CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville High Wildcats escaped an elimination game against Northeast High in the district tournament on Friday, May 3. Their reward? Another Friday afternoon matchup with their rival, the Rossview High Hawks.
Rossview High had the chance to clinch the district championship title with a win, but Clarksville High had other plans. Wildcat pitchers Jack Wyatt and Dawson Smith made the difference the end, and CHS won by a score of 7-4, forcing a winner take all district championship on Saturday, May 4.
While Rossview took an early 2-0 advantage, Clarksville used the third inning to catapult ahead for a 4-2 lead. The scoring run was ignited by a Parker Frost triple. Clarksville High head coach Brian Hetland has been around this rivalry a long time, and knows these games are always back and forth.
“It’s a battle anytime we see these guys,” Hetland said. “They’re such a good hitting team and every out is huge to get. We battled at the plate and matched the intensity.”
The Wildcats added insurance throughout the game, as they held a 7-3 lead going into the sixth inning of action. However, Rossview didn’t to quit with a district title on the line.
The Hawks offense started to string together quality at bats, led by two hits each from Brady Cooper and Jordan Akins, and scratched one run across in the sixth. Then, in the seventh, the Hawks loaded the bases, and were poised for a rally. Instead, Dawson Smith got CHS out of the jam, making a fantastic back-handed catch on a line drive to close out the ball game.
Following the loss, Rossview High head coach wants to see his team be resilent and ready to play on Saturday. As for Clarksville High, Hetland wants his team to continue fighting.
“We just have to compete,” Hetland told Clarksville Now. “We’ve done it all year, do the best you can, make things happen, and let the marbles fall where they may.”
Award presentation
Before the game, players were awarded with All-District 13-4A honors:
- Player of the Year: Korbin Reynolds, Clarksville High.
- Offensive Player of the Year: Julian Richards, Rossview High.
- Pitcher of the Year: Chrsitan Henderson, Clarksville High.
- Freshman of the Year: Becket Haselhuhn.
- Coaches of the Year: Parker Holman (Rossview) and Brian Hetland (Clarksville).
Meanwhile, here are the members of the 2023-24 All-District team:
- Clarksville High: Kirk Weatherford, Collin Windham, Preston Brooks, Briley Hagewood, Jack Wyatt
- Rossview High: Houston Hebert, Brady Cooper Johny Cabaleiro, Ashton Kemp, Brody Prarie
- Northeast High: Ethan Cramer, Cameron Skaggs
- Kirkwood High: Gavin Rogers
