1) – 66
7. South Pittsburg (1-1) – 54
t8. Moore County (1-1) – 32
t8. South Fulton (2-0) – 32
10. Chattanooga Prep (1-1) – 21
Others receiving votes: West Carroll 15, McEwen 13, Halls 12, MASE 10, Middle College 9, Clay County 7, Cloudland 7, Oakdale 4, Harriman 3, Midway 3, Jo Byrns 2

Class 2A
1. East Robertson (2-0) – 169 (16)
2. Decatur County Riverside (1-1) – 125
3. Milan (2-0) – 123
4. Marion County (2-0) – 106 (1)
5. Fairley (1-0) – 92
6. Bledsoe County (2-0) – 82
7. East Hickman (2-0) – 65
8. Huntingdon (0-1) – 50
9. Loretto (1-1) – 29
10. Forrest (2-0) – 24
Others receiving votes: Monterey 10, Mt. Pleasant 8, Camden Central 7, Tellico Plains 7, Jackson Central-Merry 6, Jackson County 6, Adamsville 5, Happy Valley 5, Mitchell 3, Lewis County 3, Fayetteville 3, Polk County 2, Summertown 2, Oneida 1, York Institute 1, Westmoreland 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (1-1) – 169 (16)
2. East Nashville (2-0) – 143
3. Covington (2-0) – 134
4. Westview (2-0) – 102
5. Meigs County (1-0) – 100 (1)
6. Gatlinburg-Pittman (2-0) – 98
7. Dyersburg (1-1) – 47
8. Pigeon Forge (2-0) – 39
9. Sequatchie County (1-1) – 38
10. Unicoi County (1-0) – 23
Others receiving votes: Giles County 11, Bolton 9, Fairview 7, Liberty Creek 4, Kingston 3, Johnson County 2, Chuckey-Doak 2, Chattanooga Central 2, Tyner Academy 2

Class 4A
1. Upperman (2-0) – 162 (13)
2. Greeneville (2-0) – 145 (4)
3. Haywood (2-0) – 116
4. Anderson County (1-0) – 112
5. Macon County (2-0) – 94
6. Pearl-Cohn (0-2) – 81
7. Marshall County (2-0) – 72
8. Dyer County (2-0) – 46
9. White County (2-0) – 28
10. Signal Mountain (2-0) – 26
Others receiving votes: Soddy Daisy 14, Melrose 7, Crockett County 6, DeKalb County 5, Creek Wood 5, Loudon 5, Grainger 4, Red Bank 4, Elizabethton 3

Class 5A
1. Page (2-0) – 159 (15)
2. Southwind (2-0) – 142
3. Knox West (1-1) – 116
4. Walker Valley (2-0) – 101
5. Sevier County (2-0) – 96 (1)
6. Henry County (1-1) – 70
7. Hendersonville (2-0) – 59
8. Powell (1-1) – 52
t9. Shelbyville (1-1) – 39
t9. Beech (1-1) – 39
Others receiving votes: Portland 16, Centennial 10, Rhea County 10, Lawrence County 9, McMinn County 9, Oak Ridge 4, Memphis Central 2, Knox Karns 2

Class 6A
1. Oakland (2-0) – 158 (14)
2. Germantown Houston (2-0) – 146 (3)
3. Maryville (2-0) – 126
4. Ravenwood (2-0) – 121
5. Riverdale (2-0) – 83
6. Bearden (1-1) – 65
7. Cleveland (2-0) – 63
8. Bartlett (1-0) – 53
9. Brentwood (1-1) – 40
10. Mt. Juliet (2-0) – 24
Others receiving votes: Science Hill 15, Collierville 14, Germantown 12, Cookeville 9, Bradley Central 3, Jefferson County 2, Gallatin 1

Division II-A
1. Jackson Christian (2-0) – 74 (11)
2. Nashville Christian (2-0) – 59 (2)
3. Donelson Christian (2-0) – 43 (2)
4. Friendship Christian (1-1) – 30 (1)
5. Columbia Academy (1-1) – 18
Others receiving votes: FACS 13, Clarksville Academy 1

Division II-AA
1. Christ Presbyterian (2-0) – 76 (11)
2. Boyd Buchanan (2-0) – 73 (5)
3. Lausanne (1-0) – 39
4. Battle Ground Academy (2-0) – 32
5. Franklin Road Academy (2-0) – 17
Others receiving votes: Northpoint Christian 6, Chattanooga Christian 3, Silverdale Academy 2, Grace Christian-Knoxville 1, Davidson Academy 1

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (2-0) – 79 (15)
2. McCallie (1-1) – 49
3. Ensworth (2-0) – 48
4. Knox Catholic (2-0) – 29
5. Christian Brothers (1-0) – 5 (1)
Others receiving votes: None

College players of the week announced - Aug. 27

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the opening week of Tennessee Sports Writers Association College Players of the Week, Belmont senior defender Alex Clayton and Memphis freshman midfielder Ai Kitagawa were named the first winners of the season.

Clayton, a West Virginia transfer from Wellington, New Zealand, scored four points in the Bruins’ 3-0 shutout victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Southern Indiana. He scored the first goal of the contest in the 51st minute off a pass from Jimiyu Mark, then assisted on Brock Kiper’s goal at 53:03 and A.J. Chastonay’s tally at 72:37.

It was the third career goal for Clayton, who also helped the Belmont defense collect its second-straight shutout to open the 2024 campaign.

On the women’s side, Kitagawa – a true freshman from Itami City, Hyogo, Japan – scored both goals in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory at Ole Miss to collect her third goal of the season in as many games. That made Kitagawa the fastest player to score three goals in the Brooks Monaghan era (2000-present).

She scored her first goal of the match in the 51st minute unassisted, then took Ashley Henderson’s pass into the net at 58:26.

The awards will expand next week with football and volleyball starting competition this week.

2024-25 TSWA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Men’s Soccer
August 27 – Alex Clayton, Belmont

Women’s Soccer
August 27 – Ai Kitagawa, Memphis

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Aug. 26

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings for the first time in the history of the organization on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class 1A
1. McKenzie – 117 (11)
2. Union City – 92
3. Coalfield – 86
4. Gordonsville – 84
5. Oliver Springs – 70 (1)
6. Moore County – 49
7. Whitwell – 42
8. South Pittsburg – 38
9. Clay County – 37
10. Chattanooga Prep – 21
Others receiving votes: MASE 9, South Fulton 7, Cosby 3, Harriman 2, Dresden 2, Cloudland 1

Class 2A
1. East Robertson – 117 (10)
2. Decatur County Riverside – 93
3. Fairley – 87 (1)
4. Milan – 72
5. Marion County – 71 (1)
6. Loretto – 59
7. Huntingdon – 44
8. Bledsoe County – 37
9. York Institute – 20
10. East Hickman – 17
Others receiving votes: Lewis County 14, Memphis Business 5, South Greene 5, Mt. Pleasant 4, Oneida 4, Polk County 3, Smith County 3, Westmoreland 2, Hampton 1, Mitchell 1, Happy Valley 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa – 115 (10)
2. East Nashville – 98 (1)
3. Covington – 82
4. Meigs County – 69 (1)
5. Gatlinburg-Pittman – 61
6. Westview – 56
7. Giles County – 48
8. Dyersburg – 29
9. Tyner Academy – 23
10. Unicoi County – 18
Others receiving votes: Sequatchie County 12, Fairview 9, Chattanooga Central 9, Liberty Creek 8, Chuckey-Doak 6, McMinn Central 5, White House Heritage 3, Brainerd 2, Kingston 2, Stratford 2, Sweetwater 1, Liberty 1, Pigeon Forge 1

Class 4A
1. Upperman – 114 (7)
2. Greeneville – 96 (2)
3. Pearl-Cohn – 87 (3)
4. Anderson County – 83
5. Haywood – 65
6. Macon County – 59
7. Red Bank – 43
8. Marshall County – 41
9. Melrose – 22
10. Dyer County – 18
Others receiving votes: Signal Mountain 7, Greenbrier 7, Loudon 6, White County 5, Elizabethton 3, Station Camp 3, Gibbs 1

Class 5A
1. Page – 119 (11)
2. Southwind – 99
3. Knox West – 80 (1)
4. Henry County – 72
5. Shelbyville – 54
6. Walker Valley – 51
7. Sevier County – 49
8. Beech – 46
9. Powell – 36
10. McMinn County – 24
Others receiving votes: Centennial 10, Hendersonville 7, Oak Ridge 7, Knox Halls 4, East Hamilton 2

Class 6A
1. Oakland – 119 (11)
2. Germantown Houston – 108 (1)
3. Ravenwood – 86
4. Maryville – 80
5. Bearden – 63
6. Brentwood – 49
7. Jefferson County – 43
8. Bartlett – 34
9. Riverdale – 31
10. Cleveland – 27
Others receiving votes: Science Hill 13, Dobyns-Bennett 2, Germantown 2, Gallatin 1, Cookeville 1, Mt. Juliet 1

Division II-A
1. Friendship Christian – 58 (9)
2. Jackson Christian – 53 (3)
3. Nashville Christian – 47
4. Columbia Academy – 41
5. FACS – 34
Others receiving votes: Donelson Christian 26, Providence Christian 17, Middle Tennessee Christian 16, Mt. Juliet Christian 14, Trinity Christian 10, Grace Christian-Franklin 5, The King's Academy 5, Ezell-Harding 3, Tipton-Rosemark 2, Harding Academy 1, Fayette Academy 1, Clarksville Academy 1

Division II-AA
1. CPA – 59 (10)
2. Boyd Buchanan – 55 (2)
3. Lausanne – 43
4. BGA – 38
5. FRA – 30
Others receiving votes: Knox Webb 23, USJ 21, Northpoint Christian 13, Davidson Academy 11, Webb School-Bell Buckle 8, Chattanooga Christian 7, Grace Christian-Knoxville 6, St. George's 4, ECS 4, Pope Prep 3, Silverdale Academy 3, CAK 2, Notre Dame 2, St. Benedict 1

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor – 60 (11)
2. McCallie – 55 (1)
3. MBA – 42
4. Knox Catholic – 39
5. Ensworth – 32
Others receiving votes: Brentwood Academy 26, Lipscomb Academy 21, Father Ryan 19, Christian Brothers High 18, MUS 11, Briarcrest Christian 10