The Cookeville Cavaliers plan to run the game ball to Sparta flanked by Cavaliers fans ahead of Friday night.
The run takes place the day that Cookeville and White County’s football teams square off. Julie Smith is the organizer of both the Sparta run and CAV Walk, which takes place the day before the Cavaliers home opener. Smith said she has seen the passion and energy shown by the football players as well as the Cookeville community.
“We see our community members, our school adopters, or just families that will line 10th Street,” Smith said. “We see families that are near that Lovelady area with the bridge down 111, and they’re holding signs and they’ve got music playing and just cheering runners going down 111.”
Cookeville begins the run with their seniors. The Cavaliers will run the game ball from the Cavaliers stadium down to Sparta Field. Some students run in group of two to four. Smith participated along her classmates in the Sparta run. She said some students run up to five miles at a time.
“When I was in high school, we got out and ran,” Smith said. “It was not quite as organized but it was so much fun and I think it was a tradition that starts and brings history to our school, not just our football team.”
Cookeville participated in the Sparta run throughout the 90s and 2000s. After being discontinued for around five years, the run resumed in 2017 through interest from the graduating class that year, which included Smith’s son.
“[It’s a] really cool tradition that adds another layer of excitement, history, and student body and faculty involvement beyond the playing field,” Cookeville Head Coach Taylor Hennigan said.
Cookeville now completes the run with a sheriff escort and buses to accommodate students. Between 20 and 30 students carry the football to Sparta.