The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams traveled to McMinnville on Thursday night for a conference doubleheader at Warren County.  The Lady Raiders came up short 42 to 33.  The Red Raiders got a basket in the waning seconds to capture a 40 to 39 win. 

Jackson Shemwell hit a 5 foot jumper with 10 seconds remaining to give the Red Raiders a huge win in McMinnville.  Coffee County trailed for most of the game but erased a 4 point deficit in the 4^th quarter to capture a crucial conference win on the road.  Ethan Hargrove led the Red Raiders in scoring with 13 points.  Shemwell added 12 points including 8 in the 2^nd half to key the comeback win.  The win lifts Coffee Middle’s record to 5 and 2 in the conference and 6 and 3 overall. 

The Lady Raiders were held to 2 points in the 1^st quarter as they fell behind by 7 points.  After Warren County brought a 6 point lead into the second half, the Lady Pioneers outscored Coffee Middle 14 to 5 in the 3^rd quarter to roll to the win.  The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Taylor Anthony who had 11 points.  Olivia Vinson notched 10 points in the loss.  Samantha Kirby added 7 points. 

The Raiders and Lady Raiders will take off until after Thanksgiving.  They return to the court on Monday, December 2^nd when they host non-conference foe Cannon County.  Tip-off is set for 6 PM. 

The Coffee County CHS basketball teams will open their season at home on Friday in the Hall of Champions Classic at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym. Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of Friday’s final 2 games beginning at 6:20 PM.  We will have the Lady Raiders game with Siegel at 6:30 and at 7:45 PM we will broadcast the Red Raiders game with Valor Collegiate Academy of Nashville. 

2019 kicks off another great year of Coffee County basketball coverage on Thunder Radio.  We will bring you all of the regular season doubleheaders along with selected regular season tournament games and all of the postseason action as your exclusive source for Coffee County sports.  As always, you can hear the broadcasts at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, AM 1320 and online at WMSRradio.com.  If you miss the games, we keep you updated with Coffee County’s ONLY daily local sports at our website and in our daily sports reports heard here on Thunder Radio.   Additionally, you can download a recording of our broadcast at: www.thunder1320.com/downloads

The Predators registered 48 shots on Thursday night, but it was the Canucks, who scored five times on the power play on their way to a 6-3 victory at Bridgestone Arena. The result pushes Nashville’s winless streak to six games and gives them a 9-9-3 overall record.

Much like they did in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Winnipeg, the Predators had reason to be content with a good portion of their play, but the penalty kill faltered on this occasion and gave them their second loss to the Canucks this season.

“We need to stay out of the penalty box,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We talked about details of the game, and some of the penalties we took I thought were undisciplined and they ended up costing us tonight. From a standpoint of working to play and generate, I thought we did that. I thought we competed right to the end. Again, I thought we gave up too many [power-play] goals.”

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Preds forward Matt Duchene said. “Things aren’t bouncing our way right now, but at the same time we’re not making it easy on ourselves either. Whenever things are tough sledding like right now, you’ve got to do whatever you can to give yourself a chance.”

Nashville scored the game’s first goal, and it was Ryan Johansen, who capitalized on a breakaway to give his club their first lead since Nov. 9. The Canucks scored twice on the man advantage before the opening period was out, but Calle Jarnkrok got a power-play marker to tie the game early in the second.

The second stanza saw three more power-play goals for the Canucks, and after Duchene cut the deficit to two with a deflection in the third, Vancouver added one into the empty net to finish the night off.

Juuse Saros took over for Pekka Rinne in the Nashville net to start the third period. Jacob Markstom made 45 saves for the Canucks on another night when the Predators had plenty of looks at the net but not enough to end up in the win column.

“It’s tough, I feel like we did a lot of good things,” Johansen said. “Usually, you know when you don’t deserve to win and things aren’t going your way if you’re not doing the right things, but I feel like we did a lot of good things tonight. Obviously, the special teams hurt us big time.”

The Predators now turn their attention to a home-and-home set with the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues, a formidable pair of tests against division rivals. And for Nashville, the message remains the same – they simply have to find a way to work themselves out of the slump.

“It’s frustrating – everybody wants to win in here,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “It’s frustrating when it’s not going your way, but you’ve got to find a way to get out of it. You’ve got to stick together, put in the work and be desperate the next game. You put in the work; it’s going to come.”

“Right now, is about digging deep,” Duchene said. “We have two huge, really tough games coming up, and there’s no better time to get out of this and now… You don’t want to let this get away from you. There’s lots of games [left in the season], but we have to get out of this.”

Notes:

Viktor Arvidsson recorded an assist on Ryan Johansen’s goal for his 200th career point.

Roman Josi also assisted on Johansen’s goal, and the Preds captain became one of two defensemen in franchise history to average at least one point per game through the team’s first 21 contests in a season (also Shea Weber in 2008-09: 10g-11a-21pts).

Kyle Turris, Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin were scratched for the Preds on Thursday night against Vancouver.

Nashville now heads to St. Louis to meet the Blues on Saturday night (at 7 p.m. CT) before returning home to host their division rival again on Monday evening.

For the 2^nd year in a row, the Coffee County CHS basketball teams will open their season at home in a series of Hall of Champion games.  Twenty-three different teams from 14 different high schools will visit Manchester on Friday and Saturday for the 2 day event.  Twenty-two games will take place over the 2 day event with games at both Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle School. 

The Lady Raiders will play 4 games and the Red Raiders will play 3 games over the course of the weekend.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of Friday’s final 2 games from the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.  At 6:30 PM, we will have the Lady Raiders game with Siegel and at 7:45 PM we will broadcast the Red Raiders game with Valor Collegiate Academy of Nashville.  As always, you can hear the broadcasts at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, AM 1320 and online at WMSRradio.com. 

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) host the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) this week in a late afternoon matchup. Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 24.

THE BROADCAST

The Titans Radio Network, including Thunder Radio, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells and gameday hosts Rhett Bryan and Jonathan Hutton.

TITANS AIM TO KEEP MOMENTUM THROUGH BYE

The Titans, who had a bye last week, were most recently in action on Nov. 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a memorable finish, the Titans achieved an improbable 35-32 victory.

After the Chiefs led by as many nine points in the fourth quarter, Titans wide receiver Adam Humphries scored the game-winning touchdown on a 23-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill with 23 seconds on the clock. Defensive back Joshua Kalu then preserved the Tennessee win by blocking a potential game-tying 52-yard field goal attempt by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker as time expired.

Tannehill has started the last four games for the Titans and is 3-1 in those contests. He has been credited with a game-winning drive in each of the wins, and his combined numbers in his four starts include 84-of-120 passing for 1,017 yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions and a 107.5 passer rating.

Meanwhile, running back Derrick Henry shared the spotlight with Tannehill by rushing for 188 yards and two scores. He registered the second-highest rushing yardage total of his career and the second-highest total of any NFL player in 2019—Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette is the only player with a bigger day (225 at Denver, Sept. 29).

The Titans and Jaguars are each hoping to keep pace in a tight AFC South race with a win. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are each 6-4 and knotted atop the division. They play Thursday night in Houston.

In their final six games, the Titans have three home games and three road trips. Four of the games are within the AFC South, including a visit to Indianapolis next week.

THE JAGUARS

Following a bye in Week 10, the Jaguars visited the Colts last week and fell by a final score of 33-13. QuarterbackNick Foles started his first game since the season opener and passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

Foles joined the Jaguars during the offseason as an unrestricted free agent from the Eagles. During the 2017 postseason, he earned Super Bowl LII MVP honors after leading Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

After Foles landed on injured reserve in Week 2, rookie Gardner Minshew started the next eight games, including the first Titans-Jaguars matchup on Sept. 19. The Jaguars won that game by a final score of 20-7.

The Jaguars are in their third full season under head coach Doug Marrone, who led the team to a division title in 2017.

ANNUAL COAT DRIVE

Fans attending Sunday’s game are encouraged to donate new and gently used coats or jackets for local homeless and domestic violence shelters. Volunteers will be accepting donations outside Nissan Stadium beginning two hours prior to kickoff. Coats and jackets of all sizes are appreciated. Since 2017, more than 1,200 coats have been given to eight local non-profit organizations that serve individuals in need of a warm coat during the winter months.

Nashville Soccer Club selected five players in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft on Tuesday as the club continues to build their roster ahead of their inaugural MLS home match on Feb. 29 against Atlanta United. Following the Expansion Draft, Nashville SC traded Zarek Valentin for Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis, and sent Brandon Vazquez to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. The club also added U.S. Men’s National Team defender Daniel Lovitz and Sporting KC promising goalkeeper Adrián Zendejas.

MLS Expansion Draft Summary:

1. ABU DANLADI
   Forward drafted from Minnesota United FC
   Selected by Minnesota United FC with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft ahead of the club’s inaugural season, Danladi is an exciting, young attacking player. He just completed his third season with Minnesota becoming a regular contributor with 69 appearances in all competitions (25 starts).

He scored eight goals in his rookie campaign and added three assists. After dealing with injuries during his 2018 season, he bounced back with 24 appearances in 2019 and helping the club reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final and the playoffs for the first time in the club’s brief history.

Danladi is originally from Ghana and graduated from the Right to Dream program, the same program that produced Nashville SC winger David Accam. He played his college soccer at UCLA.

1. ZAREK VALENTIN TRADED FOR JOE WILLIS
   Defender drafted from the Portland Timbers; traded to Houston Dynamo for Goalkeeper Joe Willis

Houston will receive an additional $75,000 in 2021 TAM if Willis meets certain performance-based metrics

1. JALIL ANIBABA
   Defender drafted from New England Revolution
   A proven veteran of the league, Anibaba has brought experience, leadership and success to the backline of the five MLS clubs he has served over the course of his 10-year career, reaching the MLS Playoffs with all of them. Having amassed a total of 229 matches in all competitions (209 as a starter), it was earlier this fall that the 31-year old defender reached his 200th career MLS start in a 2-0 playoff-clinching win over New York City FC on Sep. 29.

In addition to his MLS success, where he won the Supporters Shield with Seattle Sounders FC in 2014, Anibaba is also a back-to-back Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion and a three-time finalist (2011, 2014, 2015).

Internationally, Anibaba has represented the United States at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels. In 2007 he was a member of the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team that competed in the Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1. BRANDON VAZQUEZ
   Forward drafted from Atlanta United; traded to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money.

Nashville SC will receive an additional $50,000 in 2021 GAM if Vazquez meets certain performance-based metrics.

1. JIMMY MEDRANDA
   Defender drafted from Sporting KC
   Medranda, a seven-season MLS veteran, joined Sporting KC in August 2013 on loan from Deportivo Pereira (Colombia) the same year the club won the MLS Cup. He joined permanently six months later as a 20-year old.

Medranda continued his development throughout the next couple of years helping the club win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2015 and 2017.

A versatile player who can play as an outside back, a winger and in the central midfield, the Colombian has appeared in 103 matches for SKC in all competitions (66 starts).

The MLS trade window reopened upon the conclusion of the MLS Expansion and with that Nashville SC completed two transactions:

1. Nashville SC added U.S. Men’s National Team defender Daniel Lovitz from Montreal Impact in exchange for $50,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money, $50,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.

One of the most reliable left backs in the league and for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Lovitz became the first capped player joining from the Canadian side. A 2014 MLS SuperDraft pick by the Impact, he made his professional debut on May 17, 2014 against the Red Bulls. Since then, he has registered 125 matches (89 starts) in MLS between Toronto FC and the Impact.

Internationally, Lovitz made his international debut earlier this year in a friendly against Panama on Jan. 27 and has already accrued 12 caps (five starts) with the USMNT. Lovitz is currently with the National Team as they prepare to face Cuba at 6:30 p.m. tonight on FS1.

1. Nashville SC added Joe Willis in a trade that sent recently drafted from the Portland Timbers Zarek Valentin to Houston. The Dynamo’s first-choice keeper joins the club after nine MLS seasons and a total of 136 appearances (132 starts).

A Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion with both D.C. United (2013) and Houston Dynamo (2018), Willis has made the playoffs in three different occasions, twice with D.C. and one with Houston as they reached the 2017 Western Conference Final. His veteran presence in the backline will add immediate dependability to Nashville in its inaugural season. In CONCACAF Champions League action, Willis has had seven starts split between D.C. and Houston.

1. Nashville SC added promising goalkeeper Adrián Zendejas in exchange for $125,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money, $50,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.

Originally signed by Sporting KC’s USL Championship affiliate Swope Park Rangers in the side’s 2016 inaugural season, the 24-year old keeper has gone back and forth earning valuable playing minutes between the two leagues. The 6-foot, 5 inches tall player finally made his MLS debut at FC Cincinnati in 1-1 draw on April 7 after earning 54 USL Championship starts with SPR. He also started against Panamanian side Club Atlético Independiente in CONCACAF Champions League on Mar. 6, 2019.

Join Nashville SC in its inaugural season in MLS by becoming a Season Ticket Member here or by calling a club representative at 615-750-8800.

****NASHVILLE SC PLAYERS AS OF NOV. 19, 2019