DCHS Tigers to Host Smith County Tonight (Friday) (LISTEN TO WJLE’S TIGER TALK HERE)

August 27, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Tigers will host the Smith County Owls in the home opener tonight (Friday) in Smithville. Kick-Off is at 7 p.m.

As it turns out the game will be the season opener as well after last week’s game at Warren County was cancelled due to an outbreak of COVID exposure in the Pioneers’ program.

Speaking on WJLE’s Tiger Talk Program, DCHS Football Coach Steve Trapp said while the postponement of the game was a disappointment, it was the right call under the circumstances.

https://www.wjle.com/tiger-talk/

“We were definitely disappointed. Our guys had really been working hard all through fall camp, scrimmages, and jamboree to kick off the season and it got taken away from us with everything that Warren County was going through and battling. Ultimately it was the right call and while it is not set in stone yet we do share the same by week October 8 so depending on how the year goes and how everything falls into place we could still potentially play that game. It’ll just be October 8,” said Coach Trapp.

“The positive thing about it for us was we had a few guys who would not have been able to play last week anyway. It gave them some time to heal up and they are now able to play for us this week. Now we will have a few guys who won’t be with us tonight just because they are under the weather and Bryan Portillo, who has a knee injury, had surgery Thursday and he is out but the guys who are here have participated all week. They have battled and prepared and are ready to go,” he said.

The Owls come to Smithville tonight with an 0-1 season start after losing to their in-county rival Gordonsville last Saturday 14-0.

“ Those guys (Owls) play hard. You can see that on tape. They are very talented in the front seven on their defense. They have some good, young defensive linemen. Their starting quarterback is out with an injury so they will have a younger guy playing quarterback for them but they do multiple things on offense. We just have to be prepared for all the looks they will show and make sure that our defense gets our checks right. Our guys on offense understand what they are going to see up front but we’ve worked on it and must be prepared to do things correctly. We just have to make sure we’re clean concerning penalties, focused, and play extremely hard,” added Coach Trapp.

WJLE’s Pre-Game shows begin with “Coach to Coach” at 5:00 p.m. featuring former UT assistant coach Doug Matthews with former coach Dave McGinnis and broadcaster Larry Stone talking Tennessee and SEC football.

“Coach to Coach” is followed by “Murphy’s Matchups at 6:00 p.m., a look at Tennessee High School Football from Murphy Fair with commentary on games and coaches interviews.

“Tiger Talk” debuts at 6:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor interviewing Coach Steve Trapp and Tiger players Isaiah Harrington, Silas Cross, and Brandon Sykes.

The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with play by play coverage on WJLE with John Pryor and color commentary by Luke Willoughby. Listen LIVE on WJLE AM 1480/FM 101.7 and LIVE STREAM at www.wjle.com.

August 26, 2021
By:

Tennessee residents are allowed to hunt without a license on Saturday, Aug. 28 which coincides with the opening day of squirrel season.

Free Hunting Day is an event the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency annually provides in hopes of increasing interest in hunting. Squirrel hunting is one of Tennessee’s oldest and favorite traditions. The day serves as an excellent opportunity for persons to experience the enjoyment of the sport.

The TWRA encourages regular hunters to introduce friends and family members (young and old) to the outdoor sport. It is also an excellent opportunity for persons who have not tried hunting in a while to be reintroduced to the sport.

On Free Hunting Day, state resident hunters are exempt from hunting licenses and WMA permit requirements. Many of the WMAs are open to hunters seeking public access on Aug. 28. Hunters are asked to check the information for specific WMAs in the 2021-22 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. Sportsmen are reminded to ask for permission to hunt on private lands.

The TWRA offers a reminder that hunter education requirements are not waived for Free Hunting Day. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 is required to have successfully completed a hunter education course. An apprentice license is required for those born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 if the hunter education course has not been completed. This license exempts the hunter from the mandatory hunter education law for one year from the date of purchase but may only be purchased for up to three consecutive years during the lifetime of the hunter. Those under 10 years of age do not need a Hunter Education certificate but must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device.

Hunters can harvest up to 10 squirrels a day from the opening day of squirrel season through Feb. 28, 2022. Each hunting day begins a half-hour before sunrise and ending a half-hour after sunset.
In addition to squirrels, those species that have a year-round season will be open as well. The year-round species include armadillos, beavers, coyotes, groundhogs, and striped skunks.
For more information about hunting in Tennessee, visit TWRA’s website at www.tnwildlife.org or contact your nearest TWRA regional office.

August 26, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Law enforcement officers encountered a bizarre incident Wednesday morning as a Cookeville man led them on a two county pursuit from Dowelltown to Lebanon on Highway 70. What they learned was that the man, 39 year old Tyson Gilbert had severed his own penis and tossed it out the car window somewhere along the route either before or during the chase. Gilbert said he heard voices on his car radio telling him to commit the act in order to save the world.

Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol was the first to come across Gilbert after spotting his Honda Accord parked partially in the roadway on Highway 70 at Dowelltown.

“When I pulled up behind him and turned my lights on he took off and refused to stop. He was all over the road the whole time. He turned off on Old Liberty Road and came to a stop. He opened his door. He was naked and covered in blood. He then shut his door and kept driving,” said Trooper Johnson.

“The Alexandria Police Department spiked him (put down spike strips) on Highway 70 as he was going through Alexandria. He kept traveling westbound into Wilson County. The THP spiked him in Watertown but he continued westbound. We finally were able to box him in and got him stopped on Highway 70 right before the Interstate at I-40 and took him in custody. He was then transported to Vanderbilt Hospital, “said Trooper Johnson.

While the spike strips didn’t stop Gilbert immediately, Johnson said they did slow him down.

“The first spike strips got one of his front tires and the second got the other tire. The Wilson County Sheriff’s department tried to spike him past Watertown but missed. After that it became a slow speed pursuit with him running on his rims until we boxed him in,” added Trooper Johnson

Gilbert has active warrants against him for other offenses in Cookeville.

In addition to Trooper Johnson, other law enforcement agencies involved in the pursuit were Troopers of the Cookeville and Nashville THP Districts, the DeKalb County and Wilson County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Alexandria and Watertown Police Departments. Not all of them followed all the way into Lebanon. DeKalb County terminated its pursuit at the DeKalb-Wilson County line.