Everyone is famous in a small town and no one is more famous than a Moore County Raider or Raiderette. Whether it’s your average fan or those littlest fans down at Lynchburg Elementary, when asked, most will tell you that the good guys and gals in Columbia blue are a huge source of community pride.

On Tuesday, with the home stands packed and the student section ready to go, the Moore County High School basketball teams will kick off district play with a home rivalry game against the Huntland Hornets. {To read more about the genesis of that rivalry, click here. }

We decided to catch up with Moore County’s three senior players – Raiderettes Maecy Fletcher and Paisley Logan as well as Raider Will Baker – to talk school spirit and future plans.

Rich Moore County athletics history

All three players come from local families with rich Moore County athletics roots.

Will is the son of Janet Holt Baker and Todd Baker. Tennessee Tech inducted Janet into the Golden Eagles Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 naming her “one of the greatest women’s basketball players in program history.”

““She’s good. That’s what I’ve heard,” Will jokes.

Despite the big shoes left by his mom, Will says he never feels pressure from her.

“The pressure definitely doesn’t come from mom,” Will says. “It’s more self-pressure. She just wants me to play hard and have fun with my teammates.”

Will’s dad, Todd Baker, also played tight end for the Raiders from 1992-1995. In addition to Raider basketball, Will also played on the football team as a receiver.

Maecy is the daughter of Robyn Honey Fletcher and Paul Fletcher. Her grandfather, Benny Fletcher, in addition to being one of the Raiderettes and Raiders biggest fans across all sports also played football and basketball at MCHS. Her father, Paul Fletcher, played quarterback for the 1995 Raiders squad. Her brother, Ben Fletcher, also played basketball and baseball. Maecy and her younger sister, Katy, both play for this year’s Raiderette squad.

In addition to basketball, she played on the inaugural volleyball squad and played softball for the first time last year.

Paisley is the daughter of Kim Golden Logan and Bojo Logan. Her father also played quarterback for the Raider football team. Her grandfather is former Metro Moore County Sherriff Mark Logan.

Paisley played outside hitter fotr he MCHS Girl’s Volleyball team and she’s also a stand out pitcher for the Raiderettes softball team. She says softball’s probably her best sport.

Balancing academics, athletics, and friends

Student athletes can spend as much as 20 hours per week in team meetings, practices, and games. Each senior says they’ve developed ways to balance their lives.

Will says he balances his academic life and athletic life by getting as much homework done during school hours so they he can enjoy free time after practice when he gets home.

In addition to basketball, Maecy also participates in a ton of extracurricular school activities like HOSA, National Honor Society, student council, as well as serving as a class officer.

“We have a practice or a game every single night, so it’s important to stay on top of things,” Maecy says.

Paisley says it also helps that her teammates are also her best friends.

““We are all basically best friends. We spend a lot of time together,” says Paisley.

“We don’t have cliques,” Maecy adds. “The upperclassman and junior varsity all hang out together. We’re just a really close team.”

Moore County sports traditions

From Raider Homecoming week to bonfire pep rallies or singing the alma mater at the end of football games, Moore County enjoys many rich athletic traditions. When we asked the three seniors what their favorites were, they all were quick to answer.

Will says his favorite MCHS sports tradition is pep rallies.

“I like it because everybody gets to be involved,” Will says. “Plus, it really gets us hyped for games.”

Maecy says her favorite Moore County sports tradition is Homecoming week and with good reason. The student body voted her the 2022 Raider Homecoming queen this past fall.

““Everybody really has a lot of school spirit homecoming week and I really enjoy the outdoor pep rally,” Maecy says. “Homecoming in a small town is special. It’s a literal home coming because people who went to school here come back for the game. You look in the stands and there’s parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.”

The Moore County Huntland rivalry

Will says the boy’s squad definitely considers Huntland their biggest rival but they also circle the Cascade game because they are close and good. He also says that tiny single A Moore County has developed quite a new rivalry with AAA Lincoln County.

For Paisley, the annual Moore County versus Huntland game is a big deal because her mom, Kim, attended Huntland High School and Paisley attend Huntland schools until the sixth grade.

““For me, it’s a very big rivalry because I played with all of the girls who will be here on Tuesday. I always wanna beat Huntland. I don’t want my old school to beat my new school.”

Last year, Moore County beat the Lady Hornets in a holiday tournament before losing both regular season games. Then, the determined Raiderettes got revenge in the District 9A Championship game — beating the Lady Hornets 52-39.

“I feel like this rivalry has been passed down through the generations,” Maecy adds. “My grandfather played in big games against Huntland and so did my dad and brother. Now, it’s my and my sister’s turn.”

Moore County opens district play tonight in Lynchburg. The Raiderettes tip off against the Lady Hornets at 6 p.m. and the Raiders play the Hornets immediately after. •

{The Lynchburg Times is an independently-owned, community newspaper located in Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of The Jack Daniel Distillery. We focus on public service, non-partisan, rural journalism. We cover the Metro Moore County government, local tourism, Moore County schools, high school sports, Motlow State Community College, as well as whiskey industry news and regional and state stories that affect our readers.}