By John Thornton, Sports Director
Sometimes when a seed is planted, it can take years to see it fully grow.
But when it does, the fruits can be truly sweet.
Fresh off winning the school’s first football state title in 2022, more fruits are expected in 2023 in the community of McKenzie and especially with head football coach Wade Comer with the anticipated completion of the school’s brand new indoor athletic facility.
The idea of an indoor facility at McKenzie had been discussed for years, dating back to Comer becoming head coach in 2000. But support at the time was small, leading to the project being placed on the back burner.
Comer points to Middle Tennessee power Trousdale County’s facility — built in 2012 — as the point in time when he began to consider a similar project in earnest.
“I knew we needed it, and they’re the same size school as us, so that planted the seed, and it finally grew,” Comer said.
A domino effect followed, which saw other West Tennessee programs, such as Dyer County and Trenton Peabody, follow suit.
“That motivated a big push for it,” Comer said of the Rebels’ West Tennessee rival in the Golden Tide, which opened its state-of-the-art facility in 2021.
The wheels legitimately began to turn in 2019 and 2020 in favor of McKenzie’s facility. Comer credits recently retired Carroll County Director of Schools Lynn Watkins for having a big hand in pushing things in the right direction.
Watkins worked with the school board and community members to get the finances worked out as McKenzie paid off their new high school building that opened in 1997. Once that happened, the school had the funds available to tackle the $4 million loan it would take to pay for the new facility.
After breaking ground in March of this year, the project is expected to be completed in October. The facility will feature a new weight room, boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, baseball and softball diamonds designed into the turf, two batting cages, and a 50-yard practice football field.
Comer said the benefits will be reaped in several practical ways.
“The big thing it will help with is offseason agilities, and during the season, will help us to have lights and a place to go when it gets darker. That’s when we’ll get the most benefit,” he claimed.
Comer continued to credit the McKenzie community for their help in getting the long-term project across the finish line. He specifically mentioned former players Brian Winston and Matt Merrick from Carroll Bank & Trust, which is funding the purchase of a new weight set for the building.
“We’ve got a good community that supports us, and we’re fortunate to be here. They love their football program. They go above and beyond to support us and make sure we have what we need to be competitive on Friday nights,” the coach said.
The reigning 1A state champion Rebels will open their 2023 campaign on August 18 as they host cross-county rival Huntingdon.
