By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
Every year, local sports teams and individuals make the headlines with exceptional accomplishments and the 2024 calendar year was no exception.
From state championships, to region titles and new coach hires, these are the top headlines that dominated the Bedford County sports scene in 2024:
After a successful surgery, doctors were able to repair a damaged artery, which caused the near-fatal incident to Kyler Trice in February. (Submitted Photo)
6. Community rallies around Kyler Trice
No player, coach, parent or school official ever wants to see a student-athlete suffer a major medical emergency.
Former Shelbvyille Central player Kyler Trice went through such an emergency during the 2023-2024 Golden Eagle basketball season
In the District 9-4A basketball game at Lincoln County, Trice suffered a severe medical emergency that required chest compressions and an automated external defibrillator was deployed to save Trice’s life.
During halftime his mother, Nashika Trice, was notified that she needed to come to the locker room with the thoughts that Kyler might have been having an asthma attack after he fell onto his teammate Tae’Shawn Shelton, who was sitting next to him.
“Something was going on with Kyler and the coaches thought he might have been having an asthma attack since he does have a history with asthma and asked me if I had his inhaler,” Nashika said. “I went to the car and got his inhaler and when I got back to the locker room the situation was a little scary. He was not breathing well and the inhaler was not working.”
From that point, medical professionals in attendance sprung into action and deployed live-saving measures that stabilized Trice, who was eventually transported to Lincoln Medical Center, before being airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center.
He was sedated and placed on a ventilator for several days and once he was taken off the ventilator, several tests were ran and a diagnosis was determined.
Kyler suffered from an Anomalous Right Coronary Artery.
“I don’t remember much about it all but I do know that all the support from so many people is amazing and I am truly blessed,” Kyler said. “Thanks to the amazing people who saved my life that night and to everyone who prayed for me. Those prayers were answered.”
Trice eventually was discharged from the hospital and finished the 2024 baseball season with the Golden Eagles.
*Original reporting by Gary Johnson
The Cascade Lady Champions pose with their Region 5-A plaque after defeating Huntland, 1-0. (Post File Photo by Chris Siers)
5. Cascade soccer reaches state tourney
The Cascade Lady Champion soccer team made school history in the 2023 season by reaching the Class A state soccer tournament for the first time.
While Cascade has been a perennial district and region favorite, the Lady Champions have struggled to get past state powers Merrol Hyde and Signal Mountain in the state sectional round for years.
With the districts being reclassified, Cascade has seized its opportunity a year ago and with the experience of reaching the state tournament in hand, expectations for 2024 were at an all-time high.
After a 1-2 loss to Westview in the Tri-Star Classic back in August, Cascade rattled off 14-straight wins and allowed just nine goals in that span, recording eight shutouts in the process.
Cascade got very familiar with Huntland in the 2024 season, facing the Lady Hornets four times.
Cascade claimed the first regular season meeting against Huntland by a score of 4-2, but the following three meetings were decided by a single goal, including for the District 9-A and Region 5-A championship, which were both decided by 1-0 wins.
“It just means so much to our girls. They’ve worked so hard this year and they’ve really come together as a team. I’m just so proud of them for everything they’ve accomplished,” Lady Champion coach Wendy Williams said following the second-straight region title.
After defeating Huntland for a fourth time in the region championship, Cascade hosted Cheatham County in the Class A sectional and defeated the Lady Cubs with a goal in the 56th minute from Sophia Mastrosimone.
From there, the Cascade defense held strong and did what it did all year and recorded yet another shutout to secure the return trip to the Class A state tournament.
While Cascade put forth one of the best local runs of any Bedford County high school team in recent years, the magic ran out in the first game of the Class A state tournament.
An all-too-familiar foe in the Chattanooga School of Arts and Sciences overcame the stout Lady Champion defense and snapped the lengthy win streak with a 4-1 win over Cascade.
* Original reporting by Chris Siers
The Community Viqueens pose with their Region 5-2A championship plaque. (Post File Photo by Rickey Clardy)
4. Community softball wins district and region titles
For years, the Forrest Lady Rockets have dominated the local softball landscape, highlighted by state championships in 2019 and 2021.
But the backyard rival Community Viqueens have been a hot team on the rise for several seasons.
In the 2022 season, Community wasn’t able to get over the Lady Rocket roadblock, but stunned the state powers by upsetting 30-1 Bledose County on the road in the Class 2A state sectional to reach the state tournament for the first time in school history.
In the 2023 season, it was more of the same between the Lady Rockets and Viqueens, with Forrest taking the District 7-2A championship over Community, but in the Region 4-2A championship, Community upset Forrest and eventually earned a return trip to the state tournament.
Later in the Class 2A bracket, it was Forrest who ended the Viqueens’ season with a 4-2 win.
During the 2024 season, Community continued its upward trajectory and at one point, won eight-straight games, including a District 9-2A championship against Forrest and Region 5-2A title against Summertown.
Although Community secured a home Class 2A sectional game against Cheatham County, the Viqueens weren’t able to secure their third-straight state tournament appearance.
Community finished the 2024 campaign as district and region champs and posted a 24-12 overall record.
*Original Reporting by Rickey Clardy and Chris Siers
