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By Brad Durham
WHAT IS MATCH
Recently, the McMinnville Action To Create Housing (MATCH) hosted the documentary film Beyond The Bridge at the Park Theater on January 22, 2026. I founded MATCH and invited people to join the Board to assist the poorest of the poor in McMinnville—our homeless neighbors. My vision for MATCH is to operate as a 100% volunteer effort focusing on three areas: advocacy, managing resources, and developing programs.
OUR FIRST ACTION
Our first action as a nonprofit was to advocate publicly for permanent supportive housing for the unhoused in our county by presenting the film Beyond The Bridge and hosting a Town Hall Meeting afterward. What is permanent supportive housing? It is an evidence-based solution to homelessness that quickly places a homeless person or family into an apartment, usually owned by a private landlord. Two key components are the supportive services that follow the individual into permanent housing and a rental subsidy that helps address the issue of housing affordability.
The Town Hall Meeting featured City Mayor Ryle Chastain, County Executive Terry Bell, UCDD/UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley, Regional President of Ascension Saint Thomas Neal Kelley, and Sheila Fann, the Executive Director of HOME. I served as the moderator in my role as president of MATCH. Ninety percent of the questions came from the audience of 250 people.
ROUNDTABLE
The clear message from the Town Hall Meeting was that the mayor, county executive, executive director of UCDD/UCHRA, and the regional president of Ascension were all interested in sitting at a roundtable to develop and implement a public policy for creating permanent supportive housing. MATCH successfully advocated for permanent supportive housing in a forum that was free and open to everyone in McMinnville.
Town Hall Meeting after Beyond The Bridge. Panel and Moderator.
SPONSORS – SUPPORTERS
Our presenting sponsor, Ascension Saint Thomas River Park, donated $10,000 to help us create awareness and foster community involvement. Other sponsors included Ben Loman Connect, Security Federal Savings Bank, Youngblood and Associates, The Local, St. Matthews Episcopal Church, First United Methodist Church, the Southern Standard, and over 100 private citizens. Roland Advertising provided free billboard promotion for the event.
TWO OTHER POINTS OF FOCUS
MATCH has two other major focuses: resource management and program development. These are issues we wish to discuss at the roundtable with elected officials, regional and local service providers, business leaders, and private citizens. We have met individually and as a group with our police chief, the sheriff, the District Attorney, public defenders, and judges to discuss collaboration in addressing the disproportionate burden our unhoused neighbors create in these areas. There is a term often used to describe the pattern that the homeless follow—from hospitals to law enforcement, to courts, and then to jail—known as “frequent fliers” or “frequent users.”
Tent in Downtown McMinnville during the past two years…
Scene from Beyond The Bridge – Houston police outreach worker to the homeless.
CONSERVE PUBLIC RESOURCES
MATCH aims to conserve limited public resources by leading our homeless frequent users from this cycle by helping them transform into permanent supportive housing. To achieve this, we need to manage funding resources at the local, regional, state, and federal levels to develop full-time staff who can assist the homeless in navigating their way to permanent supportive housing.
Various levels of funding to support permanent supportive housing.
REPLICATE THE DOCUMENTARY FILM
If we had presented a great science fiction film like Star Wars by George Lucas and said we wanted to replicate the Rebel Base and Storm Troopers in McMinnville, you would think we were crazy! Yet, we showed a documentary film presenting an evidence-based positive solution to homelessness at the Park Theater and expressed our desire to replicate it in McMinnville.
BEDFORD FALLS VS POTTERSVILLE
Let me use another film analogy: Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, which many of us enjoy watching each Christmas. I am asking everyone throughout McMinnville and Warren County: Do you want McMinnville to be a Pottersville or a Bedford Falls?
CALL TO ACTION
There is something each of us can do to support the poorest of the poor in our community. You can become a positive advocate for permanent supportive housing, contribute your skills, resources, and compassion to help.
Watch this video and contact MATCH if you want to be part of the solution to homelessness in McMinnville by helping develop permanent supportive housing for our homeless neighbors.
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Ryan Heatherly, Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church By BRAD DURHAM
One of the most historic churches and buildings in downtown McMinnville over the past 135 years that continues to serve the community is First United Methodist Church. Ryan Heatherly is in his fourth year as the Senior Pastor for First Methodist. He is an intelligent, well-spoken man who has a heart for ministering to the poor in McMinnville. Ryan has taken an active role in leading the volunteer-operated Cold Weather Shelter at the First United Methodist Outreach Building which is located in the old H.G. Hill grocery store building next to the Church.
Recently, I asked Ryan Heatherly to answer five questions, and the following are Ryan’s answers to those questions.
BD Newsletter: Can you give me a brief biography — for those who do not know you?
Ryan Heatherly: I have been a pastor since 2014. Grew up in Union City in West Tennessee. My dad was a teacher. I was always going to be in the public education system. I went to UT in Knoxville, and since my dad was an employee of the state of Tennessee, I received a 25% discount on tuition.
Since I didn’t know what I wanted to do, one day my dad said, “What about business?” And I said, “Okay.” That sounded reasonable enough, and I got a marketing degree. After graduation, I went into sales. I did professional sales for about eight years. My last two stints in sales were during 2008-2010. The economy was not doing well and was in the tank. In 2008, I was laid off with about 10,000 people in the company. I was doing logistics sales.
During this time, I made a connection as I was finishing a graduate degree at UT, so I went into medical sales. But that didn’t go well either. I was terminated for not hitting my number.
Through a series of interviews that followed after that and some assessments I had to do to try and get my next job, I felt a call to the ministry. That decision was validated by some interesting, unforeseen spiritual encounters and experiences. Long story short, I went into ministry as an underpaid and overworked youth director at a small church.
In that I found my calling…something that others saw in me that I did not see in myself. I feel like I found a purpose in my life that was missing running in the rat race of life, trying to chase a number.
I grew up in a small, rural United Methodist Church, which is why I am in the United Methodist Church. It is native to my experience and my Christian faith. I grew up in a youth group, and at various times, my parents were youth leaders. I got real involved in the church as a young person, especially in high school.
My hobbies include playing golf and basketball. I played a lot more golf in my childhood. Through golf on the high school golf team, I got involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Faith and sports have always been interesting to me. At various stops in my ministry, I have tried to incorporate those two things. I eventually laid down my golf clubs. My son is 11, and I spend a lot of time in the gym with him coaching his team and playing basketball. I would like to see the resurgence of a church league here in town.
I am married, and we have been married since 2010. We have one son. For about three years we were foster parents. There is a 21-year-old young man out there somewhere who means something to us. He reminds me a lot of the cases that I try to minister to today…that rings true.
BD NEWSLETTER: What is your vision for the Emergency Cold Shelter for men at FUMC?
Ryan Heatherly: I would say that is still in formation…part of my vision is owed to my experience when I was serving at Grace United Methodist Church in Mt. Juliet. We were one of the suburban churches helping at Nashville’s Room In The Inn. Room In The Inn is an ecumenical effort to house people during the cold weather months. As a volunteer and pastor on staff, I was one of the volunteers who would stay overnight with the homeless guests. We partnered with a Catholic Church in town a couple of miles away. They had the space, and I volunteered there.
My vision is rooted in that experience in which a lot of churches can work together. Volunteers can make sure that people do not freeze to death during the coldest months. I think the role I am in now is more challenging because it is more organizational. I am trying to help lead our church and others in the community to share in this ecumenical effort. I have seen this work in Nashville and suburban areas.
I think it has the potential to work well here in McMinnville, and we are planting seeds for cooperation among churches. There is one Gospel. There is one Lord. The message that is inescapable is Jesus Himself was a person who bounced around from place to place. He ministered to the impoverished, the unfortunate, those on the margins.
If we are going to believe Christ, if we believe His words and witness, I think some ministry to serve those who are less fortunate and to help them on their journey as their friend has to be part of our ministry. I think our campus at First United Methodist Church is extremely versatile. We have three different buildings.
When I came to McMinnville, I learned that we had an outreach building. One of my predecessors, Adam Rush, was instrumental in getting some of the ministries going with the homeless. There were showers and other resources for people in the outreach building, and I think he helped support those efforts.
For us to have an Outreach Building, I think it would be a shame to call it that and not live up to its name. If we are going to have an Outreach Building, it is imperative that we reach out to those in the community. Some of those in our community walk by our church several times a day. Some are homeless. Some are struggling with addiction. Some need mentors. Some have skills that can be used in the life of the church that are often overlooked.
I would like to see how we can leverage those skills among the people that we serve. Maybe they can be of help to the needs of the church and community. They could be put in places where they would be valued and relied upon. A small example of that is the rodent problem we have in the basement of the Outreach Center. A homeless guest helped me make a mouse trap, and I am going to put that in the basement and see if it works. I brought the tools and he did the labor, and together we did it. FYI – We just caught our first mouse!
I would like to figure out how we can help support people to move ahead in life. I don’t think many people say when they are growing up that they want to be homeless. I have never heard anyone seriously say that or sarcastically say that. Yet, that is where they find themselves. Some people are ready to work and walk through that process, and others may not be. I think it is important to be willing to work with anyone to see who is the most ready to benefit some guidance, support and nurturing. In some cases, they may need to be challenged to utilize their gifts and capabilities.
In summary, my experience at the Room In The Inn, the reality that we have an Outreach Building at First United Methodist Church, and the general life and witness of Jesus.
BD Newsletter: What part of the Gospels, teachings of Jesus inspired your vision?
Ryan Heatherly: Beginning with the Scriptures, I also think there is an experiential component to it as well…If I think about the early life of Jesus from his earliest days, his family was on the run. They were refugees in Egypt for some length of time. They settled in Nazereth, and as an older person, Jesus made Capernaum his hometown. He probably stayed with Peter’s mother-in-law a lot of the time.
Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head…” This was something that he was probably accustomed to, maybe comfortable with – not having a home. Jesus had a purpose, but he appeared to be comfortable with being homeless. That was part of his greater purpose. He was not settling down; he was always on the move. He had a nomadic lifestyle. I think He used that to do the greater good, to serve his ultimate calling — to save the lost.
There is an inescapable scripture that is well-known and cited often — Matthew 25:31-46. I just recently preached on this and used it as a platform to talk to our congregation to use our Outreach Building as a Cold Weather Shelter. I acknowledge the fact that we often do not know what is helpful and what is hurtful for underprivileged people or someone who lacks housing.
Jesus said, “Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.” On the flipside, whatever you don’t do for the least of these, you don’t do for Me. I think that is an inescapable challenge for those of us who take Jesus’ words seriously.
In that passage, He introduces the idea that it is a judgment of nations, which we sometimes overlook. I think that as one of the most privileged nations, we need to take seriously the call to think about those who are less fortunate. While we may be a rich nation in comparison to other nations in the world, I think it is our duty and responsibility to minister to those who don’t share in that prosperity.
At the conclusion of His teaching, Jesus said in Matthew 25:45, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” When we leave somebody else out, Jesus would say that when we are overlooking Him, leaving Him out…we are leaving Him out of the equation of our life and our calling.
BD Newsletter: Do you have a strategic plan for the shelter and people experiencing homelessness in McMinnville?
Ryan Heatherly: I think our strategic plan is unfolding, coming to the surface. We may not have a strategic plan written down, but I also recognize that we could talk about things for a really long time and not act upon them. We are learning a lot. I am proud that we actually doing something as a church and community with the space and resources that we have.
We have plenty of resources in terms of financial contributions and human capital to do something that is worthwhile. Initially when I made the appeal to the congregation to go forth with this Cold Weather Shelter…I felt as though it was a need. We have the resources. We also had some experience with it on a short-term basis last year. We are now at a point to make a go at it, and along the way, we can do it increasingly well.
It hasn’t been perfect. My vision is to get as many churches involved as possible. Because of my experience with Room at the Inn, I do not think one church can solve the homeless challenge or epidemic. It is going to take more than me. It is going to take more than one church. If we are all ministering to the same community, it makes sense to me to join hands – to try and offer the resources and gifts that each church and civic organization can contribute.
One of the things we can offer as a church is space with the Outreach Center. We can live up to our name as an Outreach Center. That is what we are doing.
I hope that I have a much more concrete answer to that question a year from now.
BD NEWSLETTER: What do you like best about living in McMinnville?
Ryan Heatherly: I really like the outdoor scene here, the Barren Fork River. One of the baptisms we had was in Myers Cove, and I like the natural scenery. The proximity to the big city life is available if you want it. I grew up in a small town, I prefer living in a smaller town. McMinnville reminds me of the small-town environment that I prefer. Having lived in suburban Nashville, I cannot see myself living in a big city and enjoying it as much.
I also like that my family likes McMinnville a lot. There has never been a day when my wife or son have said they are looking forward to the next place we will live. It is more like I dread the day we have to leave. We have moved a lot. Hopefully, we won’t have to think about that for a long time.
Link to volunteer at the Cold Weather Shelter: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0444ACAA2DAB9-54174785-cold#/
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This morning I was reading a post on Facebook with random facts. One of the facts stated that outdoor cats live for 3 years and indoor cats can live up to 16 years. The next thing I did was google it, and this came up in my search:
“An indoor cat may live 15-17 years, while the life expectancy for outdoor cats is only 2-5 years, according to researchers at University of California-Davis. Dr. Jeff Levy, DVM, CVA, owner of House Call Vet NYC, also discourages owners from keeping cats outdoors.”
As I contemplated this, I visualized a cat I often see who lives outside. Then I started thinking about people living on the street and in tents in McMinnville. My mind also drifted to people who live outside in tents in refugee camps. Then Tom Petty’s song, “Refugee” popped into my head.
REFUGEE, BY TOM PETTY
We did somethin’ we both know it
We don’t talk too much about it
Ain’t no real big secret all the same
Somehow we get around it
Listen it don’t really matter to me, baby
You believe what you want to believe
You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)Somewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Tell me why you want to lay there
Revel in your abandon
Honey, it don’t make no difference to me, baby
Everybody’s had to fight to be free
You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)
Now baby, you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee) NoBaby we ain’t the first
I’m sure a lot of other lovers been burned
Right now this seems real to you
But it’s one of those things
You gotta feel to be trueSomewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Who knows, maybe you were kidnapped
Tied up, taken away and held for ransom, honey
It don’t really matter to me, baby
Everybody’s had to fight to be free
You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)
No, you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)
You don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)
Oh, oh, ohSongwriters: Michael W Campbell / Thomas Earl Petty
Refugee lyrics © Gone Gator Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Wixen Music Publishing
Tom Petty may have been singing about lovers, but it fits perfectly as I think about people who are experiencing homelessness. However, there is a catch for me personally. During the past year, I have been volunteering to help a little with people who are homeless. I am watching people leave a building after they can eat and shower to go live outside and sleep outdoors on the actual streets, sidewalks and in tents. I have come to the conclusion that I am enabling or helping them to live there by not doing something to help them live in a home.
So, I googled “life expectancy of a person living outdoors vs. indoors.” This is what appeared on my computer screen:
Generally, a person living primarily outdoors would have a significantly lower life expectancy compared to someone living indoors, due to increased exposure to environmental hazards like weather extremes, predators, accidents, and lack of access to basic necessities, making living entirely outdoors is considerably more risky for health and longevity.
Key points to consider:
- Environmental dangers:
Exposure to harsh weather conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, and storms, can lead to health complications and potential fatalities.
- Predators and accidents:
Individuals living outdoors are more vulnerable to attacks from wild animals and potential accidents due to lack of controlled environments.
- Access to healthcare:
Limited access to medical care and sanitation facilities when living outdoors can exacerbate health issues.
I don’t need medical experts to tell me that living outdoors shortens the life expectancy of someone. I have seen what happens with my own eyes. People’s health deteriorates rapidly over a few months of living outdoors or in conditions where the roof leaks and there is no electricity or running water. The hazards of living outdoors, especially when you are disabled are real. Thurman Crisp, a disabled veteran, was living on the streets in McMinnville, and he passed away on December 2, 2024 when he was crossing the street and hit accidentally by a vehicle.
Tom Petty was right, you don’t have to live like a refugee. But until I can help develop and implement a strategic plan to keep men and women from living outside in tents and living in a home, I believe that I am allowing people to live like refugees in McMinnville. And I am embarrassed to keep thinking and saying that there is nothing I can do about it.
Refugee on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4mcZYzoGwPRDdhWVlygiHf?si=a132825cb4534c93
Refugee on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fFnOfpIJL0M?si=6MMpcQ9SJ4BdbtYM
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By Brad Durham
First United Methodist Church, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and H.O.M.E. are collaborating to provide a men’s shelter during cold weather at First Methodist’s Outreach Building. The staff is maintained by volunteers, and volunteers are needed to stay overnight with the guests. A signup link is below.
Link to signup to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0444ACAA2DAB9-54174785-coldfbclid=IwY2xjawHqXfZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQhnXlkEqY5EM0GPdFgvtXlViplwYZsAffyVnlcEenqxfpBsdyKeWTEhHw_aem_E92inJlT5pNOrh5mTOtUjg#/
Registering at the link above with SignUpGenius will take only 5-10 minutes.
If you wish to speak with anyone about volunteering, please call First United Methodist Church at (931) 473-4419.
Volunteers will be asked to sign a code of conduct form and stay at the shelter from 8:30 PM to 7:30 AM.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The McMinnville Cold Weather Shelter for men will open on a contingency basis – based upon two factors. When the temperature is 28-degrees or below (or 25-degree wind chill factor), the Cold Weather Shelter will open. The other factor will be if there are a sufficient number of volunteers to operate the overnight shelter.
McMinnville First United Methodist Church is hosting the McMinnville Cold Weather Shelter for men only from 6:00 PM to 7:30 AM. This is a collaboration with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, HOME and volunteers.
Please spread the word so that any male person experiencing homelessness in McMinnville and Warren County will have the opportunity to come inside during severe cold weather.
If you or anyone you know wishes to volunteer, please have them contact First United Methodist Church at (931) 473-4419.
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By Brad Durham
Dylan was 24 in 1965, when he went electric at Newport. Listening to some of his songs from that period blows my mind.
I was nine years old in 1965, and I’m not sure I knew Dylan existed back then. I may have been 16 when I first really realized who Dylan was as a songwriter.
And I thought I was a decent music enthusiast when I was around 14, collecting 45s and listening to the Top 40 hits on WLS at night on my bedside radio. How did I miss this guy in 1965 when I was alive? It was all Beatles and what was on the radio and TV back then.
It wasn’t until I really started listening to music and buying albums that music became spiritual and meaningful to me. The album that made music personally meaningful to me was QUADROPHENIA. That crazy dude from England was speaking to my psychologically troubled mind and broken heart.
Then Dylan became like the Shakespeare rock and roll spokesman to me. But it was always Pete Townshend who gave me personal therapy in rock and roll.
Then Springsteen jumped out to me with DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN. I was already into Christian rock and roll at this point, but DARKNESS reached into the troubled psychological parts of my mind.
Then Jim Morrison’s poetry was put to music by the remaining Doors with the release of AN AMERICAN PRAYER. Jim Morrison’s writings and stories would change everything for me 38 years after the release of that record when I went to New Mexico to clean my doors of perception.
Jim Morrison Photo copyright Frank Lisciandro These artists and albums helped shape my life, for better or worse. They actually helped me make sense of my experiences and life. Not sure how I would have made it this far without them.
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By Brad Durham
First United Methodist Church and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church co-hosted a night at the Park Theater for people experiencing homelessness and underprivileged children. Guests at the party enjoyed free popcorn, cookies, and drinks. In addition, children were given gifts of stuffed animals and adults received a gift bag containing a gift card, winter hat, hand warmers, and a flashlight. The movies viewed were A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS featuring Jim Carrey.
A few of the gifts that were leftover at the Park Theater will be given out to guests at the McMinnville Cold Weather Shelter in the near future.
THANK YOU TO THE HOSTS AND SUPPORTERS
Thank you to Pastor Ryan Heatherly and First United Methodist Church who also hosted a concert and meal for people who are experiencing homelessness prior to the movies at the Park Theater. It was part of First Methodist’s commitment to celebrating Happy Birthday for Jesus, which is the reason for the season.
Thank you to Rev. Charles McClain and St. Matthew’s Church for paying the fee to use the Park Theater and supplying gifts for the children. Thank you to Joe Harvey for helping direct the event at the Park Theater.
A big thank you for everyone who donated to support the Christmas Party. The movies, refreshments and gifts made this a special night for many people in McMinnville.
Pastor Ryan Heatherly and
Rev. Charles McClain.
Stuffed animals donated for kids. 
Gift bags donated for adults. 
For Your Information…
McMinnville First United Methodist Church hosted a McMinnville Cold Weather Shelter for men on Wednesday night, December 11, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 AM the next day. This is an ongoing collaboration with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, HOME and volunteers.
The McMinnville Cold Weather Shelter for men will open on a contingency basis – based upon two factors. When the temperature is 28-degrees or below (or 25-degree wind chill factor), the Cold Weather Shelter will open. The other factor will be if there is a sufficient number of volunteers to operate the overnight shelter.
Please spread the word so that any male person experiencing homelessness in McMinnville and Warren County will have the opportunity to come inside during severe cold weather.
If you or anyone you know wishes to volunteer, please have them contact First United Methodist Church at (931) 473-4419.
A Message from Pastor Ryan Heatherly…
We would like to invite fellow church & community peers to join a community effort to shelter unhoused neighbors on the coldest nights. Please share as appropriate.
This coming weekend ( Dec. 20-22) is currently forecasted to be below 28 degrees, so we should plan to open 3 consecutive nights, provided we have enough volunteers. https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/89e6c7bcef61709cb3d08151c449da1f0ec0f9ae78cb6632d1ba4281752e8c71
Being a weekend, hopefully we can utilize more volunteers in various roles. Breakfast should not be required Saturday, given the normal HOME schedule. Let us know if you have 1-2 men willing to stay Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, or for various other roles. Any meals should feed about 10 in number. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, 5-6 men stayed overnight + 2 volunteers. See attached for more information. Email or call me if you can help. Email: ryan@mcminnvillefumc.com Phone: 931-473-4419
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C.J. Taylor at Vanderbilt (photo provided) C.J. at Blackman 2020 (photo Brad Durham)
C.J. Taylor…
Matt Turner is the greatest Warren County football coach. When you haven’t won in 43 years, I think there is a new greatest coach of all-time.
Maybe they just need to look internal before looking for a new coach. Starts at the top of the food chain AD, Principal. All that. They need to figure themselves out first. Take a long stare in the mirror, and look internally.
Regarding the possibility of transferring to another high school…I was transferring to Oakland. Coach Sullens and Coach Turner talked me out of it.
Doug Wells pregame 2020. The infamous, Syrup Squad, created by Doug Wells. Pictured are Braden Bottoms, Doug Wells and Kaden Jordan. (photos Brad Durham)
Doug Wells…
Coach Turner played a huge role in my life. He was a father figure, not just to me, but to several other guys as well. He has done so much for me — I will never be able to repay him. No one cares more about the well-being of Warren County football than that man.
Also, at times during our historical season in 2020, I didn’t always understand why Coach Turner would have us do certain things…like running 40 40’s every Monday or perfecting every play in our play book, but I do now. Looking back, he made us do everything right, down to the minute details. Because he didn’t want us to settle to be mediocre. I learned more about life during my time playing for him than football. He taught us how to love and how to be good men. Everyone has an opinion on Matt Turner and that’s fine. But one thing you can’t argue about is his dedication to Pioneer football and his dedication to changing young men’s lives.
Aiden Cummings, WCHS Football Weight Room 2020 (photo Brad Durham). Aiden Cummings (photo provided)
Aiden Cummings…
“I am because we are” — do I know if that was something he made? No, but it was something he made us believe and it can describe how it felt playing under him. If one went, we all went. When the team is together and strong, we were unstoppable. Not just one player made the team. We all made the team.
I can agree with that not many coaches come in and try building relationships with as many players as he did. With that came trust, and we trusted him. And that got us those results, along with CJ having the performance he did, along with the o-line and the Holders. There are 5 or more players I could name as well. But considering we had put together some key players we had missed since middle school, I feel we would have still have been successful. Coach Turner was a former player, and as a coach, he understood us. On top of that he was local. He wanted it just as bad as us. He’d literally be out there with his hand in the dirt practicing. Head coaches don’t do that now. They just want to look good.
As for me playing football at Warren County that year, I had a debate about if I should play. I did play. But coming off the bad seasons we had, it was a real gut check time. Like a calling to reality. Just because we didn’t win this amount of games doesn’t mean we can’t work and get the team to the standard that we wanted to reach.
I do recall me wanting to quit with coach Turner as the coach but I don’t think he was the head coach. It had nothing to do with him, but after talking with him, he’d give you no other reason but to want to stay. He’d put that spark in you if you didn’t think you had it before.
Just ask about the pregame and halftime speeches. That man was bleeding Warren County, and I’m gonna say something extra for me. It’s sickening when you see a community turn against a coach that gave his all to the community. He had relationships with the players well enough to know how to coach them, but we also pushed for the relationships like that.
Matt and Autumn Turner after a game. Matt Turner at practice. Matt Turner working on a jersey. (photos Brad Durham)
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By Brad Durham
Matt Turner deserved the opportunity to coach the Warren County High School football team for the next two years. He has dedicated himself to football since he was a student at Warren County Middle School. One coach out of 10 coaches in the past 34 years has led the football team to a winning season at Warren County High School. That coach is Matt Turner.
During the past 34 seasons, the high school Pioneer football team recorded nine 0-10 regular seasons. The head coaches of those teams were Franklin Fisher, Sid Fritts, Glen Campbell, Heath Woods, Gerald Tidwell, Chris Madewell, Tommy Johnson and Matt Turner. Every head football coach at Warren County who coached for two or more seasons experienced an 0-10 season except Tom Moore.
It is worth repeating. Only one out of the past 10 coaches in 34 Pioneer football seasons has had a winning season. Matt Turner led the Pioneers to an 8-3 season. Matt Turner has won only three games in the four seasons after his team broke the losing streak. Turner is not the only head coach who has struggled to win football games in Warren County.
There have been only 11 winning football seasons in the 56-year history of Warren County High School. 80% of Warren County’s high school football seasons have been losing seasons. Losing is the norm, not the exception.
Why does each administration keep hiring coaches without providing proper support and leadership for the program? Anyone who becomes superintendent or principal of the high school has to know the history of the football program.
I have had been able to witness the football program up close for the past 34 years, and in my opinion, there has been a lack of institutional support for the football program since Sid Fritts was the head coach. Everyone involved in the football program and administration since 1994 may disagree with me. From my perspective, the foundation has been cracked and the administration has failed to repair it.
It takes more than a head coach to support a high school football program. Until the Warren County Schools’ administration can give the proper level of support to the football program, it is not reasonable to expect any different outcomes.
Warren County keeps putting football coaches into a program that has a 34-year history of losing. The only coach who led his team to a winning season was Matt Turner. Principal Chris Hobbs thinks he has the ability to reboot the football program. I hope the people of Warren County have enough of an interest in the football program to actually hold Chris Hobbs responsible for the reboot.
Dr. Grant Swallows stated that he “feels the need to start fresh with a new person in the lead.” It is interesting that Swallows hired a communications director this summer, and he chose to release this statement through that person. Is that how Warren County Schools operates now? Is that the best use of public-school funds in a small town?
I asked Grant Swallows for an interview recently to discuss the status of Matt Turner’s position and the football program in general. I was given the school’s statement in an email. As a citizen in a small town, I find the lack of direct communication to the public regarding the release of a football coach surprising.
It is my hope that the Warren County public will demand more answers about why Matt Turner was not retained as head coach. And furthermore, what are the plans to repair the foundation of the high school football program? What makes this administration confident that they can reboot the program and start fresh with a better coach than Matt Turner?
It would be a mistake to say that this administration alone is responsible for the losing status of the high school football program. However, it would be accurate to state that the present administration bears some responsibility. Leadership starts at the top, and the present administration has not provided the leadership necessary to repair the cracked foundation of Warren County football.
For anyone paying attention, this is the same administration that hired Mendy Stotts to coach the girls basketball team. This is the same administration that intentionally ended Sable Winfree’s high school basketball career.
During the past 25 years, I have worked with hundreds of high school coaches from one end of the state to the other. I have observed a lot of strange decisions that many people in both small and large towns thought would never happen. Witnessing the end of Sable Winfree’s high school basketball career and Matt Turner’s tenure as the head football coach at Warren County High School are as strange as it gets.
To quote the late great Bishop Desmond Tutu, “when do we stop pulling people out of the river and go upstream and find out why they’re falling in?“
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS:
Warren County High School Announces Head Coaching Change
McMinnville, Tenn., November 15, 2024 – Warren County High School has announced a change in direction for the leadership of the Pioneer football program. Matt Turner served as the head coach beginning in 2019 and for the last six seasons. His tenure included highlights such as the Pioneers’ first winning season in recent years while simultaneously yielding Warren County’s first-ever Mr. Football in CJ Taylor.
WCHS Executive Principal Chris Hobbs commended Turner for the impact he made on the football program. “I want to personally thank Coach Turner for his dedication, integrity, and the countless hours he has devoted to our school and our students. No one has ever doubted any of those things. In our meetings to evaluate the state of Pioneer football, we felt we needed a ‘reboot’ and thus this decision became necessary,” he said.
Since the end of the 2024 season, Warren County High School has been formulating a plan for the future of the football team, including taking steps to play a more competitive, non-region schedule in 2025 and 2026.
“I want to thank Coach Matt Turner for his time as the head coach of our football program. He has been invaluable for many years and is a Pioneer to his core. His commitment and the investment into the lives of our student-athletes is second to none,” said Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, Warren County Schools. “With that said, Warren County High School is in the midst of a new course for the program and feels the need to start fresh with a new person in the lead. That decision should not diminish the fact that Matt Turner is an outstanding leader of young men and that he has done tremendous work over the last 6 seasons. The search for a new coach will begin immediately and will take place over the next few weeks,” he added.
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Below is a link to the NY TIMES column by David Brooks. It is worth reading, no matter your political affiliation. No matter how you voted, this article provides good insight. If you consider yourself a democrat, you definitely need to read it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/opinion/identity-groups-politics.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aE4.g2mo.DfYY-TNJ5NHc&smid=url-share: A COLUMN BY DAVID BROOKSDAVID BROOKS
Why We Got It So Wrong
Let me ask you a few questions:
If the Democrats nominated a woman to run for president, would you expect her to do better among female voters than the guy who ran in her place four years before?
If the Democrats nominated a Black woman to run for president, would you expect her to do better among Black voters than the white candidate who ran in her place four years before?
If the Republicans nominated a guy who ran on mass deportation and consistently said horrible things about Latino immigrants, would you expect him to do worse among Latino voters over time?
If the Democrats nominated a vibrant Black woman who was the subject of a million brat memes, would you expect her to do better among young voters than the old white guy who ran before her?
If you said yes to any of these questions, as I would have a month ago, you have some major rethinking to do, because all of these expectations were wrong.
In 2024, Kamala Harris did worse among Black voters than Joe Biden did in 2020. She did worse among female voters. She did much worse among Latino voters. She did much worse among young voters.
She did manage to outperform Biden among two groups: affluent people and white voters, especially white men. If there is one sentence that captures the surprising results of this election, it is this one from the sociologist Musa al-Gharbi: “Democrats lost because everyone except for whites moved in the direction of Donald Trump this cycle.”
Going into this campaign, I did not have that one on my bingo card.
Why were so many of our expectations wrong? Well, we all walk around with mental models of reality in our heads. Our mental models help us make sense of the buzzing, blooming confusion of the world. Our mental models help us anticipate what’s about to happen. Our mental models guide us as we make decisions about how to get the results we want.
Many of us are walking around with broken mental models. Many of us go through life with false assumptions about how the world works.
Where did we get our current models? Well, we get models from our experience, our peers, the educational system, the media and popular culture. Over the past few generations, a certain worldview that emphasizes racial, gender and ethnic identity has been prevalent in the circles where highly educated people congregate. This worldview emerged from the wonderful liberation movements that highlighted American life over the past seven decades: the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, the gay rights movement, the trans rights movement.
The crucial assertion of the identitarian mind-set is that all politics and all history can be seen through the lens of liberation movements. Society is divided between the privileged (straight white males) and the marginalized (pretty much everyone else). History and politics are the struggle between oppressors and oppressed groups.
In this model, people are seen as members of a group before they are seen as individuals. When Biden picked his running mate in 2020 and his Supreme Court nominee in 2022, he told us he was going to pick a Black woman before he decided who it was going to be. In both cases her identity grouping came before her individual qualities.
In this model, society is seen as an agglomeration of different communities. Democrats thus produce separate agendas designed to mobilize Black men, women and so on. The goal of Democratic politics is to link all the oppressed and marginalized groups into one majority coalition.
In this model, individual cognition is de-emphasized while collective consciousness is emphasized. Groups are assumed to be relatively homogeneous. People are seen as representatives of their community. Standpoint epistemology reigns. This is the idea that a person’s ideas are primarily shaped not by individual preferences but by the experience of the group. It makes sense to say, “Speaking as a gay Hispanic man …” because a person’s thoughts are assumed to be dispatches from a communal experience.
This identity politics mind-set is psychologically and morally compelling. In an individualistic age, it gives people a sense of membership in a group. It helps them organize their lives around a noble cause, fighting oppression.
But this mind-set has just crashed against the rocks of reality. This model assumes that people are primarily motivated by identity group solidarity. This model assumes that the struggle against oppressive systems and groups is the central subject of politics. This model has no room for what just happened.
It turns out a lot of people don’t behave like ambassadors from this or that group. They think for themselves in unexpected ways.
It turns out that many people don’t see politics and history through the paradigm of liberation movements. They are concerned with all kinds of issues that don’t fit into the good-versus-evil mind-set of oppressor versus oppressed: How do you fix inflation? How can we bring down crime? What should our policy on Ukraine be?
Plenty of people are exhausted by the crude generalizations that are so common today. For example, analysts talk about gender wars and hypermasculine Trump supporters. But in most elections, as in this one, there’s not a vast difference between how men and women vote. The differences within the male and female populations are greater than the differences between these populations.
A lot of the group categories that identity politics rely on don’t make much sense. For example, the category “Hispanic voter” includes people of Mexican descent whose families have been in Texas for 350 years as well as families from Chile who came to New York a decade ago.
The category “people of color” doesn’t make sense, either, as a way to group individuals as a political force. America has been uniquely wretched to Black Americans, practicing structural racism that shows up today, for example, in the horrendous wealth gap between Black and white people. The diverse communities we call Asian and Hispanic Americans came here largely voluntarily. Many of them have been able to prosper and experience educational and income trajectories that are different from those of a community that has suffered hundreds of years of slavery and discrimination.
Even the most solid identity group categories are fluid. As a recent Pew Research Center study found, among people who married in 2022, 32 percent of Asian Americans married outside their ethnic group, as did 30 percent of Hispanics, 23 percent of Black people and 15 percent of white people. In one Pew survey 58 percent of Hispanics also identified as white.
The identity politics mind-set has made it harder to deal with nuts-and-bolts issues like how to address the homelessness crisis or reduce opioid deaths and how to run an institution in which people treat one another decently. Have you noticed that the places most rife with this mind-set (progressive cities and elite universities) have experienced one leadership failure after another?
This is a time when we all should be updating our mental models and making our view of society more complex. And I’m seeing a lot of that around me as people try to learn from what just happened.
But I’m also seeing many people who are still victims of conceptual blindness. They are so imprisoned by their mental models, they can interpret these results only in identity politics terms: Harris lost because America is racist (even though she did virtually the same as Biden did among white voters). Harris lost because America is sexist (even though she underperformed among women). Some people blamed white women for abandoning their Black sisters, as if lack of gender solidarity were the main thing going on here.
Identitarian takes are strewn across the media. The New Yorker ran an analysis piece headlined “How America Embraced Gender War.” Slate ran a piece called “Men Got Exactly What They Wanted.” The Guardian ran a piece called “Our Mistake Was to Think We Lived in a Better Country Than We Do.” If the election didn’t come out the way we wanted, it must be because of their groups’ bigotry against our groups.
As I try to update my own models, a few stray thoughts enter my mind. First, you don’t reduce racial, ethnic and gender bigotry by raising the salience of these categories and by exaggerating the differences between groups. Second, integration is better than separatism. Diverse societies prosper when people in different categories cooperate in respectful ways on a day-to-day basis, not when we divide people into supposedly homogeneous enclaves. Third, assimilation is not a dirty word, as long as it’s voluntary; it’s not a sin to feel that your love for America transcends your love for your ethnic group, and you don’t really love America if you despise half its people. Fourth, most of the world’s problems are caused by stupidity and human limitation, not because there’s some malevolently brilliant group of oppressors keeping everybody else down.
Fifth, seeing groups in all their complexity requires seeing individuals in all their complexity. To see people well, you have to see what makes them unique. You also have to see which groups they belong to. You also have to see their social location — where they fit in the economic, social and status hierarchies. When you’re able to see people at all three levels of reality, you’re beginning to see them holistically.
Finally, we need a social vision that doesn’t rely on zero-sum us/them thinking. During his first term, Trump unleashed a cultural assault based on his version of identity politics. The left responded by doubling down on its identitarian mind-set. We have to do better this time.
In 1959 the British jurist Patrick Devlin made a point that should haunt us: “Without shared ideas on politics, morals and ethics, no society can exist.” He added, “If men and women try to create a society in which there is no fundamental agreement about good and evil, they will fail; if having based it on common agreement, the agreement goes, the society will disintegrate.”
We need a social vision that is as morally compelling as identity politics but does a better job of describing reality. We need a national narrative that points us to some ideal and gives each of us a noble role in pursuing it. That’s the gigantic cultural task that lies ahead.
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By Brad Durham
Pioneer quarterback, Brady Swallows is pursued by Tullahoma defender, Creed Adams, No. 2
There were contrasts between Warren County and Tullahoma Friday night at Nunley Stadium. Tullahoma was dominant on the field with a convincing 32-7 victory over the Pioneers. The visitors may have also dominated in the stands. Tullahoma filled their side of the stadium with fans and their band. They even had an overflow of fans onto the track. There were many empty seats on the home side of the field. Ultimately, it was a contrast of winning versus losing.
Tullahoma scored on all four of their possessions in the first half. Their only major flaws were on special teams — missed extra point conversions and a fumbled punt return.
In the first quarter, Tullahoma fumbled a punt return and Warren County recovered the football near midfield. The score was 6-0 in Tullahoma’s favor at this stage of the game. On their first play after recovering the fumble, Warren County executed a hook and lateral pass successfully for a 9-yard gain. Two plays later, a holding penalty negated a run by junior Isaiah Robledo that would have given the Pioneer’s a first down deep in Tullahoma territory. The inability to advance the ball after a big gain on first down forced the Pioneers to punt. Tullahoma scored two plays later to go up 12-0 with only :48 seconds left in the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same with Tullahoma scoring on their next two possessions that increased their lead to 25-0. Warren County threw a Hail Mary pass with :35 seconds left in the first half, which was intercepted. A touchdown-saving tackle near the goal line prevented Tullahoma from scoring again as time expired in the first half.
Freshman quarterback AJ Whitman, No. 25 is under center late in the second half against Tullahoma. Other Pioneer players are sophomore Ethan Holder, No. 56, junior Hayden Watts, No. 53, senior Jon-David Vanatta and freshman, David Franco, No. 78. No. 45 for Tullahoma is junior, Thomas Anderson. Tullahoma returned the opening second half kickoff for a touchdown. The extra point was good, and Tullahoma went up 32-0. Tullahoma started substituting players on both sides of the ball after its first defensive possession. Warren County mounted an impressive 88-yard scoring drive in the third quarter to put points on the board. There was no more scoring in the game which ended with a 32-7 win for Tullahoma.
POST GAME COMMENTS
After the game, coaches on both teams made similar comments about the Warren County football team. Pioneer offensive coordinator, Josh Harris indicated that the Pioneers are lacking size in certain areas, and were injured, which forced younger players to be in the game. Defensive coordinator Camron Bond said, “At this point in the season, we have some injuries and some younger guys are playing. They are making improvements. We have been undersized, and are struggling to make plays at the point of contact.”
Tullahoma head coach Coy Sisk, echoed what coaches Harris and Bond stated. Sisk said, “Warren County did what they could. They’re banging and doing what they can do. Defensively, they just got a little outmatched in the secondary. Their front line is pretty tough. Once you get in the backfield, they are just not as big as the guys they have been playing.”
A familiar face was wearing a different uniform in the game. Creed Adams, No. 2 was starting at linebacker for the Wildcats. His family moved to Tullahoma earlier this year. Adams is a senior and he is on track to play in his first playoff game. Creed is also experiencing his first winning season as a high school football player. Creed Adams was a freshman the year after the Pioneers went 8-3 in 2020. .
Creed Adams stood out in Warren County as a freshman because of his natural athletic ability and intense determination. Adams has a strong drive to excel at football. This spring he increased his strength in the weight room at Tullahoma. He has impressed his coaches at Tullahoma with his dedication and positive, respectful attitude.
Adams expressed some of his feelings about coming back to McMinnville and leaving with a victory. He said, “Of course I wanted to win and that makes me happy. But I like seeing all my guys too. Right now, we are 4-1 in the region, and we have big playoff hopes.” Before Creed Adams left the stadium, he went over and embraced his former coaches with hugs and spoke to his former head coach, Matt Turner.
Warren County head coach Matt Turner reflected after the game about what his team is experiencing. Turner said, “We have had a tough, tough schedule this year. Everybody on our schedule is either undefeated or has only a few losses. These boys (Pioneers) are playing well and giving it everything they’ve got. We don’t have much depth, and it is unfortunate that not enough of their classmates are out (on the football team). I am so proud of these guys who are out here busting their tail Monday through Thursday, and then showing up on Friday and giving it everything they’ve got.”
Turner continued, “We saw when Tullahoma started pulling out their number ones that we started being more competitive. That is where we are as a program. Tullahoma won a state championship a few years ago. They may be a smaller school, but they are a damn good football team. We have some good football players who are busting their tails, and we have another opportunity next week to go knock this goose egg off our record.”
The Pioneers are 0-8 for the season. Tullahoma is 5-3, and two of their losses were against larger 6A teams. Next week Warren County travels to Lebanon to face Wilson Central in a region game. Wilson Central is 2-6 and 0-4 in the region.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
CREED ADAMS
MATT TURNER, WARREN COUNTY HEAD COACH
COY SISK, TULLAHOMA HEAD COACH
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By Brad Durham
Photo is from the Warren County Pioneer Football Facebook Page Foreword: I listened to Simmons Says Podcast Facebook Fallout – Episode 37 (part 2) today while driving to schools. This was an exceptionally insightful and in-depth look at Warren County High School football. I have been thinking about a positive solution for Pioneer football, and the discussions in Jeff Simmons’ podcast provoked me to write down my thoughts. Both Jeff Simmons and Chris Sullens deserve praise for their contributions in this episode. Their ideas will make anyone think about potential positive changes for Warren County Football.
I encourage everyone who has any interest in Warren County Football to listen to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facebook-fallout-episode-37-part-2/id1647431281?i=1000670740389. The podcast is also on Spotify. Search Simmons Says Podcast.
My Modest Proposal…
The proposal is a plan to dramatically change the competitive nature of Warren County High School Football. Without building a new school, the school system would petition the TSSAA to divide the school into two (2) football teams, Warren East and Warren West. The division of the teams would change Warren County football from 6A (1,899 student enrollment) to two 4A teams (799 student enrollment).
Given the four decades of losing records in football, Warren County owes it to its students, parents and community to make a positive, systematic change to the football program. The TSSAA should not punish the Warren County High School Football program by continuing to enforce arbitrary classification rules that prevent consideration and changes to the quality of educational athletics.
Therefore, Warren County should petition the TSSAA to divide its football team into two 4A classifications for the next two years. Warren County agrees to not be playoff eligible in the first two years, which will not affect the existing teams in 4A Region 4 playoff eligibility. If one team becomes more competitive, it can request to be moved to the 5A classification. Until Warren County Football starts winning consistently, playing as one team in 6A should not be a consideration.
The existing teams in 4A Region 4 are:
Cumberland Co. High School (Crossville, TN)
DeKalb Co. High School (Smithville, TN)
Livingston Academy (Livingston, TN)
Macon Co. High School (Lafayette, TN)
Stone Memorial High School (Crossville, TN)
Upperman High School (Baxter, TN)
White Co. High School (Sparta, TN)
WARREN COUNTY PROPOSED ADMINISTRATION OF THE TWO TEAMS, WARREN EAST & WARREN WEST
The focus is to create competition between the two teams that will make each team more experienced and successful. Competition is the standard and competition will be the principle for coaching and playing the sport. There will be an emphasis on winning, not simply participating in the sport.
- A full-time Director of Football Operations will be hired. This person’s exclusively responsibility is to develop and support the two teams in an equitable fashion. This position will pay the Director $100,000 per year. It is a 12-month job. The Administrator will report directly to the high school principal and Director of Schools. The Director will develop a team of former coaches and players to support the coaches.
- Each head coach will be a full-time coaching position with no teaching responsibilities. Head coaches will be paid $80,000 for a 12-month job.
- Assistant coach supplements will be increased by $5,000 and coordinator positions will be increased by $10,000.
- The teams will be created by geography and a draft. The default draft will be which elementary school the students attended. To balance the teams, a draft will also be held to make the talent at each position for each team somewhat equal/competitive. For example, the two best quarterbacks should not be on the same team.
- Student-athletes will sign an agreement to not transfer during the season. The only way a player can transfer after a season is if the Director of Football Operations and both head coaches sign the waiver.
- The teams will practice together during the week and use the same facilities.
- More facilities will be created for locker rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms.
- Teams will play five (5) games at home and five (5) away games. One team will play at home while the other team is on the road.
- Homecoming will be a home game between Warren East and Warren West.
- Homecoming will be a major fundraiser and form of competition. Freshmen and Seniors will support East. Sophomores and Juniors will support West. There will be competition and unity.
- Each team will raise money for their choice of homecoming queen. The queen who receives the most money will be crowned.
- Each grade will support their team the week of homecoming and sit in their own sections and cheer their team the week of the game. There will be a well-funded homecoming dance to reward each team.
- NIL deals will be pursued to support players on each team. Business, churches and communities will be asked to sponsor teams and schools.
- Players will be paid $50 each week of the season for playing in a game.
- Players will be paid an additional $100 for winning a game.
- Coaches who have a winning record will be given a free vehicle for one year.
- Teams who have a winning record get a free trip to Disneyworld during the Christmas break.
- Teams with a losing season get to do community service during the Christmas break.
- Both teams will enjoy a Christmas party together that will include less fortunate children in Warren County.
- Winning will be rewarded. Coaches will be held to standards of performance.
- There will be a weekly coaches’ show featuring both coaches.
- Home games will not be televised for free. Warren County will develop its own pay-to-stream game channel.
- A major sports psychologist such as Dr. Kevin Elko will be hired.
New developments will include a track at the high school and an extra practice field. One practice field will have lights. A grounds crew will be hired to take care of all the practice fields. A cleaning crew will be hired to wash practice and game gear. Coaches will not perform field maintenance or cleaning. Coaches will oversee players cleaning the locker room daily. The Director of Football Operations will supervise the field and cleaning crews.
The school system will do an analysis of the cost to implement this program and ask the county commissioners to fund the new programs. The City of McMinnville will also be asked to help fund the program since the City of McMinnville does not contribute any tax dollars to the Warren County School budget.
A Warren County Football Council will be created to help with fundraising and support of football on all levels in Warren County. The focus will be to become competitive on all levels of football and to increase the value of educational athletics for football participants.
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