Good Monday morning! Welcome to a brand new week. This is The Daybreaker, the first of several newsletters that will be published this week by the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday morning) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) this or any of our other newsletters, please do so here. If you need to subscribe, it’s as simple as entering your email address:
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Offense shines in Scott’s win at McCreary Central
STEARNS, Ky. (08.22.2026) | The first Border Bowl was a defensive slugfest, with Scott High not scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter of a narrow win over McCreary Central.
The second iteration of the showdown between neighboring states saw the offense rule the day, as the Highlanders rolled up more than 500 yards and put six touchdowns on the board in a 44-23 win over the Raiders.
Senior quarterback Gave Privett, a McCreary County native, completed 14 of 22 passes for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and rolled up 350 yards of total offense as he engineered his team to the season-opening win.
Junior Carter Slaven was spectacular, with 228 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
Slaven rushed for 110 yards and three scores, and also had an 86-yard touchdown catch for a score.
The Highlanders controlled just of the game, though McCreary County was able to make things interesting in the second half by clawing back to make it a single-score game.
Scott High took the game’s first possession and marched the length of the field before settling for a 24-yard Amauren Kidd field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Highlanders then recovered an onside kick — Kidd made the recovery of his own kickoff — but were forced into a three-and-out by McCreary.
After a Devin Prewitt interception, the Highlanders put their first touchdown of the season on the board, scoring on a dazzling 19-yard run by Slaven.
The second quarter started with a forced punt and a 20-yard touchdown from Privett to Houston Stanley.
Down 17-0, McCreary County answered with a four-yard Nate Losey run. But Scott struck right back, with a 38-yard run by Slaven to make it a 23-6 game at halftime.
The third quarter saw McCreary Central quickly score on a Storm Cordell 15-yard run. Later, after a 55-yard touchdown run by Slaven was taken off the board by a holding penalty, McCreary Central pulled closer with a 28-yard field goal by Logan Strunk to make it 23-16 early in the fourth quarter.
Needing an answer, the Highlanders turned to the playmaker who had come through all night. Privett found Slaven across the middle on a third down play, and Slaven did the rest, racing 86 yards to the end zone.
McCreary County answered quickly to make it a one-score game again, with Knox Wilson finding Aiden Duncan for a 34-yard touchdown.
But, one more time, it was Slaven for the Highlanders. This time, Slaven broke free down the sideline for a 39-yard scoring run.
After Scott’s defense made a stand, Jesse Jeffers iced the game by pulling away for a 48-yard score with just seconds remaining.
The Highlanders will have an open date before hosting Monterey to open the month of September.
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Oneida starts Martin era with shutout of Rockwood
ROCKWOOD, Tenn. (08.22.2026) | First came the pregame thunderstorm that delayed things. Then came the first quarter power outage that caused further delays. Finally came an early-Saturday-morning finish that found Oneida celebrating a 21-0 win over Rockwood shortly after midnight at Civitan Stadium.
On a night marked by delays and first half mistakes, Oneida found itself locked into a scoreless tie with the homestanding Tigers at the halftime break. But the second half belonged to the Indians, who put three scores on the board to pull away from their non-region rival and score the first win of Mark Martin’s tenure as head coach.
Martin, who was elevated to the role of head coach this year after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator the past several seasons, saw his defense continue to live up to the reputation it has established during his tenure, limiting Rockwood to just 159 yards of offense.
“This was a total team effort tonight,” Martin said. “We have guys that are totally exhausted. It was a total team, played-their-guts-out effort tonight.”
The night was almost over before it had really gotten started. After the game was delayed until nearly 9 p.m. due to pregame lightning, the teams hadn’t played a full quarter before the lights went out. As utility crews worked just outside the stadium to restore power, coaches and administrators discussed the possibility of calling it a night and postponing the game.
That didn’t happen, but for the entirety of the first half, it looked like all the delays had thrown Oneida’s offense off its game. The Indians had a bad snap on a punt attempt, a shanked punt that netted just five yards on another fourth down, and an interception turnover.
Rockwood, though, was besieged by untimely penalties and was unable to cash in. After the shanked punt gave the Tigers possession at Oneida’s 36-yard-line, Rockwood was unable to pick up a first down, and a fourth down pass to the end zone sailed just over the hands of an open receiver.
“We hadn’t tasted much adversity up to this point,” Martin said. “We had plenty of it in the first half. I kinda questioned what kind of men they were (at halftime). What are we gonna do in the face of this adversity? I think they answered that bell really well in the second half.”
Oneida turned three possessions into three scores in the second half.
The Indians took the first possession of the third quarter and used a 37-yard pass from Connor Mays to Kannon Gazay to set up a 2-yard touchdown plunge by Gage Duncan, who finished with 73 yards and a pair of scores on 22 carries as the workhorse in the backfield.
Rockwood answered by marching the ball steadily into Oneida territory. But after getting near the red zone, the drive stalled, and a stop at the line of scrimmage on third-and-short forced a fourth down play that saw Waylon Hill come up with a stop at the 26-yard-line.
From there, the Indians marched 74 yards for another score, with Mays completing a pass to Hill at the one-yard-line to set up a six-yard touchdown run by Duncan after a penalty.
Mays finished the game 8 of 11 through the air for 133 yards, and was named the IH Sports Network’s First National Bank Player of the Game.
After a Rockwood punt, Oneida put a final score on the board when Mays rolled out and found Drayton Wade from the 7-yard-line.
“He operated the offense at a very high level,” Martin said of Mays. “He’s been doing that all year. He played with such poise. He doesn’t get rattled, and he makes great decisions. And that extends to all our guys.”
Rockwood’s final drive of the night saw the Tigers finally reach Oneida’s red zone, but a fumble was recovered by Wade, allowing the Indians to escape with the shutout.
Oneida finished with 241 yards of offense.
The Indians’ defense was led by Waylon Hill’s 16 tackles and 13 stops by Tate Shepard. In addition to Wade’s fumble recovery, Braxton Boshears also recovered a fumble.
Words of Wisdom
Each week, Preacher Johnny Polk and the Oneida Church of Christ present Words of Wisdom, short devotionals that are archived on our website. Here is the current Words of Wisdom. (Sponsored content.)
☀️ Weather: Dry weather will greet the start of the week, with lots of sun and temperatures in the low to mid 80s. Nighttime temperatures may drop all the way into the mid 50s — very nice for August! Slight rain chances return to the forecast by Wednesday afternoon, but will remain low throughout the rest of the week. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot — or always available at indherald.com.
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📅 Community Calendar
Monday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center (Monticello Pike, Huntsville) offers a walking program, puzzles and games, and massage chairs every week day (Monday-Friday) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Additionally, Bingo will be offered today at 11 a.m. and Golden Grooves Exercise at 1 p.m.
Monday: Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services’ Mobile Health Clinic will be in the Walmart parking lot in Oneida from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering integrated primary care and behavioral health. No insurance is not a problem. Call (866) 599-0466 for more information.
Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
Monday: In high school sports, Scott High soccer will host Oliver Springs at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: In high school sports, Scott High soccer will travel to Campbell County at 6 p.m. and Oneida soccer will host Anderson County at 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
Tuesday: Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. at the Highway 27 Unity Club (17737 S. Alberta Street, Oneida).
Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out.
Wednesday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville will host Golden Grooves Exercise at 1 p.m.
Thursday: The Gerry McDonald Mission House, located on Church Avenue, directly behind First United Methodist Church, is open from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. You are eligible to receive food once per month. 569-8828.
Thursday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Thursday: In high school sports, Scott High soccer will be at Union County at 6:30 p.m., and Oneida soccer will be at Sevier County at 6:30 p.m.
Friday: The Big South Fork Pool at Bandy Creek will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $3 ($2 for children).
Friday: In high school sports, Oneida football will host Harriman at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network.
Upcoming: Trinity Baptist Church will host a Young Men’s Meeting on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. in the church gym (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood). There will be preaching by Alan Hearn, with Steve Demers and Ben Cross. A meal will follow the service.
The Community Calendar is presented weekly by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas Utility District pipelines are generally safe. They can be damaged by things such as excavation, natural forces, and automobile accidents. These can potentially cause a leak.Visit citizensgastn.com.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Echoes From the Past tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)