Smyrna High School (Tennessee)

Smyrna High School
Location
Smyrna , Tennessee United States
Information
Type	public school
Motto	Striving for Excellence
Established	1911
School district	Rutherford County Schools (Tennessee)
Head teacher	Robert L. Raikes, Principal
Number of students	2100
Color(s)	purple & gold
Mascot	Bulldog
Website	http://www.shs.rcs.k12.tn.us

Smyrna High School is a high school, in the Rutherford County School system, located in Smyrna, Tennessee United States.

History

Smyrna High was founded in 1911. In 1988 was split into the current LaVergne and Smyrna High Schools in order to provide adequate room for the student enrollment. The current Smyrna Middle School building was the original home of Smyrna High.

Athletics

Smyrna has won two girl's basketball titles (1961, 1982). Both the baseball team and girl's basketball team appeared in the State tournament for the first time in over 20 years (2007 and 2008, respectively).

Bowling

Smyrna has won three state bowling titles (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010). It also has three Mr. Bowling Awards (Thomas Walker - 2004 and Kyle Barnes - 2005, 2006).

Football

Smyrna High School has won two TSSAA class 5A state championships in football in 2006 and 2007. It also has two Mr. Football Awards. Adam Smotherman - LB was named in 2005 and Rod Wilks - WR in 2007.

2006 Football championship season

Having never been to the State Championship game, Smyrna looked to the 2006 season as a chance to make a run. Things looked promising from the start as Smyrna routed their first five opponents to start the season 5-0. In each of those games, they won by at least 17 points or more and outscored their opponents 199-95. At homecoming the next week, the Bulldogs led 12-0 entering the 4th quarter and seemed a lock to go to 6-0 against Ravenwood. But fate dealt the Bulldogs a blow as overconfidence led to defeat 15-12. They rebounded against Siegel the next week to move to 6-1. However, the following week Riverdale walked into Robert Raikes Stadium and thoroughly humiliated the Bulldogs 49-0. Riverdale was the preimminent team in Tennessee high school football and always seemed to have a knack for defeating Smyrna whenever the two squared off. Although losing in such disastrous fashion, this would be the final loss of Smyrna's championship season. The Bulldogs finished the season by edging Oakland and taking care of Lebanon to earn the 2nd seed in the region and finish the regular season 8-2. Having won all their road games, many started to believe Smyrna might be able to go deep into the playoffs.

In the first round, Smyrna annihilated Coffee County 47-21 at home. The following week, in the second round, Smyrna took care of the LaVergne Wolverines 24-0, also at home. This victory advanced Smyrna to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2000 and for only the 3rd time in school history - and the first time as a 5A team.

In the quarterfinal round, played on November 17, 2006, Coach Shadowens sparked the phrase "I Believe" while giving his pre-game speech to his players before having to face a team that had humiliated them at home earlier in the season and a team that they had never beaten: Riverdale. In that game, Smyrna took a 3-0 lead on a field goal but had squandered a couple of red zone opportunities to score TDs. Riverdale took the lead before halftime on a touchdown. They almost got more but Smyrna created a wall at the goal line and made an important, game-changing 4th down play at the 3-yd line. With the score still 7-3, Smyrna took the lead on a TD throw from Sonny Gray, who almost got sacked from behind a split second before he let the ball go. This gave the Bulldogs a 9-7 lead which the defense held until Riverdale lined up for a probable game-winning field goal. But the short field goal attempt went wide right and Smyrna had finally defeated the Riverdale Warriors in Murfreesboro for the first time in 18 years by a score of 9-7, sending Smyrna to the semifinal round for the first time since 1995 and for only the 2nd time ever.

In the semifinals, played on November 24, 2006, Smyrna survived the undefeated Ooltewah Owls from just outside Chattanooga 28-25, giving Coach Shadowens of Smyrna his 100th career victory, and giving Smyrna their first ever berth into the state championship game. The game was memorable for the size of the crowd and the intensity of the game as it boiled down to the final play of the game, which was a broken up by Jonah Hendricks at the goal line thrown by the Ooltewah QB.

In the state championship, they faced the Ravenwood Raptors of Brentwood and won 35-14, avenging their only other loss of the year and winning their first ever state championship in school history. The Bulldogs trailed 14-7 but a punt TD return by Offensive MVP Rodriguez Wilks shifted the momentum in Smyrna's favor. The Bulldogs led 21-14 at halftime and until the 4th quarter where two late touchdowns left no doubt as to the outcome of the game. Josh Day was the Defensive MVP. The demons had been put to rest and finally Smyrna had a championship.

2007 Football championship season

The Bulldogs made history in 2007, becoming just the second team in 5A history to repeat and the first public school ever to do so. In the summer camps the motto "Taking Care of Business...One Game at a Time" was born to try and keep Smyrna focused going into the regular season as defending champions. They began the season 2-0, but lost the next two games, including a heartbreaker to rival Lebanon, to drop to an even 2-2. But the Bulldogs went on a 4 game winning streak to send their record to 6-2. The most memorable contest took place in LaVergne where the Bulldogs survived thanks to a missed field goal in the final seconds that would have won the game for LaVergne. Then another memorable contest took place at home against Riverdale. Riverdale was looking for revenge from their playoff loss the year before. Smyrna got off to a rocky start but took the lead into the final minute. But Smyrna lost in usual fashion to Riverdale to go to 6-3. There was doubt in Smyrna and their playoff hopes hung on a game at Wilson Central. Smyrna pulled out a victory, securing the 2nd seed in the region and one home playoff game at the least.

In the first round, Smyrna jumped to an early lead over Cookeville and never looked back, winning 27-10. In the second round, Smyrna travelled to "The Pit" in Lincoln County but never waivered, crushing them 43-16. When upstart Wilson Central defeated Riverdale 35-13, Smyrna had to play a rematch game at home in the quarterfinals. Wilson Central looked for revenge and the game was close until Smyrna kicked a field goal that iced the game late. Smyrna had ended Wilson Central's title hopes, winning 17-7.

With yet another home playoff game in sight, Smyrna had to face yet another upstart team: Bearden. Bearden was making its first appearance in the State football semifinal game and appeared to be a team of destiny. But the first half proved deadly for Bearden as Smyrna took what seemed like a comfortable 17-0 lead. That lead would stand until late in the 4th quarter when Bearden scored a touchdown, then scored another when they recovered an onside kick. The lead now stood at 17-14 and Bearden attempted another onside kick, but Smyrna recovered and managed to run enough time out to keep Bearden from scoring again. Smyrna was going back to the State Championship game having to face a familiar foe.

Another Williamson County upstart, Independence, found their way to the title game by beating undefeated Millington 28-27. But Independence appeared nervous and reckless early as 3 straight turnovers to begin the game led to 3 touchdowns for Smyrna. They scored 26 first quarter points, including 3 rushing touchdowns by Offensive MVP Jeremiah Bryson. Defensive MVP Rod Wilks caught 2 touchdowns on offense and had 3 tackles, plus an interception. Overall the game was a rout and Bryson's 4 rushing TDs helped Smyrna win their 2nd straight title 46-20.

Next year's team did not include Rod Wilks and Sonny Gray, both of which graduated in Spring 2008. Coach Shadowens also resigned following the season and was replaced by Matt Williams. Coach Shadowens took the job at Middle Tennessee Christian Academy in 2008, but returned to prominence as the head coach for Blackman in 2009, quickly making them contenders.

This seemed to mark the end of the Smyrna dynasty, as they lost in the 2008 quarterfinals to eventual champion Oakland and missed the playoffs in 2009. Sonny Gray now attends Vanderbilt University and plays baseball and Rod Wilks attends the University of Tennessee where he plays football on a full scholarship.

2010 Football season

The Bulldogs returned to the State title game after two disappointing seasons under head coach Matt Williams. This team was vastly improved from the year before, led by seniors Steve Wilson at QB, Jeremiah Bryson at RB (who committed to Pittsburgh), and Mr. Football Finalist Deon Meadows at LB. They relied heavily on their running game, which could explode for a long run or gain a crucial first down late in the game. The unofficial motto of this team is "One Game at a Time."

They began their season in dominating fashion, starting 5-0. In the process, they posted an opening day shutout at Beech, blew out district rivals Blackman and Siegel, and humiliated Centennial in their homecoming game, 55-7. However, they hit a wall in the 6th game of the year, losing to eventual Division II-AA state champion Ensworth 30-14. They rebounded to win two crucial district games in dominating fashion against LaVergne and Riverdale, beating Riverdale for only the third time in history.

After shutting out Ravenwood at home, the stage was set for a district championship against Oakland at home the last week of the regular season. In a very competitive district that included 4 of the top teams in state, a number of scenarios could have occurred. The Bulldogs only needed to win to secure their first district championship. The game was a defensive struggle, coming down to the final play of regulation. Smyrna led 7-0, but Oakland drove down the field to tie the game with almost no time left. In overtime, Oakland fumbled the ball near their goalline, setting the stage for a quick touchdown by Smyrna to seal the district championship, 13-7.

Smyrna would host the first three rounds of the playoffs. They blew out Brentwood 38-16 in the playoff opener and ran away late against Mt. Juliet 37-20. The next week was a highly anticipated matchup against Blackman and their former coach. The game was nearly oversold and many fans arrived 3 hours in advance. The game turned out to be somewhat one-sided, with a slight push by Blackman near the end of the game. The Bulldogs led big at the half and stopped Blackman when they needed to. They won 20-14 and were headed to Memphis for the state semifinals against Whitehaven.

Whitehaven was hosting and playing in their first state semifinal game in school history. Smyrna won a hard-fought, physical game that featured 2 Whitehaven ejections. The Bulldogs trailed at halftime, but rallied to take the lead in the 3rd quarter and won 10-7. They managed to control the ball most of the second half, including the last half of the 4th quarter, which sealed the trip to Cookeville for the 6A state championship game against Maryville.

In the state championship game, Smyrna scored first and held two separate leads on Maryville early, but things fell apart late in the 2nd quarter and in the 3rd quarter. A costly interception in their own territory set up a touchdown for the Rebels, while a safety in the 3rd quarter would turn out to be the difference in the game. Smyrna rallied to make it a 2 point game and drove down the field in the final minutes of regulation. However, when attempting a go-ahead field goal, a bobbled snap effectively ended the Bulldogs' hopes of winning. Maryville ran out the clock and won 23-21. It was the most competitive and anticipated game of the championship weekend, which featured almost entirely blowouts.

Swimming

The Smyrna High School Swim Team, coached by Tony Trumphour (previously with Asst. Coach Tom Fay, ret.), holds the county championship for seven years in a row, the streak beginning in 2004 and continuing through 2010. The victorious record can be attributed to the dedication to the swimmers and coaches as well as the very rigorous practice schedule.

External links

• Smyrna High School
• Rutherford County School System