Last Friday at 5:55 a.m., while the majority of Warren County was still sleeping, the Pioneers were grinding at Nunley Stadium. With the dead period fast approaching, coach Matt Turner wanted to make sure his team got in one final workout before an extended break.
Friday’s ‘Dawn of the Dead’ event, which Turner has put in place the last few years to finish spring and summer work before the mandatory TSSAA dead period, started at sunrise and went for a couple hours. It was the culmination of a busy June of weight lifting for the Pioneers, who were one of many WCHS teams doing everything they could to be better for the 2023-24 season.
The Pioneer and Lady Pioneer basketball teams also spent June zig-zagging across the state for camps, racking up plenty of wins along the way. Other groups, like Lady Pioneer soccer and volleyball, made the most of their June workouts after setting their squads in May tryouts and are hoping for an improved season very soon.
All the teams will be on dead period until July 7, giving all the local athletes two weeks of well deserved rest before workouts can resume. Turner dismissed his group of over 60 kids last week through the mist and dew covering Nunley Stadium, congratulating them on a job well done.
“This is something we’ve put in place over the last few years and I think the kids continue to meet the challenge. They were ready to work and we put them through lots of different things,” said Turner, who is entering his fifth year leading the Pioneers.
Players ran the hill and track at Nunley Stadium, marched the steps with weights, carried tires and PVC pipes full of water and had 1-on-1 tug-of-wars throughout the day.
The basketball teams didn’t wake up before the crack of dawn on the final day, but they still spent plenty of days playing from dawn to dusk in June.
New girls coach Mendy Stotts packed in a full season worth of games last month, with her varsity going 25-6 and the JV piling up a 16-8 record. The Lady Pioneers didn’t seem to miss a beat while replacing four starters as PG Sable Winfree took charge and new faces like sophomores Trinity Reynolds and Jayla Garibaldi and freshman Maci McBride provided a huge spark.
Likewise, coach Danny Fish saw his team build off a district championship in 2022-23 with a strong summer. The group had one of its most impressive showings at Maryville College, where Warren County was put up against strong programs from East Tennessee and other states.
While the dead period does slow down the groups for a couple weeks, it won’t take long for WCHS teams to get back into action in July. Golf can officially begin practice Monday, July 10 as Lady Pioneer Lauren Slatton will be looking to build on three straight trips to the state tournament and official practices for all fall sports are set for Monday, July 24.
