Thomas done for season

Baylor junior McKenzie Thomas’ soccer season started off very promising. It ended very quickly.

Thomas tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, which will cause her to miss the rest of the season. She was an all-state selection and a first-team Best of Preps pick last season, after her team-leading 18 goals and six assists helped the Lady Red Raiders to a 16-1-1 record and their second consecutive Division II-AA runner-up finish.

Brooks has baby

Red Bank volleyball coach Christel Brooks gave birth to a son, Cooper Nathan Brooks, on Monday morning. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Brooks and her husband, Nathan, arrived at the hospital at 2 a.m. Cooper was born at 8:13.

“Everything is good,” Brooks said Monday afternoon. “He’ll be ready for his first volleyball game in no time.”

Former coach Susan Thurman, who was athletic director when she retired from Red Bank at the end of last school year, is back in charge of the Lady Lions temporarily and will be on the bench with assistant coach Mandi Munn when they play at GPS at 5:30 p.m. today. Brooks said she plans to be at Red Bank this weekend as a spectator for the Choo Choo tournament and hopes to “ease back” into her coaching duties next week.

Cross country starts

The 2010 cross country season begins today with the Chattanooga Cross Country League holding a meet at Heritage Middle School for the first time. The girls will run at 5 p.m., with the boys running afterward.

Baylor held a jamboree last week, and senior defending Division II-AA champion Hannah Jumper of the host school won the girls’ race. Class A/AA all-stater Robert Bridges, a Red Bank sophomore, won the boys’ race.

The Clara Bowl at Berry College will take place Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.

Choo Choo upcoming

The 24th Choo Choo volleyball tournament will be held this weekend at East Ridge and Red Bank.

Pool-play matches for the 16 teams at each site begins Friday afternoon. Action starts at 3 at East Ridge and at 4 at Red Bank. The last matches Friday night are scheduled to begin at 9.

Pool play resumes at both schools Saturday morning at 9, and final pool-play matches are set to start at 2 p.m. Single-elimination play is scheduled to begin at 4. The championship bracket will be played at East Ridge with a consolation bracket at Red Bank. Finals are slated for 7.

Friday’s pool play

At East Ridge

3—Ooltewah vs. Grace Academy; Bradley Central vs. Cleveland; 4—Grace Academy vs. Bradley Central; Ooltewah vs. Cleveland; Chattanooga Christian vs. Hixson; East Ridge vs. Greenbrier; 5—Ooltewah vs. Bradley Central; Grace Academy vs. Cleveland; CCS vs. Farragut; Livingston Academy vs. South Doyle; 6—East Ridge vs. Livingston Academy; Greenbrier vs. South Doyle; Donelson Christian Academy vs. Hixson; Knoxville Catholic vs. Sullivan South; 7—East Ridge vs. South Doyle; Greenbrier vs. Livingston Academy; DCA vs. Farragut; Blackman vs. Goodpasture; 8—Farragut vs. Hixson; CCS vs. DCA; Knoxville Catholic vs. Blackman; Goodpasture vs. Sullivan South; 9—Knoxville Catholic vs. Goodpasture; Blackman vs. Sullivan South.

At Red Bank

4—Red Bank vs. GPS; Signal Mountain vs. Walker Valley; Boyd-Buchanan vs. Warren County; Soddy-Daisy vs. Baylor; 5—Red Bank vs. Cookeville; Signal Mountain vs. White County; Boyd-Buchanan vs. Father Ryan; Eagleville vs. Baylor; 6—GPS vs. Cookeville; Walker Valley vs. Dobyns-Bennett; Warren County vs. Father Ryan; Soddy-Daisy vs. David Crockett; 7—Morristown East vs. Boyd-Buchanan; Baylor vs. David Crockett; Red Bank vs. Sullivan East; Signal Mountain vs. Dobyns-Bennett; 8—Morristown East vs. Warren County; Soddy-Daisy vs. Eagleville; GPS vs. Sullivan East; Walker Valley vs. White County. 9—Morristown East vs. Father Ryan; Eagleville vs. David Crockett; Cookeville vs. Sullivan East; Dobyns-Bennett vs. White County.