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Central to honor Top NFL Prospect Patrick Willis |
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By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckenziebannercom |
Former Central Tiger football standout Patrick Willis,
playing with a cast to protect a badly-broken middle
finger, delivers one of 14 tackles he made during a 2005
nationally-televised game against SEC opponent
Tennessee.
BRUCETON (April 23) -
Former Hollow Rock-Bruceton and Ole Miss All-American
football standout and top NFL prospect Patrick Willis
will be honored with a pre-draft celebration by the
towns of Hollow Rock, Bruceton and the CHS community at
Bruceton City Park on Friday, April 27 between 4-7 p.m.
Bruceton Mayor Robert T. Keeton III will present Willis
with the key to the city at 7 p.m. Attendees are
encouraged to bring their own food for grilling or
tailgating purposes. Music and games will be provided at
the celebration.
Willis, though excited about the visit, stated that he
would not be signing autographs at the event.
Legal Guardian Chris Finley explained, “Patrick doesn’t
want to spend the entire time at the event sitting in
front of a line of people signing autographs. He wants
to come home, relax, and spend time with family,
friends, and well-wishers the day before the NFL draft.
He is grateful to the surrounding communities and wants
to visit and catch up with people he graduated with and
people who have supported him during his high school and
college football career. I hope everyone will come out
and enjoy the day and respectfully honor his request for
no autographs. He just wants to come home before
everything changes.”
Two days prior to the NFL draft on April 28, the 2002
Central High School alumni is scheduled as guest speaker
at the CMS sixth grade D.A.R.E. Graduation on April 26
at 1:00 p.m. inside the CHS gymnasium.
During his senior year at Central, Willis served as a
role model for the D.A.R.E. program.
Projected by ESPN Sports Analyst Mel Kiper as a
potential first-round, twelfth selection draft pick by
the Buffalo Bills in the upcoming NFL draft, Willis
enjoyed a phenomenal high school football career while
at Central High School, garnering selections to
All-state, All-West Tennessee and All-Region First Teams
in both 2001 and 2002.
Willis, a 2002 recipient of the TSSAA Mr. Football
Lineman Award, bears the distinction of being the only
high school player in Tennessee football history to be
nominated for the offensive and defensive Mr. Football
Awards.
During his illustrious gridiron career at Ole Miss,
Willis was selected by league coaches as the Defensive
Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. Despite playing
injured, he led the SEC in tackles during his junior and
senior years. Selected as the league’s best player prior
to the start of his senior season, Willis responded by
netting 137 tackles including 87 solo, 50 assist, 11.5
tackles for loss of 44 yards, 3 sacks for loss of 25
yards, and 7 pass break-ups. Willis finished his career
with the Rebels with a total of 355 tackles.
Competing against Penn State’s Paul Posluszny and Ohio
State’s James Laurinaitis, Willis won the prestigious
Butkus Award on December 9, 2006 during a
nationally-telecast live presentation of the Home Depot
/ ESPN College Football Awards Show at the Downtown
Athletic Club in Orlando, Fla. The award, symbolic of
the best linebacker in college football, was presented
to Willis by Chicago Bear and NFL Hall-of-Fame great
Dick Butkus.
In addition to winning the Butkus Award, Willis also won
the coveted Lambert Trophy, given in honor of former
Pittsburgh Steeler middle linebacker and NFL
Hall-of-Fame great Jack Lambert.
Adding to his accolades, Willis was also selected as
recipient of the Conerly Award, given annually to the
state of Mississippi’s best athlete. Despite playing
injured throughout most of the 2005 Rebel season, Willis
led the nation in tackles en route to an All-American
performance while earning the Chucky Mullins Courage
Award. The award is presented annually at Ole Miss in
memory of Rebel defensive back Mullins who was paralyzed
during a tackle against Vanderbilt in 1992 and died
three years later. |
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Atwood Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges |
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A 33-year-old Atwood man pleaded guilty Wednesday, April 18
to child pornography charges in U.S. District Court in
Jackson Wednesday, April 11.
Michael Shane Springer, represented by Attorney Needum Louis
Germany, III, entered a guilty plea to charges of production
of child pornography involving the use of female minors,
ranging in age from 5 to 6 years old at the time of the act.
The defendant knew the visual depictions of sexually
explicit conduct, would be transported in interstate
commerce and other visual depictions were being produced
using materials that had been transported in interstate and
foreign commerce, according to the indictment.
Springer also pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in
sexually explicit conduct and internet distribution of child
pornography, according to court records.
All of the alleged acts occurred between April and July
2004, according to court records.
According to an order signed by District Judge Bernice B.
Donald, Springer originally pled not guilty, but withdrew
that plea and pled guilty on all three counts April 11.
Springer remained in custody following the plea. He is set
to appear before Judge Donald for sentencing Friday, July
13.
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Fall from House Claims Life of Roofer |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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Brent Gregory |
Bruceton (April 17)- A roofer, working atop a house in
Bruceton, plunged to his death Tuesday morning,
according to Investigator Randy Kelley of Bruceton
Police Department.
Brent Gregory, 41, of Huntingdon, was reportedly
employed by Clarence Noles Roofing of Buena Vista and
working at the home of Bob Keeton, Jr., 107 Highland
Drive, at the time of the accident.
Bruceton Police Department received a 911 call at 8:13
a.m. Tuesday, said Kelley, who arrived on the scene
shortly afterward along with Bruceton Police Department
Officer Scotty Davis and Hollow Rock Police Sergeant
Adam Meggs.
Gregory was reportedly on an upper roof level of the
Keeton home, along with a wheelbarrow, when both he and
the wheelbarrow fell. Several other workers were at the
home at the time of the mishap, but Kelley was unsure if
any other workers were on the roof at the time of the
accident.
Witnesses told authorities Gregory slipped and plunged
20-30 feet to another level of the roof, before falling
onto a brick patio at ground level.
Kelley said he arrived at the scene and assessed the
victim just prior to the arrival of medical personnel
from Baptist Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical
Services (EMS).
The medical personnel, assisted by police officers,
began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the victim, prior
and during transport to the hospital. Resuscitation
efforts continued at the hospital, however, he was
pronounced dead at 9:05 a.m. by attending physician Dr.
Robert Winston, according to Carroll County Coroner
Steve Cantrell.
Cantrell stated cause of death was massive intracerebral
hemorrhage, secondary to a skull fracture. Cantrell
noted the victim also sustained a cervical fracture.
“It was a very unfortunate accident,” said Investigator
Kelley. “Everyone did a very good job trying to assist
him at the scene and the E.R.”
Gregory is survived by his companion of several years,
Cathy FitzGerald, who also recently moved from
Huntingdon to Bruceton, and their son, Samuel Evan
Arellano Gregory of Bruceton. Other local survivors
include three daughters, Jennifer Mayo of Huntingdon,
Crystal Crockarell of Huntingdon and Britney Gregory of
Huntingdon; a brother, Mark Gregory of Huntingdon and
three grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilson W. and
Estella Gregory of Huntingdon.
See separate obituary elsewhere in this edition. |
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Lightning Strikes Tree Near House Awaking Neighbors |
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By Jimmy Gilliam
sports@mckenziebanner.com |
Lightning strike at 2990 Oak Grove Road. Part of the
brick flowerbed edging lays in the bottom left of the
photo and the hole made by the lightning strike is on
the bottom right. Photo by Jonathon Gowan.
TREZEVANT (April 14) Bobby and Janice Bynum were in
Nashville when lightning struck a tree in their back
yard, located at 2990 Oak Grove Road, approximately
twenty feet from their house. The Bynum's received a
call from neighbors soon after, explaining what had
happened and covered the windows in the house that had
been broken from the blast.
Former county commissioner, Troy Warren, said the jolt
awoke him in his bed approximately one-quarter of a mile
from the Bynum home. The bolt of lightning struck the
tree and appeared to travel into a the root system,
leaving a hole in the ground approximately four foot
long by two foot wide and over a foot deep as chunks of
sod were unearthed during the intense explosion. Debris
was later found on the roof of the house and the shop
among various other places on the house siding and in
the yard. The tree had a flowerbed around the base of it
with a brick edging.
Another view of the lightning strike damage as windows
in the background were shattered and sod was thrown onto
the house siding.
Parts of the brick edging were later found in front of
the Bynum home across the road, approximately one
hundred feet away and parts of the tree were found about
fifty feet into a field behind their house. As a result
of the blast, the 200-amp fuse box located in the home
needed replacing and some electrical repair was needed
in an unattached shop, but the Bynum's were thankful
that nobody was injured.
A West Tennessee Telephone technician working in the
area stated that it appeared the telephone company would
have to replace approximately a half-mile of trunk line
that services the area due to the lightning strike. |
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