The Coffee County Fastpitch Association will hold signups every Saturday in February at the Ada Wright Center.  The fastpitch softball league will hold signups from 9 AM to 2 PM.  Parents wishing to register their child need to bring the child’s birth certificate to signups.  Children wishing to participate need to be at least 4 years old when games begin in April. 

The league is open to children ages 4 to 14 in 5 separate age divisions.  Cost to participate is $45 per child.  You can also register online at: https://playpass.com/CoffeeCoFastpitch

If you need more information, contact Matt Asher at 931-588-9919 or Renee Asher at 931-581-3668.  You can also get more information by visiting the league’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CoffeeCountyFastPitchAssociation

If you are interested in sponsoring or coaching a team, or would like to be an umpire, you can fill out an application at: https://playpass.com/CoffeeCoFastpitch

Thunder Radio takes seriously our commitment to being your hometown radio station. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce a tentative lineup for our unparalleled coverage of Coffee County Central High School, Coffee County Middle School and Westwood Middle School spring sports.  2020 marks the 22^nd year that Thunder Radio has been your eyes and ears for spring sports.

Thunder Radio’s unrivaled coverage will bring you as many as 30 regular season and postseason games for the Raiders and Lady Raiders plus the Rockets and Lady Rockets.  Jonathan Oliver, Josh Peterson and Dennis Weaver will team up to bring you the broadcasts on 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, AM 1320, WMSRradio.com and on the Manchester Go app.  Also, the Thunder Radio sports staff will keep you updated with daily reports on all spring sports all season long as part of our daily sports updates online and in our sports broadcasts.

Our broadcasts will begin on Thursday, February 27^th with Westwood soccer at home vs. North Franklin.  And, as always is the case with spring sports, when weather forces cancellations and postponements, Thunder Radio will keep you updated on that as well.  For more than complete prep sports coverage, remember, nobody does sports like Thunder Radio! 

Mikael Granlund buried the game-winner in overtime, and the Nashville Predators came back to top the Winnipeg Jets, 2-1, on Tuesday night at Bell MTS Place.

The forward picked a fine time to score his first game-winning goal as a member of the Predators, and his team started a crucial, four-game road trip with a significant victory against a division rival.

“It’s a big win,” Granlund said. “These are going to be tight games the rest of the season, so we have to stack up these points here. We played pretty solid, pretty good defensively and [goaltender Juuse Saros] was outstanding in the net again… Every single point is huge right now.”

The Jets owned the first 10 minutes of the game and scored the contest’s first goal only 2:46 into regulation. But from that point on, Nashville was largely the better team. They tied the game late in the first with Nick Bonino’s 16th of the campaign, and Granlund notched the winning strike in OT.

“That was a really, really well played game by both teams,” Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. “Both goaltenders played well and made big stops when they needed to. Both teams competed hard, and there wasn’t a lot of free ice out there. But it was nice that we could find a way to win and get ourselves back up after how we felt we played [in a 3-0 loss to Vegas on] Saturday and get off to a good start in the road trip.”

Mason Appleton drove to the net and beat Saros less than three minutes into the contest, but that was all the Jets were able to muster. Late in the opening frame, Bonino took a feed from Rocco Grimaldi and one-timed a shot from the left circle past Connor Hellebuyck to even the score, 1-1, after 20 minutes.

Those numbers held through the second stanza, which included Saros stopping Patrik Laine on a penalty shot and Filip Forsberg ringing one off the pipe on a Nashville power play. Saros made 33 saves on the night for his eighth victory of the season.

“He’s been great all year, and it’s good to get him these wins,” Bonino said of Saros. “A lot of these games, especially for Juice, have gone either way, and he’s kept us in it and we’ve ended up losing. He deserves more wins than he has, and tonight, a penalty shot, huge save on Laine, and he was tracking the puck so well.”

The third period featured several breath-stealing moments, with both teams trading bids to break the deadlock. The 1-1 score held until the extra session, where the Predators began OT with a 3-on-2 chance and then held their advantage all the way until Mattias Ekholm hit Granlund across the zone for a one-timer goal.

“I just tried to shoot it, and I think I miss that shot quite a bit, but it still went in,” Granlund said. “Sometimes those shots are going in, and it was a big extra point for us, and we just move on to the next one.” “For the most part, it was a good effort,” Bonino said. “Again, our second period could have been a little bit better, but we didn’t give up much on the scoreboard, so that’s always good. We came into the third and did what we had to do to get the one point, and then a great play in overtime.”

The two points on Tuesday night helped the Predators leap the Jets and the Chicago Blackhawks. Nashville sits in the final spot outside of the playoffs and the two Wild Cards.

“Really, just embracing the grind and staying with it and staying focused,” Hynes said. “Not getting too low after a loss, not getting too high after a win, and just really understanding how we need to play this time of year and and trying to be really consistent with that. I think the more consistent you are in that, you’re going to give yourself an opportunity to get better results. Fortunately, we have and we have to continue with that mindset.”

Notes:

Prior to Tuesday’s game, defenseman Ryan Ellis participated in the morning skate, the first time he’s been on the ice with his Preds teammates since he was injured on New Year’s Day. Ellis is not expected to play during the four-game trip, according to Head Coach John Hynes, but his appearance on Tuesday was another positive step.

Calle Jarnkrok (illness) missed his third-straight game. Yannick Weber and Austin Watson were also scratched for the Preds on Tuesday.

Nashville’s trip out west continues on Thursday night in Calgary (at 8 p.m. CT) when the Preds take on the Flames. Stops in Edmonton and Vancouver will also come over the next week before the group returns to Tennessee.

Nashville Soccer Club embarked yesterday in its second leg of preseason training with the team traveling to Tampa, Fla. through Feb. 21.    

After a scoreless draw in the first preseason scrimmage last week, the Boys in Gold will now face their first MLS opponent when they meet Chicago Fire FC on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. CT Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay. 

Just three days later, NSC will meet familiar USL Championship foe, Louisville City FC on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. CT from IMG Academy.  

For more information on Nashville SC’s training schedule, please contact the Nashville Communications Department (Communications@nashvillesc.com)   

The Coffee County CHS freshman basketball teams closed out the season on Monday night as they traveled to McMinnville to take on Warren County.  The Lady Raiders came up short 77 to 46.  The Red Raiders fought to a 54 to 52 win.

In the girls’ game, Warren County got off to a red hot start as they built a 26 to 8 lead after 1 quarter of play.  Warren County hit 9 three point baskets in the game.  Coffee County was outscored 40 to 28 in the 2^nd half in the loss.  Maggie Crouch was the leading scorer for the Lady Raiders as she finished with 19 points.  Nia Sheffield and Kennedy Norman-Young each finished with 6 points. 

In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders used a strong 2^nd half rally to grab the win.  Trailing 25 to 17 at the half, Coffee County cut the deficit to 3 points entering the 4^th quarter.  In the 4^th quarter, the Raiders exploded for 21 points to grab the win.  Hayden Collins led the Raiders in scoring as he put up 27 points.  Isaiah Campbell chipped in 8 points and Ryan Gravely finished with 7 points.

Westwood boys’ basketball coach Will Pannell announced on Friday that he was stepping down as the Rockets head coach effective immediately.  Pannell, who has held the position for 15 years, told Thunder Radio Sports that he wanted to “devote more time to my family.”  Pannell, who teaches art at Westwood Middle, will remain a classroom teacher.  Pannell’s Rocket team won the regular season conference title this past season before falling in the semifinals of the postseason tournament.  Westwood finished the season with a record of 13 and 4.

By Jim Wyatt, TitansOnline.com

The 2019 Titans reenergized the city of Nashville, winning playoff games and igniting celebrations in living rooms and bars across Music City and beyond.

By winning playoff games against the Patriots and Ravens, they exceeded the expectations of most observers across the country, and even some of their most ardent fans.

But ultimately, these Titans fell short of the ultimate goal – to get to Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium, and to win it.

Here on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to earn the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

The 2019 NFL season now officially complete, the focus can now shift to the 2020 season, and the quest to get to Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Can the Titans get there?

“Well, we’ll see,” long-time NFL reporter John Clayton said. “I do feel like the Titans are heading in the right direction, but some things are going to have to happen. I was impressed with what they were able to do this year. It’s obvious players believe in (coach) Mike Vrabel, and he coaches them well. I like what they are doing. But ask me again in a few months. We’ll know a lot more about them obviously by what happens coming up.”

The Titans finished 9-7 for the fourth straight year in 2019, and their wins at New England and Baltimore put them in the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City, where they lost 35-24.

On Saturday, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after leading the NFL in passer rating and running back Derrick Henry was selected as the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year after leading the league in rushing.

But Henry and Tannehill are among roughly 20 players scheduled to become free agents.

“Obviously they have to figure out a way to keep their key offensive guys,” Peter King of NBC Sports said in the press box before Sunday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium. “They have to find some way to not have Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill make so much money that it cripples them on other parts of the roster. They are going to have to pay an absolutely premium if they’re going to keep (Jack) Conklin, and he’ll probably be worth it. We’ll see what happens with him. The other thing is, (cornerback) Logan Ryan is really valuable (and he’s going to be a free agent). He is not Richard Sherman valuable, but he is really, really valuable. … I hope they can find a way to keep him.

“There’s work they have to do. Overall, I think the best thing about that team is that it is young, leadership is good, and they know they have a great chance ahead of them. Free agency is an odd time. You don’t know how they are going to be standing at the end of it, so we’ll see.”

King pointed to the 49ers as a source of inspiration for teams across the NFL, including the Titans.

“I think the 49ers did a great service for the NFL and for every team that is remotely close,” King said. “Basically, after having an injury at the quarterback position and going 4-12 last year, they make it to the Super Bowl. I think what the Titans did, it wasn’t an injury obviously, but it was a transition at quarterback (from Marcus Mariota to Tannehill), and the transition went well.”

Tom Curran, with NBC Sports Boston, covered Vrabel during his playing days with the Patriots.

He was also on hand for Tennessee’s 20-13 Wild Card victory over the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., last month.

Curran thinks the Titans “are just getting started.”

“This year’s Titans reminded me a lot of the 2001 Patriots, in that it was a-whole-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts team, and they had better parts than the ’01 Patriots,” Curran said. “They switched the quarterback out, albeit under different circumstances, but they got the kind of bump that was necessary. And I think what impressed me about them is they understood exactly what needed to be done against certain opponents and with players, that gives you the kind of buy-in you’re going to get for your head coach from a team, and you’re going to get with Vrabel. He put players in a position to win games. The team has his imprint on it because he is decisive and fearless and he has a touch of arrogance to him that I think makes you say, ‘I believe this is going to work’, which infuses a whole team.

“I think there’s a ton of upside with the Titans.”

Clayton, for one, believes the AFC teams with the young quarterbacks – Kansas City (Patrick Mahomes), Baltimore (Lamar Jackson) and Houston (Deshaun Watson) – are “going to be the teams the Titans are going to have to worry about.”

What happens with quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots, of course, will also have a big bearing in the NFL’s landscape.

Prior to Super Bowl LIV, Clayton said the Titans “need to make sure that K.C. wins the Super Bowl, because it is hard to repeat.”

The Chiefs rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to win it, and it marked the second year in a row the Titans beat the eventual Super Bowl champion in the regular season. The Titans beat New England during the 2018 regular season before the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII.

Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, an analyst with FOX, said he expects the Titans to continue their momentum from 2019 in 2020.

“I am not surprised by anything that’s happened (with the Titans), and they’ll be back,” Aikman said. “They were in the AFC Championship Game and they have a bullet going into next year. I like them.”

Former Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, on Super Bowl Radio Row this week, said he’s hopeful the Titans can take the next step.

The countdown to Super Bowl LV is now under way.

“I am definitely looking forward to the next step,” Bulluck said. “When Mike Mularkey left, they were 9-7 and a playoff team, and Mike Vrabel takes over and they were on the cusp (in 2018) and this year … they go to the AFC Championship Game. Obviously, they are a team to be reckoned with, a playoff team.

“But I want to see that next step, when they become that 13-3 team or that 12-4 team where they show that consistency throughout the entire season. It’s one thing to be a scrappy, gritty team, which they are, and go against any team every Sunday. But I want to see them get to the point where teams are coming into Nissan Stadium or the Titans are going into their stadium and they are looking at them like, ‘Alright, we’ve got the Titans this week.’ I am sure they think that already, but it’s a little different when you know you are playing a scrappy team than when you know you are playing a juggernaut.”