You’re reading Varsity, the weekly sports newsletter of the Independent Herald. Published on the weekend, Varsity includes a look back at the past week in high school sports. Need to update your subscription to include (or exclude) this newsletter? Please do so here. If you aren’t subscribed, please consider doing so — it’s free!

Scott falls to Gibbs after avenging loss to Anderson County
CORRYTON, Tenn. | It has been a topsy-turvy postseason.
Scott High on Monday avenged a 1-0 regular season loss to Anderson County in a big way, jumping out to a 5-0 halftime lead en route to a 6-2 win in the District 4-AA semifinals.
But in Wednesday’s championship game, Gibbs — which Scott had defeated in the regular season — got its revenge in a similarly big way, leading 5-0 before a late goal by Aidan Roberts set the final score at 5-1.
All of Gibbs’ damage in Wednesday’s championship game came after a red card that left the Eagles short-handed. The referee assessed a red card after Roberts was tackled from behind as he approached the box in a one-on-one situation with the keeper less than eight minutes into the match. The ejection forced the Eagles to play 10-on-11 the rest of the way.
It mattered little, though, as Gibbs consistently won balls in the middle of the field and turned possession into scoring opportunities.
Finally, late in the game, the script began to shift. Scott High earned a penalty kick — which Gibbs stopped — and then Roberts found back-to-back scoring opportunities by breaking away from the Eagles’ back line. He cashed in on one of them, getting the Highlanders on the board.
In Monday’s game against Anderson County, Rodrigo Orellana picked up a hat trick, scoring three goals. Roberts got the scoring started off an assist by Orellana, then Orellana scored off an assist by Domynik Lewis. Houston Stanley scored off an assist by Roberts, then Isaiah Washam scored off an assist by Stanley to make it 4-0. Orellana scored the final goal of the first half off an assist by Justyn Lynch, then tacked on another goal in the second half off an assist by Washam.
Scott High will be in regional semifinal action Tuesday at Fulton. After a tough start to the season that saw the Falcons amass a record of 0-3-2, they have turned it around with an undefeated district campaign. Fulton has not lost since March 11. The game will kick off at 6 p.m.

Indians fall to Kingston on PKs in district title game
KINGSTON, Tenn. | Oneida and Kingston battled through 80 minutes of soccer and two overtime periods before settling things with a penalty kick shootout that ultimately went to sudden death PKs here Friday evening.
In a game that had been delayed 24 hours by inclement weather, Oneida and Kingston played toe-to-toe throughout the night. The Yellow Jackets scored early, before a goal by Miles Laxton tied things up. It was a 1-1 game at halftime.
The second half was scoreless, sending the two teams to OT at 1-1. Kingston scored in the first overtime period to make it 2-1, then Levi James evened things with a goal in the second OT period.
On PKs, the first five shooters for each team left things tied, 5-5. On the sixth attempt, Kingston was able to cash in and then get a save, ending the game with a 6-5 win.
Earlier in the week, Oneida won twice to get to the district championship game, including avenging a regular season loss to Eagleton.
In the semifinal game, Eagleton jumped out to a 2-1 halftime lead, but Oneida dominated the second half, out-scoring the Royals 4-0 for a 5-2 win. James had a hat trick, scoring twice on PKs and adding a third goal from the field. Hayden Dunlap and Laxton also scored goals for Oneida.
One day earlier against Oliver Springs, the Indians won 9-0 by mercy rule. Laxton scored four goals, including three in the game’s first 16 minutes. James and Dunlap each scored two, and Riley Shoemaker also scored a goal.
It was Laxton’s second hat trick of the season. He became the second local player to score a haul this season, along with Scott High’s Aidan Roberts.
Oneida will begin region tournament play at Gatlinburg-Pittman on Tuesday. The Highlanders lost four games in a one-week stretch in late March, but haven’t lost since. They’ve won three games by mercy rule. Tuesday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m.
Season wraps up for baseball, softball teams
Oneida baseball concluded its season Monday with a 3-2 loss to Gatlinburg-Pittman in the District 2-2A tournament at Alcoa.
The Indians, which had fallen to the losers’ bracket with a narrow, 5-4 loss to Gatlinburg four days earlier, scored two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. But then the Highlanders scored three in the bottom half of the third to take a 3-2 lead, and that was all the scoring for the night.
Carter Daugherty had his first home run of the season and drove in both of Oneida’s runs. A.J. Harper also scored. Daugherty also had a double.
Oneida softball also ended its season against Gatlinburg-Pittman, falling 9-3 at Alcoa on Tuesday. G-P jumped out to a 7-0 lead through two innings and led 9-1 going into the sixth, when Oneida was able to put a couple of runs on the board.
Lillian Hailey and Kennedy Shoemaker had RBIs for Oneida. Hailey also scored a run, as did Melanie Lee and Shiloh Shoemaker. Kennedy Shoemaker had two doubles. Shiloh Shoemaker also had a double.
Scott High softball ended its season with a 10-0 loss at Clinton on Monday. Kynlie Frogge, Morgan Hooks and Autumn Bowling recorded hits for Oneida, with Frogge’s being a double.
▶️ Programming Note: There will be no Varsity E-Edition this weekend, due to limited sports action this past week. Our next Varsity E-Edition will be in August as we get set for the start of the 2025 football season.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Varsity this weekend. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)