Tippah County comes off a big weekend on Sunday: the Walnut Lady Wildcats repeated as county volleyball champions, Ripley High School’s band turned in one of its best days ever at a Corinth competition, Falkner and Blue Mountain Christian split their Friday and Saturday sports, and the county’s voter registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election is now one week away. Dry weather holds through midweek, with the county’s burn ban still in effect.
Walnut Repeats as Tippah County Volleyball Champs
The Walnut Lady Wildcats are county volleyball champions again. Walnut won the 2026 Tippah County Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at Pine Grove School, defending the title it brought into the day. Four county schools played a round robin at Pine Grove: host Pine Grove, Walnut, Ripley and Falkner, with every match best-of-three. Walnut opened by taking down Ripley 25-13 in the first set, according to a live update from Tippah County Sports, which streamed the day’s matches online.
Walnut came in rolling. The Lady Wildcats beat Hatley 3-1 on Thursday to improve to 23-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in Class 2A Region 1 play. Host Pine Grove had also been playing well, sweeping Biggersville 3-0 on Thursday to reach 18-10 with five straight wins. Falkner entered at 7-13 overall and 5-3 in district play. Tippah County Sports said it will post its all-tournament team and tournament MVP once those are finalized, and Tippah News will add those honors when they’re available.
Ripley Band Shines at Crossroads Marching Classic
Ripley High School’s band had a big day at the Crossroads Marching Classic, the annual band competition Corinth High School hosted Saturday, according to Alcorn News. Competing in Class 4A, Ripley won best drum major, best color guard and best percussion, and finished second in the Class 4A band standings behind New Albany, which also took best majorette. Judges scored bands from North Mississippi and West Tennessee across four classes on drum majors, color guard, percussion and each band’s overall show. Alcorn Central, from Glen, took second in the crowded Class 3A field and won best drum major and best percussion in that class, while Mooreville placed first. New Albany was named the day’s grand champion.
Friday Football: Falkner Wins, Ripley Falls to Booneville
Falkner survived a late East Union challenge Friday night to win its homecoming game 42-34, while Ripley lost its own homecoming matchup to Booneville, 31-21, according to Tippah County Sports’ Sept. 26 sports roundup. Ethan Adams scored four touchdowns for the Eagles. Cade Alston forced a fourth-quarter fumble before Jonis Flynn scored the deciding touchdown, and quarterback Asa Childs completed 14 of 17 passes for two scores as Falkner improved to 2-2 and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Ripley twice pulled within three points of Booneville. Kyran McDonald rushed for 110 yards and passed for 109, but Booneville’s Tony Ogden ran for three touchdowns, and the Tigers edged Ripley 285-277 in total offense.
Blue Mountain Christian Sweeps Cross Country, Drops Soccer and Volleyball
It was a mixed weekend for Blue Mountain Christian University. Both cross country teams swept the Topper Trails College Classic on Senior Day at home, according to Tippah County Sports. The men’s team scored 17 points behind senior Lukas Dykes, who won the race in 28:10.1, with junior Jonah Barnhardt second in 28:31.4. The Toppers placed four runners in the top four and finished well ahead of Tougaloo (52) and LeMoyne-Owen (69). The women’s team posted a perfect score of 15 points, with all five scorers crossing before any other team’s first runner. Sophomore Ella Shepherd won the individual title in 20:26.6, just ahead of Kaedyn Wilson, and Blue Mountain finished 25 points clear of second-place Delta State.
The Toppers didn’t fare as well in other sports over the weekend. In Southern States Athletic Conference play, UT-Southern edged Blue Mountain’s men’s soccer team 2-1 in Pulaski, Tennessee, Tippah County Sports reported, with Erick Braga’s 81st-minute goal not enough to overcome an early two-goal deficit. Blue Mountain volleyball also lost in three sets to Loyola on the road in New Orleans; Marissa Gerleman led the Toppers with 10 kills and Abbi Williams had 19 digs.
Ripley Industrial Building Hits the Market
A 20,000-square-foot Ripley industrial building owned by Tippah County is being marketed to new tenants, the Tippah County Development Foundation announced this week. The building at 405 County Road 565 includes about 2,500 square feet of office space up front, three additional back offices, three large manufacturing rooms totaling 17,500 square feet, three dock-high loading doors and 4-inch reinforced concrete floors. The foundation said the building can be split between two separate businesses if needed, and it sits near Highway 15, U.S. Highway 72 and Interstate 22 — access that should improve further once MDOT finishes its planned four-lane realignment of Highway 15 bypassing Blue Mountain and Ripley. Businesses interested in touring the building can call the development foundation at (662) 837-3353.
One Week Left to Register to Vote
Tippah and Benton County residents who want to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election have until Monday, Oct. 5 to register, according to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office. Registration can be done in person at the county circuit clerk’s office — in Tippah County, that’s Circuit Clerk Phil Koon’s office in Ripley, reachable at 662-837-7370 — or by mail, as long as the application is postmarked by Oct. 5. In-person absentee voting opens Saturday, Oct. 24, with a second Saturday session on Oct. 31; both run 8 a.m. to noon at the circuit clerk’s office. This fall’s ballot includes the U.S. Senate race, Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, judicial races for the Court of Appeals and local circuit and chancery courts, and an election commissioner’s race in Tippah’s supervisor District 1.
Weather: Dry Stretch Continues, Burn Ban Holds
Expect mostly sunny skies and highs near 80 through Tuesday, with little to no rain in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service. Wednesday warms into the high 80s with only a slight overnight rain chance, and better odds for showers — 30 to 50 percent — arrive Thursday through Saturday as a weather system moves in. Until then, the Tippah and Benton County burn bans stay in effect as drought conditions continue to deepen across the area.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
