Tiger Tennis Pulls Out Comeback District Victory
by: Dwayne PageMar 24, 2025
The DCHS Tigers tennis team rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat district rival White County by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday. The Lady Tigers team lost to the Lady Warriors 9-0, with seven matches decided by 3 games or less. The match lasted over five hours, as the four Smithville Golf Club courts were the site of incredibly competitive matches.
White County, led by senior Gabriel Wiles, jumped to a 2-0 lead with victories in #1 and #2 doubles. Wiles then followed suit with a singles victory over Tiger freshman #1 Lance Duke. The Warriors were suddenly leading the Tigers by a 3-0 score. The #3 doubles match began a momentum swing in favor of DeKalb, led by Ethan Brown and Cameron Ramsey. The match started with White County gaining early momentum with a 4-2 lead, but Brown and Ramsey responded with six unanswered points to win. Brown described a strategy change that made a difference. “They were heavy net players, so we started lobbing them and attacking the net ourselves, which pushed them back some.”
After the win at #3 doubles, Ian Barnes, Jackson Mathis, Luke Midgett, and Brown all won their singles matches to secure the victory. Brown was the statistical leader for the Tigers with two total victories out of the five team points. Head Coach Brian Cadle praised his team’s effort, “I am thankful for the depth of our tennis teams this year. Lance had a very tough assignment with Gabriel, a senior who is talented and strong mentally. We needed the rest of our roster to step up and rally the team to victory. I am proud of the team effort, but it was certainly not a match with a quick outcome.”
On the girls’ side, the 9-0 score was not representative of the Lady Tigers’ play. Only two of the nine matches were decided by more than three points. Senior Charlotte Paladino played to a tiebreaker against Marian Swindell, losing 9-8 (8-1). Coach Cadle was very proud of the Lady Tigers’ #1 player, “I told Charlotte that was the best match I have seen her play. She played with confidence and purpose today. I lost count of the winners off her racket. Charlotte was down 4-1 and battled back to take the lead and then into the tiebreaker. She has grown so much as a player and leader for our girls.” Cadle noted the improved play of the girls against the Lady Warriors, “White County has been a difficult loss for the girls the past couple of years. We certainly looked much better against them today and hope to get another chance with them in the district tournament.”
DeKalb and White County have developed a friendly yet competitive rivalry over the past four years. Coach Cadle and Coach Topher Wiles have both developed competitive district teams with a similar formula, working to develop a K-12 tennis program and growing talent from a young age. The current DeKalb County High School team has three players, Duke, Brown, and Mia Bell, who come from the DeKalb Middle School tennis team, which has been in existence for three seasons as a feeder program. The middle school team is led by Coach Chad Ramsey, who is also the top assistant coach for the high school program. Ramsey has two kids in the program, Cameron, who is on the boys’ varsity team, and Abby, who plays for the middle school team.
The Tigers are now 5-1 and the Lady Tigers 3-3. Both teams host York Institute on Thursday at 3:00 pm.
Box Score
Girls: White County 9-0
#1 Singles Marian Swindell (WC) defeated Charlotte Paladino (DC) 9-8 (8-1)
#2 Singles Lilly Colwell (WC) defeated Candice Rico (DC) 8-2
#3 Singles Lorelei Bouldin (WC) defeated Kayce Hale (DC) 8-1
#4 Singles Tegan Rittenberry (WC) defeated Mia Bell (DC) 8-4
#5 Singles Sadie Benningfield (WC) defeated Jayde Lester (DC) 9-7
#6 Singles Olivia Flaminio (WC) defeated Kaylee Hoersch (DC) 9-8 (8-6)
#1 Doubles Swindell/Colwell (WC) defeated Paladino/Rico (DC) 8-5
#2 Doubles Bouldin/Benningfield (WC) defeated Lester/Hoersch (DC) 9-7
#3 Doubles Rittenberry/Olivia Flaminio defeated Hale/Madison Caballero (DC) 9-8 (7-2)
Boys: DeKalb County 5-4
#1 Singles Gabriel Wiles (WC) defeated Lance Duke (DC) 8-3
#2 Singles Ian Barnes (DC) defeated John Durfee (DC) 8-3
#3 Singles Jackson Mathis (DC) defeated Ethan Wiles (DC) 8-1
#4 Singles Luke Midgett (DC) defeated Solomon Hawkins (WC) 8-4
#5 Singles Ethan Brown (DC) defeated James Frady (WC) 8-1
#6 Singles Ben Brogden (WC) defeated Cameron Ramsey (DC) 8-4
#1 Doubles Wiles/Wiles (WC) defeated Duke/Barnes (DC) 8-5
#2 Doubles Midgett/Mathis (DC) defeated Durfee/Brogden (WC) 8-5
#3 Doubles Brown/Ramsey (DC) defeated Hawkins/Frady (WC) 8-4
Smithville Elementary Announces Cat Cash Heroes
by: Dwayne PageMar 24, 2025
Smithville Elementary is proud to announce Its cat cash heroes for the third nine weeks! These students earned the most cat cash in their grade level. Cat cash is earned for good behavior, and is given out by all of the adults in the building. The cat cash heroes for the third nine weeks are:
PreK – Lucy Arnold
K – Layton Young
1st – Noah Bandy
2nd – Kinslee Gay
Smithville Town Cemetery Benefit Fundraiser Thursday Night, March 20 at the Harvester
by: Dwayne PageMar 24, 2025
A kick-off fundraiser for the restoration and beautification of the Smithville Town Cemetery will be Thursday night, March 20 at the Harvester Event Center downtown.
The event is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will go toward the campaign to revitalize the cemetery. The fundraiser will include an auction, food and LIVE entertainment. You can make donations now to benefit the cemetery. For more information and to donate visit www.fb.com/SmithvilleTCA or call 615-597-2000.
Founded in 1838, this historic cemetery, located directly east of the public square, has primarily undergone only basic maintenance in recent years. The late Tommy Webb, county historian, had overseen the cemetery. Before his death in October 2019, Mr. Webb asked Bethel Thomas, Jr. to lead a campaign to restore some of the original beauty to the cemetery. Initial funds raised allowed for the beginning of the restoration of the iron fence. Then came Covid.
Thomas, in a recent interview with WJLE, said a renewed effort has now begun with a larger group of community volunteers taking an interest in the historic cemetery.
“Tommy Webb had overseen the cemetery for several years, but the cemetery association itself had been inactive for some time. I went to Tommy and said I wanted to do something to honor my parents and other people who are buried there. He asked me to lead a campaign to help restore the cemetery and I agreed but then Covid came along but now there is a group of people that are getting together and are really engaged,” said Thomas.
Trees donated by Bert Driver Nursery (Yoshino Cherry) and Pine Creek Nursery (Sweet Bay Magnolias) were planted last month lining the cemetery along North Congress Boulevard. The effort was supported by the city and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Thomas gave his vision of what the historic cemetery needs most.
“The thing Tommy was most concerned about was the condition of the original wrought iron fence around the cemetery. We were able to get a welder to gradually restore some of the original fence on the Congress Boulevard side. Most of the fence on that side can be restored but we will probably have to get new wrought iron fence to put across the north end. The fence on the back side may have to be taken down because it has deteriorated so badly. If so, we have thought about putting up a stone fence to replace it on the Bright Hill Road side,” said Thomas.
“Another concern is the driveway through the cemetery. We want to make a beautiful entrance and instead of having an asphalt drive use brick and or gravel. Then the retaining wall at the corner of the cemetery near the highway 56 & 70 intersection is cracked and broken. It basically needs a new retaining wall which may be the most expensive item but that has to be redone. This project is much bigger than I first imagined with the fencing, drive through, fixing that retaining wall, and then adding some park benches, and maybe a walkway through the cemetery. Thanks to the Diver family with the support of the city and TDOT we have been able to line the cemetery on Congress Boulevard with some trees and we hope to eventually convince people who own property on the other side to allow us to put some trees there also. But its going to be beautiful,” said Thomas.
Anyone who has family or friends buried in the cemetery, as well as any civic-minded person interested is invited to join the Smithville Town Cemetery Association.