DMS moves back to TMSAA for 2024-25 seasons

By JASON PEEVYHOUSE

Sports Editor

This upcoming middle school season which begins in the coming weeks will be one of change for Dyersburg Middle School as the Trojan and Lady Trojan sports teams will play in the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association for the first time in recent years.

New DMS Principal Matt Spraker said the change came about due to some instability in playing outside of the TMSAA.

“In our football conference were leaving,” Spraker explained. “And, we also had a couple of schools that were just not completely bought in on the bowl concept.”

According to Spraker, last season, the Trojans were set to face Union City in a bowl game for third place in the conference before the Tornadoes backed out to play against another opponent in their regular season schedule.

“That started getting the ball rolling because we started thinking that we needed something with structure,” he explained. “We need something with a solid postseason opportunity for our kids.

“And really, our only option to do that was to join the TMSAA.”

With a change like this, challenges also arise. Unlike teams in the TMSAA, there were two sports at DMS which didn’t align their schedules with their high school counterparts. DMS softball played in the fall while DMS volleyball was played during the late winter unlike high school which has softball in the spring and volleyball in the fall.

“Those are definitely the biggest challenges because we just finished volleyball season in early spring and now we’re coming right back around and doing volleyball again in the summer,” Spraker pointed out. “So, that was a quick turnaround.

“Then, we also had some personnel that this effected. We had some coaches that were helping in another sport and, because of the switch, they weren’t available. We’re fully staffed but we had to move some people around and hire some new coaches. We had to go out and get some assistants.”

Getting back familiar with how the TMSAA operates was also a challenge for the DMS staff.

“Not being in it, our coaches didn’t have any restrictions,” Spraker explained. “They could work with the kids and do anything they wanted year-round in middle school.

“But, understanding the bylaws, you still see there are some things you can do with the kids in the offseason. The TMSAA has gotten more relaxed in the years over some stuff.”

Spraker feels that one of the benefits of moving to the TMSAA is that the kids will have an end goal during the season and something to look forward to.

“It will help them with the high school experience where you’re playing a win-or-go-home game,” Spraker pointed out. “We didn’t really have that. We play a conference tournament and that’s the end – win or lose.

“Our kids are going to get more exposure. They’re going to get the opportunity to go to Middle Tennessee in most of the sports.”

Spraker added DMS has lost student athletes to neighboring schools when DMS was not playing within the TMSAA.

“They’re here and they can leave and go anywhere they want to go because they’re not leaving a TMSAA school,” Spraker pointed out. “They could leave our school and go play anywhere. Now, at least, it puts a little more accountability where people aren’t just coming and going as they please. I think that hurt us, too.”

The Trojan and Lady Trojan sports teams which see success through the postseason will also get to benefit from the exposure of having a chance at reaching the TMSAA State Tournaments.

“We see a lot of media on the county middle schools and going to the state tournaments,” the DMS principal said. “Our kids, parents, and community see that. (The ability to play in state tournaments)keeps people here, I think.

“We’re excited to be a part of the TMSAA and give our kids these opportunities.”

Moving to the TMSAA also gives the DMS teams more potential matchups with Northview and Three Oaks.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to play the county middle schools in all sports,” Spraker added. “Volleyball and softball included. It’s good for the community.”

As a part of the TMSAA, Three Oaks and Northview played volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring. Now, those Lady Trojan-Lady Choctaw matchups will become a reality.