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Motlow Men’s Basketball Begins Oct. 31
With a roster that returns five players from last season, three more who were Motlow redshirts, and 10 newcomers with sterling credentials, the Motlow Bucks appear to be in position to challenge for the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) championship.
Head Coach Matt Sligh enters his second season with a roster full of potential Division I prospects. The path in and out of Copperweld Arena is well worn from a stream of major and mid-major college coaches who have visited Motlow’s Moore County campus during the previous month.
Practice officially began for the 10 member schools of the TCCAA on Oct. 1, with most teams opening their seasons on Halloween night. The Bucks will open at home on Oct. 31, hosting non-conference opponent Snead State at 7:30 p.m., or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s contest which begins at 5:30 p.m.
“We are excited that October has arrived and competition against other teams is fast approaching,” said Sligh. “Our players have worked hard thus far in their various roles of being a student-athlete and are now eager to begin playing against someone else besides each other.”
Headlining the roster is returning All-American Dequon Miller. The 5-10 Miller, a native of Charleston, W.Va., became the ninth player in Motlow history to be named an All-American last season. From his point-guard position he averaged 21 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals per game, while shooting 44% from three-point range and 83% from the free-throw line.
Joining Miller as returning Bucks who saw playing time last year is Kytrel Williams, a second team all-conference selection from Memphis who averaged 10 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game with 23 blocked shots. The 6-4 Williams scored in double figures 13 times last season, with a high of 28 coming against Cleveland State in November.
Washington D.C. sophomore Greg Mason also returns. The 6-6 forward averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 65% from the floor, the fifth-best single season shooting percentage in Motlow history.
Reggie Williams, a 6-6 shooting guard from Detroit, also returns after coming on strong towards the end of last season and averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. C.J. McEwen is the fifth returnee. The 6-1 Nashville product averaged three points and 1.6 rebounds per game, but like Williams played his best basketball at the end of last season.
“Our team’s focus early on will be to increase our toughness and togetherness,” Sligh continued. “I am thrilled to work with our returning players who have been through a full season and are hungry to improve on last year.”
Three players, all guards, who sat out last season while attending Motlow, will suit up with the varsity during the coming season. Clint Nwosuh is 6-2 from Houston, Jahaad Lyons is also 6-2 and comes from Murfreesboro’s Oakland High School, and 5-9 Dezon Dozier is from Nashville.
New additions to the roster this season include sophomore transfer D’Andre Downey from Milwaukee, Wis., and freshman Seth McKelvey from North Charleston, S.C.
The remaining newcomers are all from Tennessee, including Jaylen Barford from Jackson, Axel Magnuson from Clarksville, Terry Holt from Nashville, Reid Pierce from Murfreesboro, Montrez Van Zant from Winchester, and former Cheatham County teammates Jake Saunders and Jordan Darden, both from Ashland City. Nashville guard Jade Patrick comes to Motlow from Pearl Cohn High School and will redshirt this season.
“We welcome a highly-competitive and talented group of new players who are used to winning,” added Sligh. “I look forward to watching our players define their roles through their performance in practice and in our scrimmages this month. We hope to vastly improve our ability to defend over last season, as well as play fast offensively. Our roster fits how we want to play on both ends of the floor, but now it’s time to make it happen.”
The Bucks will open TCCAA conference play when they host Jackson State on Friday, Nov. 7, and Columbia State the following day. The regular season ends with a return trip to Columbia State on Feb. 21. The Chargers are the defending conference champions and eliminated the Bucks in last year’s TCCAA tournament.
“The TCCAA is loaded this year and we begin league play the first week of November, as well as facing several quality opponents as our schedule begins,” Sligh said. “We are one of the only conferences to play league games this early in the season, which makes October even more important for us.”
Most Motlow home games will be broadcast live on Tullahoma’s The Ticket sports radio. Listeners can tune in on the radio at 105.1 FM and AM 740, on the internet at www.theticketradio.com, on a smartphone using the free Tune-In Radio app, and in Tullahoma on LightTUBe channel 11. Video replays can be seen on LightTUBe channel 23.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.
Birthdays October 1 2014
Happy Birthday to Shelby Carrick – Pizza Winner!!
9/30/14
Birthdays:
Jamie Finney — Pizza Winner!
Lee Smith
Danny Mantu
Lisa Parks
Billy Brady
Jerell Dillard
Taylor Hope Bryant
Gwen Davis
Anne Walker
10/2/14 — Shelby Lawson Mizell
Shelby Lawson Mizell, age 77 of Winchester, Tennessee and former Manchester, Tullahoma and Decherd resident, passed away on September 29, 2014 at the Bailey Manor in Winchester. She was a housewife, day care operator and faithful member of the Church of Christ in Coffee and Franklin counties. She worked many years at the East Main Church of Christ Tuesday-Thursday School in Manchester. Later, she opened her own home day care and will be affectionately remembered by many children as “Mrs. Shelby”. She will also be fondly remembered for her enjoyment pf flowers, cake decorating, sewing and cooking. Mrs. Mizell was born in South Fulton, TN to her parents, the late Hubert Lawson and Velma Nettie Reeves Lawson. She was also preceded in death by her two brothers, Jimmy Lawson and John R. Lawson. She is survived by her loving husband, Samuel Kenneth Mizell of Winchester, TN; daughters, Connie D. Pickney and her husband Bill of Winchester; Lisa D. Edwards and her husband Craig of Madison and Tamathy D. Page and her husband John of Mt. Juliet; eight grandchildren, Laura (Bryan) Thompson, Brian (Lisa Marie) Pickney, Kimberly (Chris) Brady, Andrea Pickney, Caroline Edwards, Dustin Page and Nathan Page; eight great-grandchildren, Simon Pickney, Marcy Pickney, Bailey Gipson, Graham Thompson, Garrett Thompson, Noah Brady, Annabeth Thompson and Marshall Brady; and a host of other relatives and friends. Visitation will be on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. The Funeral Service will be conducted on Thursday morning, October 2, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. from the Chapel of Central Funeral Home with Brother Ralph Hart and Brother Alan Adams officiating. Burial will follow at the Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. CENTRAL FUNERAL HOME of Manchester, TN in Charge of Arrangements.
10/2/14 — Johnny Wes Brown
Funeral services for Mr. Johnny Wes Brown, age 85, of Manchester, will be conducted at 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 2, 2014 at Manchester Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Jack Lambert and Bro. Franklin Brown officiating. Burial will follow in Farrar Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will begin at 4:00 PM on Wednesday at the funeral home. Mr. Brown passed away Tuesday at Medical Center of Manchester.
Johnny was born in Bell Buckle, TN, the son of the late Walter and Beulah Blackburn Brown. He was a walking horse trainer at Steve Hill Stables. He enjoyed playing pool at the Coffee County Senior Citizens Center, gardening, sewing okra with his granddaughter, and especially loved to hear his sons and granddaughters sing. He also enjoyed watching his grandchildren play ball.
In addition to his parents, Johnny was also preceded in death by his loving wife, Louella Brown; two brothers, Oscar and Leonard Brown; and one sister, Cornelia Brown. He is survived by two sons, Johnny (Nancy) Brown of Manchester and Ronnie (Amy) Brown of Beechgrove; two brothers, Franklin (Francis) Brown of Murfreesboro and Harvey (Lounell) Brown of Beechgrove; four grandchildren, Chris (Chenoa) Brown, Heather Brown, Lindsay (Josh) Winton, and Hannah Brown; and two great grandchildren, Ryan and Adie Brown.
Arrangements by Manchester Funeral Home
Lady Raiders Win Regular Season District Volleyball Championship
Sydney Pearson goes up for a block as Valaina Barger(#18) protects against the cross in a recent match…
Photo by John St Clair
The Coffee County Central High School volleyball claimed the regular season District 8AAA volleyball title on Tuesday night with a dominating straight set win at Franklin County. The Lady Raiders dispatched the Lady Rebels by set scores of 25 to 7, 25 to 8 and 25 to 10 to improve their record to 26 & 12 on the year and 9 and 1 in district play. The Lady Raiders dominated all aspects of the match as they scored 25 kills on the night led by Sydney Pearson who had 7. Brittany Williams led the team in assists with 12 and aces with 6 while Maddie Taylor had 5 digs to lead the Lady Riders in digs. With the win, the Lady Raiders clinched the top seed in the District 8 AAA Tournament that will be held in Columbia. After a 1st round bye, the Lady Raiders will take on the winner of the Lawrence County/Tullahoma first round matchup. That match will take place at 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 9th and we will bring you the action here on Thunder Radio. Coffee County will close out the regular season on Thursday night as they play host to White County for Senior Night.
Middle School Raiders Fall Just Short In CTC Championship Game
Tuesday was 8th grade recognition night for the middle school Raiders.. Photo by Dennis Weaver
It was a battle for the Central Tennessee Conference regular season football championship Tuesday night in Manchester. The Middle School Raiders hosted the Warriors of White County.
The Raiders took an early advantage with 3:48 left in 1st quarter on a Weston Hargroves 2-yard TD run. Just before halftime White County took the lead on touchdown run and 2-point conversion.
Headed into the 4th quarter the score remained the same. The Raiders put together a great drive in the final couple of minutes of play. Coffee County went for a throwback pass to the QB in the last few seconds of the game, but could not connect. The Warriors defeated the Raiders 8-6 to win the 2014 championship.
Trace Bryant who had a 43-yard reception was named the Gateway Tire and Service Center player of the game.
Download the radio broadcast
Coffee County finishes with a 6-2 overall record.
TSSAA State Golf Tournament Begins For Coffee County
Hollee Sadler hits her approach shot at #5 during the state tournament on Tuesday. Sadler has played in 3 consecutive state tournaments.
In boy’s play Coffee County’s Jacob Prater got off to a tough start shooting a 46 over his first 9-holes but battled back with an outstanding 3-under 33 on his next 9. Jacob is in the middle of the pack that is led by Jacob Sherlin of Hendersonville who scored a 4-under 68. The Commandos also lead the team scores with a 289, 1-over par.
The final day of the tournament is Wednesday at Willowbrook.
Update On “Geocache” Event That Took Place Monday
Manchester Police Chief Mark Yother.
Police say these scenarios can, and have ended much worse, we are fortunate that this was not a device to harm anyone and everyone involved was able to return home to their families.
Fortunately the package was only a “Geocache” used in a game, similar to a scavenger hunt. The items were in a military ammunition container, placed against the natural gas line entering the Jiffy Burger.
The statement added that this was a terrible choice of container and location for a “Geocache”.
The event on Monday cost two businesses a large amount of money because that had to close for 4 hours. The state bomb squad was called to Manchester so several people have been asking if this would cost the City of Manchester and money? The answer is no. This is a service provided through the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
WMSR News is continuing to follow this story with more updates possible.
Coffee County High School Will Host 4th Annual Team Up To Tackle Breast Cancer Event
October 17th is going to be the 4th Annual Team Up to Tackle Breast Cancer event at the home football game versus Lincoln County at 7 p.m. Farm Bureau Insurance is sponsoring the event of the night by purchasing pink jerseys for the football team to wear during the game. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the night at a silent auction with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. All other participants of the night such as the cheerleaders, dance team members, and band members will also be sporting pink for the night. Fans are encouraged to participate by purchasing the t-shirt designed for the event. Anyone wishing to purchase a shirt can contact any Coffee County CHS FBLA member or contact the high school at 931.723.5164. The shirts can be purchased starting today (September 29). Let’s all team up with Coffee County CHS to tackle breast cancer.