What's Happening in Henderson County

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) By Michael V. Hannigan To be the best, there comes a time when you have to beat the best. For Athens, that time comes Friday night in Tyler. The Hornets will face top-ranked Carthage at 7 p.m. at Rose Stadium in the Region 2 final. Athens is the home team. It is a rematch of their district showdown in Octo...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Michael V. Hannigan They’re thankful, but still hungry. That has been the tone all week as Athens heads into its third-round playoff game Friday afternoon. The Hornets play Sunnyvale at 1 p.m. in Ennis in the Class 4A Division II regional semifinals. Athens is the visiting team. Coach Zac Harrell said this...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) By Michael V. Hannigan This one has the makings of a shootout. The Hornets will face undefeated Krum on Friday night in the area round, a matchup between two high-powered offenses. Athens is averaging 53 points per game. Krum is averaging 51. Krum enters the game at 10-0. One of its early games was cancele...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Michael V. Hannigan The Cardinals walked into their open week holding the No. 2 seed. They walked out holding a bus ticket to Miami, Okla. A forfeiture ruling against Navarro College in the final week of the season changed the Southwest Junior College Football Conference standings and moved TVCC into the N...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) By Michael V. Hannigan The regular season is over. The real season begins Friday. Athens opens the Class 4A Division II playoffs against Gilmer on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Henderson. The Hornets will be the home team and sit on the home side of the field. Head Coach Zac Harrell knows the challenge ahead. “Y...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) By Michael V. Hannigan The regular season will close where it began, under the lights at Bruce Field. Athens (7-2, 3-1) will host Bullard (3-6, 1-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday for Senior Night, celebrating 32 Hornet seniors who have helped turn the program into a district contender. “This group has meant a lot to...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) By Michael V. Hannigan Playoff football is back at The Valley. After clinching a postseason spot with last week’s 56-8 road win over New Mexico Military Institute, the No. 7-ranked Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals will close out the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Northeastern Oklahoma...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) On this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell said the Hornets have shown resilience this season by staying focused and improving each week, no matter the circumstances. Staying Focused Last week’s 60-6 win over Rusk came a day early because of weather concerns, but the Hornets didn’t let that rattle th...

In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about last week’s 30-14 win over Kilgore and this Saturday’s road game at New Mexico Military Institute. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Central (2 p.m. Mountain). Finding Ways to Win The Cardinals made it four straight victories last week, overcoming a long weather delay and a short-handed roster to take...

UPDATE Due to the threat of severe weather Friday night, all Athens Hornet football games have been moved up one day for safety. 🏈 Varsity: Now Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Bruce Field 🏈 Freshmen & JV: Wednesday in Rusk — Freshmen at 5 p.m., JV at 6:30 p.m. 🏈 Middle School: Wednesday at Bruce Field, starting 4:30 p.m. Game Day came early — but Hornet Nation always shows up! Be there. Be loud. Go Horn...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about last week’s homecoming win over Navarro and Saturday’s road trip to Kilgore. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Homecoming Win The Cardinals improved to 3-1 in conference play with a 14-7 win over Navarro in fro...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell said the Hornets are proud of their progress but focused on what’s ahead, a top-10 match-up Friday night at Carthage. Staying Grounded The Hornets are 5-1 overall and 1-0 in district play after a 52-8 win over Brownsboro and are now ranked No. 8 in t...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about last week’s win over Blinn and Saturday’s homecoming matchup against Navarro. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Bruce Field. Rolling Into Homecoming The Cardinals come into this week after a strong 35-point...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell said the Hornets are focused and ready as they open district play Friday night at Brownsboro. Time For District Play The Hornets return from their week off sitting at 4-1 after a strong non-district showing that featured explosive offense and a ball-...

In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about the open week and Saturday’s road trip to Blinn. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. in Brenham. Open Week Reset Coach Poteete said the week off was valuable for both development and recovery. Younger players had the chance to scrimmage in full pads, while other players were able to heal up. “It’s been g...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell praised his defense for setting the tone in recent weeks and looked ahead to a tough home matchup Friday night against Waco Connally. Defensive Standouts Athens improved to 3-1 with a dominant homecoming win over Jacksonville last week, and Coach Har...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about how the Cardinals are responding to last week’s loss and preparing for Saturday’s conference matchup with Cisco. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Bruce Field. Back to Bruce Field After opening the year with...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell praised his team’s focus and execution in last week’s win and looked ahead to Friday’s homecoming matchup with Jacksonville. Recap of Last Week’s Win The Hornets moved to 2-1 after a dominant performance over Palestine. Coach Harrell said the differe...

In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to preview Saturday’s showdown with No. 5 Tyler. The Cardinals, ranked No. 11, open conference play at 7 p.m. at Bruce Field. Big Game Atmosphere Both teams are undefeated heading into the matchup, and with just a half-hour separating the two schools, the game promises to deliver a playoff atmosphere. “These...

Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell said mistakes kept Athens from a win at Kaufman, but he praised his team for fighting to the end and looked ahead to Friday’s game at Palestine. Recap of Kaufman Loss Athens nearly doubled Kaufman in total yards Friday night and played solid defense, but too many mistakes turned into a 14-13 loss on the road. Coach Harrell said the Hornets m...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about Saturday’s match-up against Monroe College of New York. The Mustangs travel south for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Wildcat Stadium in Palestine. Playing in Palestine For the first time, TVCC will host a home gam...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell praised his team for finding a way to get it done against Henderson last week and looked ahead to this week’s road trip to Kaufman. Opening Win Over Henderson Bruce Field felt like a playoff atmosphere Friday night as the Hornets beat Henderson, 56-4...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Cardinal Podcast, Michael Hannigan sat down with Head Coach Sherard Poteete to talk about Saturday’s season-opening win at Independence and how the team will use its open week to prepare for Monroe. Wrapping Up Independence The Cardinals returned from Kansas with a 28-15 victory, though Hann...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) In this week’s Hornet podcast, Michael Hannigan sits down with Coach Zac Harrell to talk about last week's scrimmage and Friday’s season opener against Henderson. Wrapping Up Lindale Coach Harrell said the Hornets showed progress in the scrimmage at Lindale last week. The offense connected on several deep...

( Post sponsored by Tinsley Title , Holt Wrecker , R&R lawn specialists , Gibson Pharmacy .) The wait is over. It’s game week for the Trinity Valley Cardinals. Coach Sherard Poteete’s team will board the bus early Saturday morning and head north to Kansas for an 11 a.m. kickoff against Independence Community College. It’s the first test of the 2025 season and the start of what Poteete believes can...