Tennessee
Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards: Meet the winter sports nominees
The Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the nominees for the winter sports played this season. The winners will be announced during the live show to take place June 10 at Marathon Music Works.
The show is produced in partnership with Nissan.
The Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards, one of 20 regional shows across the United States, is a nine-month student-athlete recognition program that will culminate at a red-carpet show this spring. The show will recognize athletes, coaches, and teams from the Mid-State.
During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with the players of the year for each of the fall and winter sports. The awards showcase will also feature other premier awards for both on- and off-the-field accomplishments of student-athletes, coaches and teams, including a Courage Award and Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and the Boys and Girls Athlete of the Year awards.
All nominees who RSVP will receive complementary tickets to the event at no charge thanks to sponsors. Nominated athletes can register here.
Guests of the nominated athletes can purchase tickets at this link.
Read more about the show and sign up for updates here.
Nominees for Boys Basketball Player of the Year, presented by Slim Chickens of Middle Tennessee:
Fred Bailey, Pope John Paul II High School — SR
Judson Bjornstad, Providence Christian Academy High School — SR
Christian Brown, Franklin High School — JR
Grayson Burleson, Summertown High School — JR
Daniel Cochran, Brentwood High School — SR
Cortez Graham-Howard, Hillsboro High School — JR
Jeremy Jackson, Columbia Academy (Upper School) — JR
Jayden Jones, Goodpasture Christian School — JR
Kavien Jones, Battle Ground Academy — SR
Jett Montgomery, Independence High School — SR
Auden Slaughter, Santa Fe High School — JR
Tyler Tanner, Brentwood Academy — SR
Nominees for Girls Basketball Player of the Year, presented by Slim Chickens of Middle Tennessee:
Blair Baugus, Wayne County High School — JR
Reese Beaty, Alvin C York Institute — JR
Imari Berry, Clarksville High School — SR
Dasha Biriuk, Webb School – Bell Buckle — JR
Daisy Gale, Providence Christian Academy High School — SR
Addison Melton, Central Magnet High School — SR
Zoey Nicholas, Pickett County High School — SO
Allye Pennington, East Robertson High School — FR
Celeste Reed, White County High School — SR
Ella Ryan, Brentwood High School — JR
Olivia Vinson, Coffee County Central High School — JR
Ally Weathers, Loretto High School — JR
Nominees for Boys Bowler of the Year:
William Davis, Columbia Central High School — JR
Finn Donnelly, Pope John Paul II High School — SR
Josh Morgan, Smyrna High School — SR
Aiden Neal, Green Hill High School — SR
Matteo Quintero, Stewarts Creek High School — FR
Logan Winkler, Friendship Christian High School — SR
Nominees for Girls Bowler of the Year:
Riley Akins, Creek Wood High School — FR
Mina Chen, Lipscomb Academy — 8TH
Gabi Mann, Creek Wood High School — JR
Olivia Rush, Friendship Christian High School — SR
Samantha Stepp, Lawrence County High School — SO
Landry West, Friendship Christian High School — SR
Nominees for Hockey Player of the Year, sponsored by the Nashville Predators:
Owen Appel, Ravenwood High School — JR
JT Borland, Nolensville High School — SO
Alec Dawes, Homeschool — SO
Justin Dickinson, Smyrna High School — SR
Zachary Ellis, Page High School — FR
Lee Guy, Montgomery Bell Academy — SR
Austin Hester, Father Ryan High School — SR
Hudson Honeybone, Ensworth High School — SO
Liam Powell, Ravenwood High School — JR
Jacob Schenk, James Lawson High School — SR
Ben Sonkin, Ensworth High School — SR
Hunter Wieck, Montgomery Bell Academy — SR
Nominees for Boys Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year:
David Amlicke, Pope John Paul II High School — JR
George Attmore, Brentwood High School — SR
Maston Ballew, Franklin Road Academy — JR
Gabe Lett, Montgomery Bell Academy — SR
Spencer Nicholas, Martin Luther King Jr Academic Magnet High School — SR
Mack Schumann, Donelson Christian Academy — SR
Nominees for Girls Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year:
Elizabeth Helmer, Father Ryan High School — FR
Anna Hulan, University School Of Nashville — JR
Margaret Petty, Harpeth Hall — SR
Lilly Robertson, Ensworth High School — JR
Lucy Trailov, Father Ryan High School — JR
Bryce Winzenread, Mount Juliet Senior High School — FR
Nominees for Boys Wrestler of the Year:
Rob Atwood, Trousdale County High School — SR
Joseph Calvin, Father Ryan High School — SR
Sebron Colson, Blackman High School — SR
Dylan Davenport, Sycamore High School — SR
Chancery Deane, Father Ryan High School — JR
Landon Desselle, Summit High School — SR
Brody Gobbell, Father Ryan High School — JR
Spencer Kon, Independence High School — SR
Jarvis Little, Summit High School — SR
Chase Mayes, Nolensville High School — JR
Tre McTorry, Nolensville High School — SR
Thomas Rubio, Blackman High School — SO
Nominees for Girls Wrestler of the Year:
Jes’Onia Barefield, West Creek High School — JR
Mariana Bowen, West Creek High School — SO
Halai Cox, Mcgavock High School — JR
Lexi Dean, West Creek High School — FR
Jaden Evans, Alvin C York Institute — JR
Carter Grissom, Riverdale High School — SR
Janiya Johnson, Kirkwood High School — FR
Audrey Levendusky, Montgomery Central High School — SO
Vivian Mariscal, John Overton High School — SR
Cearyona O’Connor, Montgomery Central High School — SR
Melanie Val Saint, Andrews-Sewanee High School — SR
Shaniayah Wysinger, Clarksville High School — SR
North Florida Ospreys (0-1) at Tennessee Volunteers (2-0)
Knoxville, Tennessee; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 20 Tennessee takes on North Florida after Nate Ament scored 23 points in Tennessee’s 95-56 win over the Northern Kentucky Norse.
Tennessee went 16-1 at home a season ago while going 30-8 overall. The Volunteers averaged 14.5 points off of turnovers, 12.3 second-chance points and 19.9 bench points last season.
North Florida went 15-17 overall a season ago while going 7-10 on the road. The Ospreys averaged 82.8 points per game last season, 32.3 in the paint, 12.6 off of turnovers and 10.7 on fast breaks.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Tennessee Titans are sitting at home for their Week 10 bye, but they may have seen their outlook improve for the future.
The Titans came into the week in a tie for the No. 1 overall pick’s top odds with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, but results for the early slate of games in Week 10 have pushed Tennessee in sole possession of the chances for the top selection.
The Saints and Jets both got their second wins today, leaving the 1-8 Titans (who are on a bye) in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick with eight weeks to go.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 9, 2025
The Saints came in as underdogs on the road against the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off a massive win against the Green Bay Packers on the road.
Despite the Panthers’ momentum, the Saints were able to grab their second win of the season thanks to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. The second-round pick out of Louisville completed 19 of 27 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jets started the season 0-8, but they have now rattled off back-to-back victories against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
Despite trading several of their top players at the trade deadline earlier this week, the Jets are in the win column again thanks to a pair of special teams touchdowns to beat the Browns.
The Titans could snag the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row. If the Titans were to lose their final eight games, they will be on the clock at the start of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Things have been rough for the Titans in their rebuild this season. This year’s top pick Cam Ward has demonstrated signs of being a franchise quarterback, but he has also been put in a tough position with the lack of talent around him.
The Titans need a lot of help in the development department, so having the top selection will be crucial. There’s a good chance the Titans won’t be looking for a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, so they could use the top selection to trade back in the draft for even more picks, generating them into players who could work down the line.
At the end of the day, the Titans still need to draft the right players, regardless of whether they have No. 1, No. 2 or No. 32, but having the top selection open things up for the team.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
J.P. Estrella backpedalled down the court.
The Tennessee basketball forward had already nodded his head and flexed after dunking for second-chance points. He threw in a clap for good measure, the smallest of his celebrations after a flurry of eyebrow-raising scoring plays against Northern Kentucky.
“It changes everything and he can do more,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “I promise you he can do more of that.”
Estrella gave the latest glimmer of his vast offensive talent for No. 17 Tennessee (2-0) in its 95-56 win against Northern Kentucky (1-0) on Nov. 8 at Food City Center. He scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, leading to Barnes’ glowing review after he poured in points in 20 minutes.
The 6-foot-11 Estrella had a 12-point, five-rebound debut against Mercer on Nov. 3, which was a good start in his first game back following foot surgery in November 2024.
His game against Northern Kentucky was a declaration of the offensive talent the Vols have always known he possessed.
“It really helps because nobody can really stop him down there in the paint,” Vols guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “If he is using his size and playing how he has been playing, we should be really good.”
Estrella is Tennessee’s best post-up threat and around-the-rim scorer, which is what he was expected to be.
Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips both can score, but not like Estrella. He’s a player the Vols can play through and toss the ball into with his back to the basket whenever they desire. He also can step out and shoot 3-pointers.
It’s that skill that made him a four-star recruit and a player the Vols — as well as the likes of Duke and Kansas — coveted. He flashed it as a freshman in 2023-24, but missed all but three games in the 2024-25 season due to a foot injury.
The sophomore from Maine is finally healthy and is a perfect fit for a team that will lean heavily on Gillespie and Nate Ament to be the leading scorers. He looks like the top candidate to be the third-leading scorer.
But there is no question he changes the offense as defenses have to watch him closely.
“They’ve got to respect him,” Ament said. “They have to help on his post-ups. The better he is playing offensively, the better we will be playing as a team.”
Estrella proved that against Northern Kentucky with every touch.
He scored through contact. He made multiple short lefty hook shots. He got second-chance points. He tipped in his own miss. He facilitated his teammates scoring. He placed himself well to get the ball and score.
After it all, Barnes still thinks Estrella has no clue how good he can be yet. But he thinks he will find out — and Tennessee will be at its best if he does.
“There is so much more there,” Barnes said. “I think he will get there.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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