Community Invited to Home Dedication Ceremony for Wife and Daughter of Fallen Soldier

November 19, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation will be holding a home dedication ceremony for Caitlin Anderson and daughter Lilly Grace at 155 Evergreen Lane, Smithville on Monday, November 25th at 9:00 am.

The community is invited to attend this very special event.

Army PFC Billy Anderson lost his life in Afghanistan on May 17, 2010, leaving behind his young wife and 8 month old daughter.  The Foundation will be handing the family the keys to a mortgage-free home through the Foundation’s Gold Star Family Home Program.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to honor the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller (FDNY), who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. The Foundation also honors the men and women of the military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country.

PFC Anderson enlisted in the US Army in June of 2009, and deployed to Afghanistan six months later. He was assigned to the 508th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. On May 17, 2010, with two months left on his deployment, PFC Anderson was killed when insurgents attacked his unit with improvised explosive devices. He was just 20 years of age.

The Foundation’s Gold Star Program, launched in September 2018, honors the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. The Foundation provides a 100 percent mortgage-free home to surviving spouses with young children. The Foundation is committed to raising $250 million to provide 1,000 homes to Gold Star Families.

Further info is available at tunnel2towers.org.

November 19, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County High School basketball fans will get a chance to see their favorite teams in action for the first time this year tonight (Tuesday) as the Tigers and Lady Tigers make their season debut on the road at Van Buren County.

Hall of Fame action begins with the girls game at 6 p.m. following by boys contest. WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigers and Lady Tigers John Pryor. Listen for Tiger Talk prior to tip off at 5:30 p.m. featuring Coaches Danny Fish and John Sanders and players Kenzie France, Mya Ruch, Megan Walker, Emme Colwell, Michael Elswick, Dakota White, and Dallas Cook.

On Monday WJLE featured Coach Danny Fish on the outlook for the Lady Tigers season (find the story and video in an earlier article posted here).

Today the focus is on the Tigers.

As he begins his second season, Coach John Sanders will be expecting improvement from last season’s disappointing 6-23 finish.

DCHS Tiger Coach John Sanders from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“The guys are working really hard and they have ramped up their commitment in the weight room and conditioning, staying after school so I have been really pleased with how they have been working in the off season,” said Coach Sanders.

“We have preached defense to them and tried to make an effort to get better on defense and they have really embraced that. I am hoping that translates into our games. They have really done a good job and made a conscious effort to get better on defense,” he continued.

“The guys we are looking at counting on this year include Dakota White, a senior point guard returning from last year. Dallas Cook, a senior center returning from last year. Michael Elswick is a senior. I think he played his freshman year. I’m not sure about his sophomore year. He did not play last year but he came out last May and he is going to be a really nice addition. Michael has worked really hard in the weight room. This summer when he joined us he weighed about 220 pounds and he has worked extremely hard. Michael is down to about 190 pounds now and he is solid. I am really proud of him. Alan Munoz, another senior is in football right now but we expect him to play,” said Coach Sanders.

“Juniors we are looking at include Evans Jones. He has been in football and will join us soon. He had a really good summer. Evan really came on toward the end of the year last season and got a lot more playing time so we are expecting him to take on a vital role for us this year. Luke Jenkins, another junior saw a little bit of playing time last year. He really gets after it on defense and plays really hard. He has been shooting the ball better the last couple of weeks,” he said.

“Sophomores include Brayden Antoniak. He plays and works really hard and he is a really good kid. Jordan Young has really come along. He didn’t get to play this summer because he broke his hand the very first day of practice but he has had a really good off season. Nathaniel Crook is in football right now but will be joining us. He didn’t get to play this summer because he had a shoulder injury so we will have to see how he develops. Elishah Ramos, a freshman, did really well this fall. He could be starting or playing quite a bit coming off the bench. Those are primarily the players who will get to see a majority of the playing time,” said Coach Sanders.

The 2019-20 DCHS Basketball Schedule is as follows:

(*) Denotes District Games

Tuesday, November 19: Van Buren County (Hall of Fame)- Away 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 23: Pickett County (Hall of Fame)- Home 6 p.m.
Monday, November 25: Warren County-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, November 26: White County-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, November 29: Red Boiling Springs-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, December 6: York Institute*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 10: Livingston Academy*-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, December 13: Watertown*- Away 6 p.m.
Saturday, December 14: Cookeville- Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 17: Warren County-Away 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 19: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament- 8:30 p.m.
Friday, December 20: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament- Watertown TBA
Saturday, December 21: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament-Watertown TBA
Friday, December 27: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Saturday, December 28: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Monday, December 30: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Saturday, January 4: Cookeville- Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7: White County- Home 6 p.m.
Friday, January 10: Cannon County*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 14: Upperman*-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, January 17: Macon County*-Home 6 p.m.
Saturday, January 18: Red Boiling Springs- Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 21: Smith County*-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, January 24: York Institute*-Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 28: Livingston Academy*-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, January 31: Watertown*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4: Cannon County- Away 6 p.m.
Friday, February 7: Upperman- Home 6 p.m..
Tuesday, February 11: Macon County*-Away 6 p.m.
Thursday, February 13: Smith County*-Away 6 p.m.

November 18, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Thanks to the generosity of five local and area businesses, DCHS has a brand new video display board in the gym which will be used during the basketball season and other events.

Tiger and Lady Tiger Basketball Coaches John Sanders and Danny Fish recognized the businesses who funded the video board Monday morning including FirstBank, Florence & White Ford, DeKalb Funeral Chapel,  Southern Landscape Supply, LLC., and Diamond 9 Sports Athletic Facility Solutions.

The new 7 x 11 foot video board replaces a smaller one from last year and can be used in place of banners for sponsorship advertising to support the basketball programs, LIVE feeds of events, and hype videos of players and previous games.

“It’s a really cutting edge thing to have and no other school in our district has one like it,” said Tiger Coach John Sanders.

“About the only thing we can’t do is show LIVE feeds of games in progress. That’s against TSSAA rules. But we can play videos from other games, highlight players, and show ads during games,” added Coach Sanders.

“Its unbelievable that we have made this dream a reality,” said Lady Tiger Coach Danny Fish. “We started thinking about this last year when we had our mini video board. We wanted something larger so we got a price and went around to some of our corporate sponsors in the area and they were enthusiastic about it and its turned out better than I ever thought it would. We really appreciate what they have done and the commitment they have made to our program,” added Coach Fish.

“We’re happy the school thought of us and we’re glad to be able to help out and give back a little to the community because we couldn’t be here without the support of the community,” said Jimmy White of Florence and White Ford.

“FirstBank is excited to participate in anything that enhances these students’ experiences while they are in school here. They are the future of our community and FirstBank is going to do its best to be a part of that and anything that encourages kids to be more involved in school and makes them more proud of their school and hopefully it will encourage those kids when they are finished with school to give back to this community as well,” said Scott Garrett of FirstBank.

“I am so thankful to FirstBank and its commitment to the communities that it serves. It’s really from the top down. Our owner is a good man and he passed that along and lets us do things like this. I’m very thankful,” said Casey Midgett of FirstBank.

“There are so many different things they can do with this video board. Its for the entire basketball program and the school as a whole. We are humbled by what people have done in supporting us and we’re just glad to be able to give back to the community that has blessed us,” said Michael Hale of DeKalb Funeral Chapel.

“I think this new video board will mean a lot to the players, fans, and parents. It’s a great addition to our school and I think visitors from other schools who see it will really enjoy it as well. We’re just happy that Southern Landscape and Diamond 9 were able to contribute to help the school and basketball programs,” said Jonathan Norris.

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