Dyersburg shuts out McNairy, state tourney ahead

After dominating Westview for the Region 7-AA crown on Wednesday, the Dyersburg Lady Trojans hosted McNairy Central in a substate matchup on Saturday for the right to play in the state tournament.

The Lady Trojans picked up their second consecutive big-game shutout, as they secured a spot in next week's state tournament in Chattanooga with a 3-0 win over McNairy Central.

"This is an amazing feeling," said Lady Trojan head coach Joy Norman. "The girls have worked extremely hard all year long, and they really deserve this."

Dyersburg had trouble with their touches early on, but eventually found their way through the McNairy defense midway through the first half, when Lady Trojan Joylita Taylor broke open the scoreless affair with a goal, which was assisted by Emma Caylor.

The Lady Trojans pushed their lead to 2-0 right before the halftime break with a goal by senior leader Laura Leigh Horner, which is her third score since returning from a foot injury on Monday.

With a 2-0 halftime lead, the Lady Trojans could feel their dreams of playing in the state tournament about to come true, but an insurance goal by Caylor late in the second half, put the icing on the cake for Dyersburg.

As great as the Lady Trojan offense has been, the defense has allowed coach Norman to breathe a little easier toward the end of games.

"You can't say enough about our defense," said Norman. "They played a great game today, and they always seem to be in the right place."

As the final second ticked off the clock, the Lady Trojans began their celebration, as they will have a shot at winning it all next week at the state tournament.

The Lady Trojans and assistant coach Greg Stapleton capped off their celebration by nose-diving into a puddle of mud, which illustrates the camaraderie on the Dyersburg squad.

The Lady Trojans will play their opening-round matchup of the state tournament on Wednesday with game time and their opponent still to be determined.

"We have to keep playing the way that we are playing," said Norman. "Their eyes are going to be huge since it's our first time going to the state tournament, but they definitely got it in them to win."