Coffee County CHS senior Ashley Evans made her commitment to Cumberland University official on Friday as she signed to play softball at the Lebanon, Tennessee university.  Evans follows in a family tradition to become the 3^rd generation in her family to attend Cumberland.  Ashley’s mother, LeeAnne, played softball for the Phoenix while her grandmother is also a graduate of Cumberland. 

When asked what drew her to the Cumberland program, Ashley was impressed with the recent facility upgrades and the plans for future upgrades.  Evans, who has played shortstop and in the outfield for Coffee County, has been promised an opportunity to compete for a starting job in the middle infield or centerfield from the Cumberland coaching staff.  Evans loved her time with her future teammates and said that Cumberland was her best fit.  When asked about her favorite memory from her years as a Lady Raiders, Ashley talked about the team’s trip to the state tournament in her freshman year and the opportunity to play with her younger sister, Olivia. 

Coffee County coach Brandon McWhorter was tickled that Evans signing meant that every Lady Raider softball player has signed to play softball at the college level.  McWhorter believes Evans will be successful at the college level because of her athleticism and competitiveness.  “With her speed and natural athletic ability, Ashley will compete from Day #1” said McWhorter.  McWhorter looks forward to Evans to continue to make plays for the Lady Raiders this season, offensively and defensively, and providing leadership to a young and talented young squad.   

Story by Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

In the “Charm City,” the Titans’ plan worked like a charm.

And they moved one step closer to playing for the crown jewel.

A big underdog playing on the road against the No.1 seeded Ravens, the Titans took the fight to the Ravens here on Saturday night and walked out of M&T Bank Stadium with a swagger, and a 28-12 win.

With the victory, the Titans advanced into the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2002 season. They’ll face the winner of Sunday’s Kansas City-Houston game on the road next Sunday for the chance to play for the Vince Lombardy Trophy.

Saturday night’s victory served as some payback for previous playoff losses to the Ravens. At the end of the 2000 and 2008 seasons, the top-seeded Titans were knocked out of the playoffs by the Ravens.

But in this year’s postseason, the Ravens are nevermore. Their season ends after a 14-2 season when they had an NFL-high 12 players voted to the Pro Bowl. They’d won 12 straight games before Saturday’s loss to the Titans.

The Titans took control of this one early.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes, and he also ran for one, in a game the Titans led 14-0 early.

Running back Derrick Henry ran for 190 yards on 30 carries – and he threw a touchdown pass.

Henry became the first player in NFL history to post three straight 180-yard games.

During their fast start, the Titans made some big plays early on offense, and defense. And it continued all night.

First, safety Kevin Byard intercepted Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on a tipped pass that ended up in Byard’s hands. After a 31-yard return, and with penalty yards added to it, the Titans took over at the Baltimore 35.

A quick drive had the Titans in position for an early score, but facing a third-and goal from the Baltimore 12, things didn’t look so good. But that’s when Titans tight end Jonnu Smith went up and made a remarkable juggling catch in the corner of the end zone to give the Titans a 7-0 lead. Smith’s touchdown capped off an eight-play, 35-yard drive orchestrated by Tannehill.

The Titans led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. It was a good sign early, considering the Ravens outscored their opponents 128-31 in the first quarter during the regular season.

The Titans delivered another one-two punch at the start of the second quarter. First came a defensive stop on 4th and 1, when the defense stopped Jackson short of the yard to gain. Rookie David Long got Jackson by the ankles, and the quarterback was then swarmed by Titans defenders.

On the ensuing play, Tannehill connected with Kalif Raymond on a 45-yard touchdown pass, and it was suddenly 14-0. The play caused an eruption on the Tennessee sideline, and had Ravens fans at M&T Bank Stadium quiet, and shocked.

The Ravens got on the scoreboard with 5:52 remaining in the first half on a 49-yard field by Justin Tucker, who added a 22-yard field goal on the final play of half to make it 14-6 at intermission.

A big swing happened midway through the third quarter, once again with both sides of the ball stepping up.

With the Ravens with a 4th and 1 at the Tennessee 18-yard line, the Titans stuffed them. Linebacker Harold Landry was credited with the stop on a play when the Titans swarmed Jackson.

The Titans then produced a touchdown in an improbable way – a three-yard jump pass from running back Derrick Henry to receiver Corey Davis. Henry took the snap on the play, and found Davis breaking free in the back of the end zone. The touchdown was set up by a 66-yard run by Henry, and the score capped a six-play, 81-yard drive.

Then came another one-two punch, with the defense setting the table for the offense. Jurrell Casey sacked Jackson, and he stripped the ball from his grasp in the process. Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons jumped on the loose ball, and the Titans were in business.

Before long, they were back in the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run by Tannehill, which made it 28-6 with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

The Ravens cut the lead to 28-12 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to tight end Hayden Hurst with 11:04 left in the game.

But the Titans refused to be denied, as the put the game away down the stretch. Casey had two sacks in the game, and the Titans made tough on Jackson, the favorite to win the NFL’s MVP trophy, all night.

Juuse Saros didn’t score a goal, but he didn’t allow one either.

Nashville’s netminder stopped all 28 shots he faced on Sunday afternoon, and Kyle Turris had the lone tally for the Predators, converting a 2-on-0 chance with Yakov Trenin. The 1-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place, included Saros’s first shutout of the season and gave head coach John Hynes his second consecutive win behind the Nashville bench.

“It was a really good win for our team,” Hynes said. “It was a kind of a grind-out game and one where we had to be comfortable playing with a lead in a tight game. Your attention to detail is really important, commitment without the puck is important, and understanding to win games, one-goal games or a shutout type of game, it takes a lot of commitment and mental strength from your team. That’s something we’ve addressed with our players, and I thought we did a very good job.”

“It’s huge,” Saros said of the play from his teammates in front of him. “When you see guys putting their body on the line and just really battling there, I think it creates momentum.”

For the second-straight game, Nashville looked crisp, confident and like the superior team during the game’s opening 20 minutes. The visitors opened up a 10-2 shot advantage to start the game.

Three minutes after Saros stopped Andrew Copp on a shorthanded breakaway for his second save of the game, the Predators took a 1-0 lead. Trenin picked off a soft pass at the Winnipeg blue line and charged toward the net, where he fed Turris across the crease for the game’s lone goal.

“I’ve been really impressed,” Turris said of Trenin. “Such a big, strong guy, fast and as he’s getting more comfortable, I think he’s always reading the play and and trying to make more plays now. He’s a good player.”

Winnipeg’s best push back came in the second period, but Saros made 11 more saves to preserve the Preds’ 1-0 advantage. Nashville’s penalty kill also went 2-for-2 on Sunday afternoon, including a significant kill at 8:19 of the third.

Sadly, a second consecutive goalie goal was not to be for the Preds, but the team was more than content to shut down the Jets in the contest’s final moments. The two points put the Predators three points out of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot (with the Canucks still to play on Sunday).

“He’s been playing so [well] for us all year, and our defense, our team defense wasn’t good enough in front of him,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said of Saros. “Today, I thought we played well defensively, but he was awesome. What a great game for him.”

Nashville will conclude their three-game road trip on Tuesday at Edmonton (at 8 p.m. CT), looking for their first three-game winning streak under Hynes and first since October.

“The most important thing is the players on the team, these guys are very good players, smart players,” Hynes said. “They’ve picked up the concepts that we’ve done, but they’ve executed it… You look at a game like tonight, today it’s a 1 p.m. start, and they came to the rink focused. They were ready to play, and they’ve been very attentive in meetings. We’ve tried not to overwhelm them, but they’ve had the mindset to be all in and buy in and they’ve done a good job.”

Notes:

Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro missed his fifth-straight game with an upper-body injury, but he has resumed skating with the team.

Forward Austin Watson and defenseman Matt Irwin were scratched for the Preds on Sunday.

The Predators will now head west to the province of Alberta in advance of Tuesday night’s meeting with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Coffee County Red Raider and Lady Raider wrestling teams traveled to Murfreesboro on Thursday night for a pair of matches with Blackman.  The Lady Raiders tied with the Lady Blaze 12 to 12.  The Red Raiders fell to the state’s 7^th ranked Blaze squad 63 to 18.

The Red Raiders got forfeit wins from Gabriel Westbrook(at 120 pounds), Devin Judge(160) and Cardin Stump(285).  Gavin Prater(145) was edged 8 to 6 in a decision loss.   The Lady Raiders got pinfall wins from Mary Anne Walker(140) and Alanna Coker(112). 

The Raiders and Lady Raiders return home on Monday as they play host to Stewarts Creek.  Action will get underway at 6 PM at the Coffee County Raider Academy. 

The Temple Baptist Christian School Eagles returned to the court on Friday night for their first action of 2020.  Hosting Faith Christian of Jamestown, the Eagles finished the night with a spilt in the JV/varsity doubleheader.  The varsity team captured a 38 to 33 triumph while the JV team dropped a 20 to 17 decision. 

In the varsity game, the Eagles erased a 5 point halftime deficit to capture the come-from-behind victory over the Crusaders.  Temple erupted for 17 points in the 3^rd quarter to even their season record at 6 and 6.  Alex Gloden led the Eagles in scoring with 21 points.  Mich Gloden had 11 points and led the team in steals with 6.  Sam Floyd was the leading rebounder as he gathered in 7 boards and netted 2 points. 

The JV Eagles made a valiant rally in the 4^th quarter but came up short against the Crusaders.  After being held scoreless in the 3^rd quarter, the Eagles outscored Faith Christian 8 to 2 in the final period.  David Tran was the leading scorer for Temple as he had 7 points with 3 of those coming in the final frame.  Brennan Davis added a 4^th quarter 3 pointer and Nathan Baker also finished with 3 points. 

Temple travels to Tunnel Hill, Georgia on Tuesday for a varsity only contest.  That game is set to tip off at 5:30 PM EST.

The prep swim teams of Coffee County CHS, Coffee County Middle School and Westwood Middle School swim traveled to Winchester on Thursday night for a meet hosted by Franklin County.  Competing in a field of 5 middle school squads and 4 high school squads, each squad went 1 and 1 in head to head competition. 

The Westwood swimmers captured 1st place among middle school teams in both of their relay races. The team of Cale Hays, Elsie Lazalier, Abby Gilday and Ansley Beachboard swam the women’s 200 Medley in a time of 2:37.27. The same quartet swam the 200 freestyle in a time of 2:18.91.
Top 3 individual finishers for Westwood were:
Abby Gilday – 1st place, 100 butterfly; 2nd place, 200 IM;
Elsie Lazalier – 1st place, 100 freestyle;
Jack Stowe – 3rd place, 200 IM;
Ansley Beachboard – 3rd place, 50 freestyle;

The Coffee County Middle School swimmers captured 3rd place in both their relay races. The team of Natalie Wanner, Katelynn Hale, Emily Snider and Patience Driggers swam the 200 Medley relay in a time of 2:53.25. The same squad swam the 200 freestyle in a time of 2:31.29.
Top 3 individual finishers for Coffee County Middle School were:
Christian Bourn 2nd place – 100 freestyle;
Katelynn Hale – 3rd place, 100 backstroke;

The Coffee County CHS swim team captured a 1st place finish in the women’s 400 freestyle relay. Team members were Kennedy Norman-Young, Elli Masters, Kaylee Williams and Emily Williams swam the distance in a time of 4:25.86. The same quartet finished in 2nd place in the 200 Medley with a time of 2:08.56.
Top 3 individual finishers for Coffee County Central High School were:
Kaylee Williams – 1st place, 500 freestyle; 100 breaststroke;
Emily Williams – 2nd place, 200 IM; 3rd place, 100 butterfly;
Nick Bogle – 2nd place, 100 freestyle; 2nd place, 100 backstroke;
Kennedy Norman-Young – 2nd place, 50 freestyle;
Taylor Wall – 3rd place, 200 Medley;

The high school swim team travels to Sewanee on Saturday for the Snowball Invitational.  First race is set to get underway at noon.  The meet will take place at the University of the South Natatorium. 

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams celebrated 8^th Grade Night on Thursday as they welcomed Warren County to the CCMS Gym.  The Lady Raiders needed overtime to grab a 49 to 42 win.  The Red Raiders battled to the very end before falling 34 to 31. 

In the girls’ game, Coffee County trailed by 8 points with 2:21 left in the game when Olivia Vinson was fouled hitting a shot.  Vinson drained the free throw and 2 technical free throws to make it a 5 point play.  Vinson added a bucket in the ensuing possession as the Lady Raiders cut the deficit to 1 point in a span of 24 seconds.  Bella Vinson hit a free throw with 10 seconds left to tie the contest at 39.  The Lady Raiders made 8 free throws in overtime to grab the victory and a season split with the Lady Pioneers.  Olivia Vinson led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 21 points.  Samantha Kirby added 11 points while Lawson finished with 5 points. 

In the boys’ game, Coffee County and Warren County engaged in a 4 quarter war before the Pioneers pulled it out in the end.  Coffee County led by 2  entering the 2^nd period, but Warren County opened the 2^nd period on an 11 to 3 run to build the largest lead for any team in the game.  Jackson Shemwell hit a pair of baskets to close out the period as the Raiders cut the Pioneers lead to 2 at intermission.  Shemwell led the Raiders in scoring as each finished with 13 points.    Evan Kirby added 11 points. 

Next up for Coffee County is next week’s conference tournament at Warren County.  The Lady Raiders will open conference tournament play on Monday at 7:30 PM taking on West Tullahoma.  The Red Raiders will open tournament play on Tuesday at 7:30 PM as they take on South Franklin.   The CTC tournament will take place at Warren County High School.    

The Coffee County Central High School freshmen basketball teams welcomed White County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Thursday night.  The Lady Raiders fell to the Warriorettes 52 to 21.  The Red Raiders lost 63 to 50. 

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders got off to a slow start getting only 2 points in the first quarter and 6 points in the 1^st half.  Nia Sheffield and Holli Hancock led the Lady Raiders in scoring as each had 5 points.  Abby Mahaffey and Maggie Crouch both finished with 4 points. 

In the boys’ game, White County jumped out to a 20 to 9 lead after 1 period and sailed to the win.  Rueben Alvarez led the Raiders in scoring with 11 points.  Trevon Williams netted 10 points.  Hayden Collins and Aiden Abellana each added 9 points. 

Next up for Coffee County’s freshmen is a trip to Woodbury on Monday to take on the Cannon County freshmen.  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM.