By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
Every year, local sports teams and individuals make the headlines with exceptional accomplishments and the 2024 calendar year was no exception.
From region titles and new coach hires to big time college signings these are the first half of the top headlines that dominated the Marshall County sports scene in 2024:
The Forrest Rockets pose with their Region 5-A hardware after defeating the Cascade Champions. (Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
6. Forrest soccer wins region title
The Forrest Rockets put forth one of the best runs in recent history, highlighted by wining the Region 5-A title over rival Cascade.
Highlighted by a competitive regular season slate between the two teams, Cascade and Forrest split the regular season meetings, with the Rockets picking up their win, 5-4 and the Champions winning their home match, 5-3.
The two teams met again in the District 6-A championship, with Cascade edging out a 3-2 win over Forrest.
With the loss, Forrest traveled to Loretto for the Region 5-A semifinal and made quick work of the Mustangs with a 5-0 win, setting up a fourth meeting against Cascade for the Region 5-A title.
This time, it was all Forrest as the Rockets handed the Champs a 3-0 loss.
The match could have been even more one-sided as Forrest had two goals called back.
Midway through the first half, Bosco Valdivieso put the Rockets on the board with the first score of the match.
Forrest padded its lead with a second score in the first half off the toe of Izaiah Haacke for a 2-0 halftime lead.
A second insurance goals cored with 26 minutes left in the match when Haacke scored again for the final goal of the afternoon.
Although the Rockets defeated Cascade in the region championship, the Rockets’ season came to an end in the Class A sectional against Westview.
The hard-fought match came down to penalty kicks, in which Westview won, outshooting the Rockets 4-2, for the 3-2 final score.
*Original reporting by Kacy Kincaid
Ben Franklin signs his letter of intent to continue his football career at the US Naval Academy. (Post File Photo by Patty Blackburn)
5. Ben Franklin signs with Navy
Former Cornersville standout tailback and defensive end Ben Franklin made his mark on the Bulldog football program on both sides of the ball.
From being arguably the most prolific runner in school history, to being a defensive terror for opposing offenses, Franklin’s prowess on the field put him on the radar of major schools
He set four offensive school records, but was also a defensive terror for opposing quarterbacks.
His versatility and ability to play both positions at the highest level eventually landed him on the Naval Academy’s radar.
Eventually, that led to his signing with the Midshipmen to continue his football career.
“I feel like it gives more security. It’s tough having all these options and not knowing where you want to go. I wanted to get it over with and know where I’m going to be for the next four years of my life,” Franklin said.
Franklin always felt the pull to join the service to follow in family footsteps.
“My grandfather was in the national guard and my brother is in the army. I wanted to follow in their footsteps and serve this country,” he said.
Franklin became one of the best Class 1A players during his senior season, recording 2,184 yards on 176 carries to go with 31 touchdowns in just 10 games.
Defensively, he recorded 11 sacks, 37 tackles for loss and forced five fumbles.
“I’m blessed. It’s been a pleasure. He’s a good kid. The Academies want players, but they want good people too. You’ve got to have the grades and everything in-between. He checks all the boxes,” Bulldog coach Eliot Cook said.
*Original reporting by Chris Siers
Last year, Coach Justin Palmer was named the head football coach of the Forrest Rockets. (Submitted Photo)
4. Forrest hires Justin Palmer
When the Forrest Rocket head football job came open, Justin Palmer knew it was a perfect opportunity to return to the mid-state.
“It’s great to be back in this area. We knew at some point we needed to get back in this area. This is a place I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t at the top of the list. Very thankful to be at Forrest and back in the area,” he said.
Palmer spent several years coaching at neighboring Shelbyville Central, before spending the past four seasons at Obion Central.
But the pull back to the mid-state eventually brought the new Rocket skipper close to his coaching roots.
The allure of returning to a tradition-rich school like Forrest was all too appealing for Palmer, who hopes to return the Rockets to being a perennial deep playoff team, although things may look a bit different on the field this fall.
“I’ve been a spread guy, but it’s like I told the players when I first met them. We have the state record for most passing yards in a game, but we also have the state record for most carries by a single person in a playoff game. We’re going to do whatever we need to do to give the team the best chance to win. They have been a Wing-T traditionally. They’re always known for that. It will be a big change, but it seems to be a welcomed change,” he said.
As Palmer took over the program in 2024, he brought about wholesale changes to the program, notably the offense, one thing that didn’t change was the family camaraderie he installed into his coaching staff and culture he’s building at Forrest.
“I want my son to graduate from here. That was attractive to know that when he gets into seventh grade, he will be in school with me. That’s really cool to me. It’s neat to be able to have such an impact on the middle school program, where I’ve not really had a chance to do that in the past because I’m coming from a place where we had four feeder schools,” he said.
“Getting all of them on the same page is difficult. Here, it’s not going to be a problem because they’re in the same building as me. So I can see those kids and build that relationship every day.”
Another key component for Palmer is building team chemistry, which is a key fundamental for a successful program.
“Team chemistry is the most important thing to me. I don’t feel like you can have a great football team without good team chemistry. Starting to build that and starting to make the changes we want to make.”
Forrest got off to a blazing hot start to the 2024 campaign and marked the first win in the Palmer era in the season opener against Watertown.
From there, Forrest won four-straight to start the season, but struggled with injuries as the Rockets finished the season with a 6-5 overall record, including a first-round loss in the Class 2-A playoffs at Monterey.
*Original reporting by Chris Siers and Kacy Kincaid
