HOMECOMING EXCITEMENT FOR MANY FRIDAY NIGHT! 

PARADE AND PEP RALLIES:  Homecoming Celebration started Thursday night, September 28, with a Homecoming Parade down Broadway in Lenoir City.  All the queen candidates rode on locally sponsored convertibles with the football team riding in locally furnished pickup trucks.  The night was rainy but the spirits were high as the Lenoir City Youth Football Organization joined in the parade along with the Lenoir City Hall of Fame Officers.  The Parade was followed by a Pep Rally at the Civitan Field.  Then Friday morning at the LCHS gym another pep rally was held to get everyone excited about the impending regional game with West. 

CHORALE AND RETIRED TEACHERS:   The excitement started Friday night with a wonderful presentation of the National Anthem and the LCHS Alma Mater by the LCHS Chorale.  The singing was followed by recognition of the Retired Teachers from the Lenoir City School System.  Preceding the game a reception was held for the retired teachers at the new LC Career Technical Center. Recognized during the pre-game festivities were 30 retired teachers Fotchie Robinson, Elizabeth Holland, Dimple Browder, Sylvia Sproul, Barry White, Howard Murrill, Helen Mason, Norma Idom, Willie Joe Smalley, Polly Stallard, Harold Duff, Mary Ann Stewart, Bobby Hicks, Joe Allen Hall, Joe Spence, Nancy Schowalter, Gerald Augustus, Glenn Williams, Suzanne Redmond, Priscilla Tarpley, June Kincaid, Elizabeth Fritts, Josephine Blankenship, Mary Louise Ledbetter, Ken Guffey, and Jean Campbell.  Bricks for the New Centennial Park at Lenoir City High School (between the long walk and the medical clinic) have been purchased for each retired teacher.  See your National Honor Society Representative to purchase these bricks, in honor of your children, yourself, your parents, your favorite teacher or coach.  Great Opportunity! 

LCYFO TUNNEL:  The Lenoir City Youth Football Organization had over 150 football players, cheerleaders, and coaches present on Friday night to make the longest tunnel that the LCHS Football Team has ever had the opportunity to run through onto the field.  These young people lined up from the 10 yard line to the 45 yard line to show their support of the LCHS Football Program.   They represented their teams, the Cricket/Super Crickets, the Hoppers, the Cutters, and the Junior Panthers.  The Hoppers and Cutters were recognized for their outstanding efforts because they were undefeated last year and won their conference titles and brought home the gold to Lenoir City. 

HOMECOMING QUEEN:  The 2006 Lenoir City Football Homecoming Queen was crowned at half-time. With the candidates being Ellyn Sheets, Kayla Yancey, Whitney Bilek, Sarah Koty, Jesi Giles, Emily Woody, Erickah Sisson, Morgan Freshour, Maddison Matlock, and Noel Lee. The candidates all dressed in formal attire graced the football field with their escorts.  Then after each took their spot, the announcement came.  MORGAN FRESHOUR was voted 2006 LCHS Homecoming Queen. 

Congratulations Morgan!  You looked beautiful! She and her escort, Cody Purdy, are pictured below.

Please go to http://www.lenoircity.com/  to see more
Homecoming, retired teachers, and ballgame pictures.   
 

PANTHERS HANDLED REGIONAL RIVALRY WITH TOUGH DETERMINATION

The local News-Herald said it all.  With six starters missing, the Lenoir City Panthers gave Knoxville West one of the best fights of the season.  Five were out due to disciplinary action and another starter, Brad Christian, missed the game due to a recent battle with pneumonia.  It's hard to cope for a struggling new 4A team to lose six starters only hours before a big regional game.  Coach Nick White was faced with putting players in positions they had never played, and starting young team members who had never played varsity before.  Quarterback, Zack Cusick, was put into the punt return position for the first time ever.  

The Panthers, though, stood strong with their skeleton crew.  Even though West came out quick with two touchdowns in tow before the Panthers were able to answer.  Coty Edwards and Mitchell Varner made  touchdowns with Edwards running in a hand off from the 4-yard line and Varner catching a 51-yard pass from Cusick.  With the defense playing as strong as possible led by Justin Brannam and Jason Studwell, and new ones on the field, Coach Nick White said he was pleased with what his team had been able to do.    

The game, which ended with a win for West 28-13, was fought hard by LC.  The defense and offense had to step up in every way, with new players, freshmen and sophomores on the field.  The boys took their roles very seriously and played their hearts out.   The Panthers have had a rough time this season still adjusting to the new 4A classification and injury, illness, and decisions beyond their control haunting them each game. 

The Panthers will travel this coming Friday to play Clinton for their Homecoming Game.    Clinton has been held scoreless in their last two games against Anderson County and Halls.  Both Lenoir City and Clinton will be looking for their first Region 3-4A win.  Come out and support your LC Panthers.  Show them that we've got  PANTHER PRIDE!

IT WASN'T THE FINAL BATTLE AFTER ALL 

With much anticipated excitement about September 8 being the final "Battle of the Bridge"  between inter-county rivals, Lenoir City and Loudon, having their last chance to play each other in football, the Football Game was a sell-out.  The Good Samaritan Center Food Drive brought in nearly 100,000 pounds of food.  The Run for the Bridge was the great fun that is always is for the team running.  To put it quite plainly, it was a great event!  Small-town America at its best!  The rival has gone on since 1923, so why end it now?  That was the question posed to Coaches Nick White, Lenoir City, and Jeff Harig, Loudon, on September 26.  In a meeting between the coaches, athletic directors, and principals from both schools, they all sat down and discussed at length the advantages to the games and the detriments. 

With all that said and done, the final decision was left up to the coaches.  Both White and Haring decided that the game, one of the best attended events in the area and a definite monetary asset to the football programs of both schools, would continue to be played early in the football season.  SO, keep those "Battle of the Bridge" shirts handy because next year you will need them again!

THE BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE - THE FINAL CHAPTER
WHO WAS THE REAL WINNER?

THE GOOD SAMARITAN CENTER FOOD DRIVE

The Battle of the Bridge brought with it this year an amazing food drive for the Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County.  Last year both Lenoir City High School and Loudon High School combined brought in 62,000 pounds of food for the center , which has lasted until this year's drive.   However, this year the food drive was an admirable effort for both schools.  Even though it was just a four-day school  week , this year Lenoir City brought in 43,970 pounds of food, and Loudon brought in 52,950 pounds of food.   Combined these two schools contributed 96,920 pounds of food to the poor and needy in Loudon County.  A gallant effort for both schools.  This amount should supply the GS Center for a long time.   Plans are now underway for a new type of food drive  to replace the Battle of the Bridge effort for next year that will benefit the Center.