Smyrna Defeats Lavergne in First High School Football Alumni Game

By Cornelius Frands

SMYRNA, Tenn. – Former football players for Smyrna and Lavergne high schools took the field for an alumni football game at Smyrna Robert L. Rakes Stadium on Nov. 5, with Smyrna winning, 16-14.

            In 1988, Smyrna High was split into Smyrna and Lavergne, causing a fierce rivalry between the two schools ever since.

 

            This was the first alumni football game Smyrna and Lavergne have ever participated in. Many fans packed the stadium eager and ready for kick-off. This game featured alumni players from the years of 1988-2015.  

The Smyrna Bulldogs received the ball first, leaving the Lavergne Wolverines left to defend. Smyrna’s former running back, P.J. Whitaker, scored the first three points with a field goal in the first three minutes of the game.

Former Smyrna wide receiver, Nick Smart, scored a touchdown right before halftime increasing the lead to 10 to nothing. The crowd went crazy wild in the stands. During the 12-minute half, there was a short performance by the 615 House of Dance School’s dance team.

Smart scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the kicker missed the extra point, giving the team six more points.

“It felt great to be back on the field again,” Smart said. “Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog.”

Former Lavergne running back Juju Wright scored a touchdown, giving the Wolverines seven points.

The Wolverine fought long and hard all game, and finally at 1:59 left to go, Lavergne scored another touchdown bumping the score up 16-14.

            The Bulldogs won the game, 16-14, sending the Wolverines home once again with their 30^th consecutive loss.

“This is the closest they’ve ever been to winning against us,” said Chelsea Wilkinson, a fan of the Bulldogs. “It’s been almost 30 years since they’ve beat us. They know their place.”

            For more information about the game, visit www.alumnifootballusa.com.

 

 

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