DeKalb County Church League Softball Revived

August 23, 2019
By: Bill Conger

Churches in DeKalb County will need to dust off their bats and gloves for the return of Church Co-ed League Softball this September.

“The whole purpose of this league is ministry and evangelism,” says Jordan Atnip, league facilitator and Youth and Worship Minister at Smithville First Baptist Church. “There’s going to be a competitive nature there, and that’s fine, but we’re holding the coaches responsible for making sure that their teams exhibit sportsmanlike and Christ-like behavior at all times.”

For the last several years, DeKalb County has been without church league softball even though surrounding counties still continued their programs. Kids have been going up to bat at the Bill Page field during the summer months, but the bases have been empty in the fall. Organizers wanted something to fill the gap.

“At first the conversation was more about a church league tournament,” explains Atnip. “Then, we got to talking to some of the coaches in the league, and they said we like church league in general. There are a lot of people who really love it and miss it.”

In the past some churches recruited talented athletes to their rosters that never entered the church doors. This time league organizers are encouraging churches to stack their teams but with an evangelical angle.

“The gimmick of it is they have to attend if they’re going to play,” Atnip says. “By all means, teams recruit the best players you can find, but they have to attend your church or begin to attend your church in order to play. Essentially, we reach out to unchurched athletes, and that’s the ministry side of it.”

“We’re not going to be showing up at your churches on Sunday mornings to make sure if these players are showing up, but we’re going to trust that you’re going to be honest. The ministry and evangelical side of it does not work unless you get people to attend church services. Maybe at first they are just attending because they want to play. That’s between them and the Lord, but they’re at least going to have to be present for the gospel being spoken.”

Churches have until August 29 to sign up their churches via email at dekalbchurchleague@gmail.com. The cost is $250 per church, which covers the cost of field maintenance and to have someone to keep the books.

Logan Cornelius from New Life Pentecostal Church, Darrell Gill from Smithville Church of the Nazarene, and Daniel Leslie from Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church will serve as league commissioners. A coaches meeting will be scheduled within a few days of the sign-up deadline.
The first ball of the church league season will be thrown out the second week of September.

“We’re keeping Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays open and potentially 3 games a night at 6, 7, and 8 o’clock,” Atnip says. “We don’t know how many teams we’re going to have right now. It may end up being two games a night instead of three, but we wanted to have a lot of variety and a lot of options. If you’ve got three nights a week and three times slots that means up to 18 teams can play one game in a week. “

“This gives coaches the opportunity to tell us what we’re going to call blackout times. For example, say that one church has several people that work out of town, and they don’t get in until about 6:30. They would black them out on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays in the 6 o’clock time slot.”

Atnip says churches will have no cap on the number of players on the roster, but they need to make sure 9 or 10 people are available to play when a game is scheduled. Games will run through October.
“We’re talking about doing a big tournament event to wrap the season up, and we’re going to have all the churches involved set up little booths and kind of make it like Community Day,” Atnip says. “We’re going to encourage the churches to bring food. We’re not going to open the concession stand that day. The idea is that the churches will be serving food to people as another opportunity to evangelize.”

Again the deadline for churches to sign up is August 29. Shoot an email to dekalbchurchleague@gmail.com.

August 23, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County High School Tigers will open the football season tonight at McMinnville against the Warren County Pioneers.

Kick-off is at 7 p.m. and WJLE will have LIVE coverage on AM 1480/FM 101.7 and LIVE streaming at www.wjle.com with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor and Luke Willoughby.

Coach Steve Trapp, speaking on WJLE’s Tiger Talk program, said he is hoping to get the season off to a great start. He is beginning his 15th season at the helm of the Tiger football program.

“We have had a very productive off season. We have some new faces who have come up from a DeKalb Middle School team that was very successful. Its good to see those guys come out and stick together. Some guys who haven’t played with us for a year or so are back and really being productive for us. The off season is really an important phase of what we do because it helps build that brotherhood and bond,” said Coach Trapp.

“Axel Aldino, our quarterback, has had a good off season. He definitely looks the part but I have told him the look doesn’t get it done its about the productivity and there is no doubt his decision making is going to lead our offense or it can slow it down. We have some good guys around him who are going to help but ultimately he does have to pull the trigger and get the ball in the right situations, make good decisions, pulling it down and running. He is definitely a threat in all categories but with the running game we potentially should have with the type of running back we have, the size we have up front, and our skill players we are a threat to scare defenses any way we want to,” said Coach Trapp.

Warren County has a new head coach this season so Coach Trapp said what the Pioneers look like on video may be different from what the Tigers see tonight (Friday)

“We have tapes of a couple of their scrimmages but for the past few years when there is a transition there (Warren County) it seems like what we get on tape is usually different from what we see on Friday so we have thrown a lot of stuff at our guys this week just to make sure that if we do see something different that we are ready for it and have been exposed to it and are prepared to make adjustments during the game if need be but with a new coach we’re expecting a little different offense and defense from what we have seen the last couple of years. I do know it will be an electric atmosphere. I have no doubt our guys will play extremely hard. I just hope our mental effort matches our physical effort. I think it’s going to be a great game,” added Coach Trapp.

Coach Trapp’s record against Warren County is 7-7.

WJLE’s Pre-Game shows begin with “Coach to Coach” at 5:00 p.m. featuring former UT assistant coach Doug Matthews with former coach Dave McGinnis and broadcaster Larry Stone talking Tennessee and SEC football.

“Coach to Coach” is followed by “Murphy’s Matchups at 6:00 p.m., a look at Tennessee High School Football from Murphy Fair with commentary on games and coaches interviews.

“Tiger Talk” debuts at 6:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor interviewing Coach Steve Trapp and Tiger Senior Captains Isaac Cross, Alan Munoz, David Bradford, and Junior Captain Desmond Nokes

The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with play by play coverage on WJLE

WJLE thanks our sponsors of Tiger football:
*Wilson Bank & Trust
*Lake Homes Realty
*Caney Fork Electric Cooperative
*Gill Automotive
*Charles D. Atnip Realty & Auction Company
*DTC Communications
*Liberty State Bank
*DeKalb Funeral Chapel
*Curtis Supply
*St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital
*First Bank
*Optimus Pest Solutions
*DeKalb Dental Center
*Florence & White Ford
*DeKalb Prevention Coalition

Tiger Talk sponsors:
*Woodbury Insurance Agency
*Kilgore’s Restaurant
*Creations by Donna
*A Degree Above Heating & Cooling
*Belk Grocery and Sporting Goods

Coach to Coach sponsors:
*Stonehaus Winery
*Three Star Mall

Murphy’s Matchups sponsor:
*DeKalb Farm Bureau

August 22, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A man arrested in a part of town known for heavy drug activity is facing several charges including assaulting an officer with a bike, resisting arrest and tampering with evidence (eating suspected drugs) found on him.

21 year old Adam Michael Whitecotton of 451 Oak Street is under a $35,000 bond. In addition to charges of assaulting an officer, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest, Whitecotton is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication.

While patrolling Highland Street on August 2, Smithville Police spotted Whitecotton sitting on a bike talking with a group of others. Whitecotton also had a backpack. Because this area is known for drug activity, the officers stopped to investigate. One of them asked Whitecotton if he had anything that might be considered illegal in his backpack and after receiving consent to search it found a meth pipe inside a red bandanna. Police then asked Whitecotton if he had anything in his pockets that might be illegal. Whitecotton then jumped off the bike, pushed it into the officer’s legs, and began to run. Police chased him through the neighborhood and onto Restview Street and then to Crestlawn Avenue where Whitecotton tried to hide by crawling under a car. After opening what sounded to police like a plastic bag, Whitecotton then crawled out from under the car when he saw the officers approaching. Police ordered Whitecotton to get on the ground. As he was being cuffed, officers noticed some type of white powder around Whitecotton’s mouth and suspected he had had eaten some type of drug.

49 year old Clarence Edward Sexton Jr. of 1222 South College Street was cited August 3 for a driver’s license violation and simple possession. While on a traffic stop, police confronted Sexton and discovered that he had in his possession a Gabapentin capsule and a Hydrocodone pill for which he had no prescription. His court date is August 22.

53 year old Donna Darlene Hutson of Sparta was cited on August 4 for shoplifting. Hutson was observed by Wal-Mart employees taking items from the store and leaving the building without paying for the merchandise. Her court date is August 22.

30 year old Michael Allen Dowell of Cookeville was arrested August 6 for aggravated assault. Police responded to a physical domestic call at 627 Armory Street and upon arrival spoke with the victim whose mouth was bloody. She had red marks on her throat, a bruise on the left side of her face, and a cut on her arm. Police learned that Dowell had punched her in the face, held a knife to her chest, and tried to strangle her. Witnesses reported seeing Dowell on top of the woman and punching her in the face after hearing screams for help. Bond for Dowell is $20, 000 and his court date is August 22.

44 year old Mark Wayne Hay of Smyrna was cited for shoplifting on August 8 after he was caught on camera taking a bottle of Crown Royal from the Discount Wine & Spirits store and leaving without paying for it. His court date is August 22.

44 year old Randall Mitchell Tittle of 1105 Earl Avenue was cited August 9 for simple possession. Police were called to Wal-Mart in reference to a suspicious person and upon arrival learned that Tittle had taken several items from the store and concealed them in his pants. Police confronted Tittle and retrieved from his left front pocket a clear bag containing 22 yellow tubular capsules believed to be Gabapentin. Tittle was cited for simple possession and Wal-Mart plans to prosecute him for shoplifting. His court date is August 29.

63 year old Johnny Wayne Trapp of 8264 Holmes Creek Road was arrested August 13 for public intoxication. Police were called to McDonald’s to check on a suspicious person spotted laying in the grass. Upon arrival, the officer found the man, Trapp asleep in the grass with a smell of an alcoholic beverage on him. Trapp was awakened and ordered to stand but he was unsteady on his feet. He was then taken into custody due to his being a danger to himself and an annoyance to the employees at McDonald’s. Bond for Trapp is $2,500 and his court date is August 29.

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