Conner Shemwell of CHS football

The 94th renewal of the Coffee Pot rivalry took place at Carden-Jarrell Field on Friday night.  Under new head coach Doug Greene, Coffee County was looking to break a two game losing streak to Tullahoma.  Despite winning the turnover battle and committing fewer penalties, Coffee County failed to regain the Coffee Pot falling to Tullahoma 35 to 0.

The Coffee County offense was pinned into horrible field position for most of the first half as Tullahoma used good field position and effective interior running attack to build a 14 to 0 lead at the half.  In the second half a tenacious Tullahoma defense held the Red Raider offense in check. Tullahoma outgained Coffee County in total yardage 396 to 83 for the game.  Coffee County was lead in yardage by Marshall Haney who had 32 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving to be named the Mid Tenn Turf most valuable player of the game.   Quarterback Conner Shemwell was 6 of 17 passing for 31 yards and an interception.   Shemwell also rushed 6 times for 23 yards.

Coffee County will be back at home Friday night as they welcome Blackman for their first region game of the year.  Thunder Radio will bring you that broadcast beginning with the Friday Night Thunder pregame show at 6.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on your exclusive home for Coffee County sports,

Download the broadcast at: https://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

Over 1,200 runners, representing seventy eight middle Tennessee high schools, descended on The Hermitage on Saturday for the biggest cross country meet of the season thus far. Competing in the prestigious Voyles Classic, 11 boys and 4 girls represented Coffee County Central High School. At the end of the day, each squad had top performances in the first true cross country meet of the season.

For the Red Raiders, Jacob Rutledge was the top finished for Coffee County as he posted a time of 17:20 for the 5K race to capture 26th place. Patricia Barrera was the top finisher for the Lady Raiders as she broke the tape in 22:19 which was good enough for 67th place. The Red Raider team finished in 13th place in the AAA division well ahead of local rivals Tullahoma, Warren County, Lincoln County, Blackman, Smyrna, Stewarts Creek and Columbia. For the JV Red Raiders, Jacob Slabaugh came in 87th in the JV boys’ race with a time of 21:09.

Lady Raider finishers and times
Patricia Barrera – 67th place – 22:19
Nayeli Cano – 180th place – 25:52
Zoe Mills – 220th place – 27:43
Haley Sherrill – 275th place – 30:55

Red Raider finishers and times
Jacob Rutledge – 18th place – 17:20
Landon Kenney – 83rd place – 19:21
Renato Ayala – 88th place – 19:32
Garrett Masters – 98th place – 20:02
Christian Alvarez – 123rd place – 20:41
Bodey Todd – 127th place – 20:58
Ethan Welch – 129th place – 21:09

Red Raider JV finishers and times
Jacob Slabaugh – 87th place – 21:09
Jacob Melton – 161st place – 22:57
Ethan Beaty – 222nd place – 24:28
Holden Shew – 276th place – 26:24

The Raider runners will be in action again on Thursday when they travel to Bell Buckle to compete in the Webb School meet. First race will get underway at 4 PM.

Story by Lawrence Phillips

Manchester Youth Football League traveled to Clay County High School for the Tri County Youth Football League Jamboree on Saturday August 31st.
The Flag Football Division got the afternoon started with a 36-0 win over Watertown’s “A” team flag team with 2 touchdowns each by Trip Trussler, Kyson Norris and Walker Lovelace. Cayden Strickland scrambled for a 39 yard gain and was tripped up at the 6 inch line to prevent a bonus score. The “B” team also made a great showing by posting a 24-0 score with Ethan Proctor and Trey Stevens having two touchdowns each.
The Junior Division (8-9) year olds kicked off their season with a 6-0 victory over Watertown’s Juniors. Jax Nash had the lone score for Manchester.
The Senior division Red Raiders (10-12) year olds came up short with a 6-0 loss to Watertown’s  senior division team but Isaiah Deadman had a touchdown called back on a controversial offensive offsides call.
The Tri County side of MYFL will begin their regular season at Gordonsville on September 14th, with the Flag Division starting at 4:30 pm.
The three divisions of SMTYFA will continue play on September 7th at Waggoner field in Tullahoma in the first annual version of the “Battle For the Coffee Mug” Action is set to begin at 3:00 pm.
Everyone needs to come check out these little guys on the Tri County and SMTYFA sides of MYFL, they are Coffee County’s future!

The newly developed Elementary Cross Country Race League had their first meet of the season on Thursday at the Manchester Soccer Park.  137 boys and 123 girls from 10 elementary schools in Coffee County took part in the event in the first meet of the season.  In team results, New Union won the girls’ division while Westwood captured 1st place in the boys’ division.  The league will have its 2nd race of the year on Wednesday, September 11th at a location to be announced later.  Thunder Radio will keep you updated on the schedule.

Team Results – Girls
1st Place — New Union
2nd Place – College Street
3rd Place – Westwood
4th Place – North Coffee
5th Place – East Coffee

Team Results – Boys
1st Place — Westwood
2nd Place – College Street
3rd Place – New Union
4th Place – North Coffee
5th Place – Farrar

Top 10 Individual Finishers – Girls
1. Lizzy Sharpton – Farrar
2. Jada Nagel – College Street
3. Jaydee Nogodula – New Union
4. Riley Howell – Hillsboro
5. Reece Finch –Westwood
6. Bella VanZandbergen – Westwood
7. Hayleigh Harris – New Union
8. Chloe Hensiek – New Union
9. Mia Ahlijah – College Street
10. Zallona Dilliard – College Street

Top 10 Individual Finishers – Boys
1. Ricardo Solorio – Westwood
2. Ty Deaton – College Street
3. Jonah Rathjen Valley – Farrar
4. Brady Christian – Westwood
5. Trey Sullivan – College Street
6. Ethan Reed – East Coffee
7. Aidan Walker – Westwood
8. Payton Behrendorff – Farrar
9. Myles McIntosh – New Union
10. Joan Deanda – Westwood

Despite 108 receiving yards and a touchdown on a career-high seven catches by senior Jauan Jennings, a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers cost Tennessee, as the Vols fell to Georgia State, 38-23, in their season-opener at Neyland Stadium Saturday.

The Vols now prepare to host BYU next Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

After UT took a 23-21 lead on a 31-yard field goal from Brett Cimaglia with 12:05 to go in the game, GSU tallied 17 unanswered points over a 10-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

UT outgained GSU in both total yards (404-352) and passing yards (311-139), however two trips to the red zone that ended in field goals instead of touchdowns proved to be pivotal to the final outcome.

Junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano’s 311-yard passing performance marked the second time he has eclipsed 300 yards in his UT career.

Senior tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson finished with a career-high 79 receiving yards on three receptions, highlighted by a 54-yard pitch-and-catch from Guarantano early in the fourth quarter to put the Vols in position to score.

Freshman linebacker Henry To’o To’o began his career on Rocky Top with an impressive seven total tackles, which tied for the team lead. He had four solo tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Georgia State opened the day’s scoring on a four-yard rush from Seth Paige, following an opening-series fumble.

The Big Orange responded with a 16-play, 78-yard drive, capped off with a six-yard, back-shoulder fade from Guarantano to wide receiver Marquez Callaway. The drive ate 7:42 off the clock and knotted the score at 7-7. The 16-play drive was the longest drive for the Vols since their first scoring drive in last season’s opener against West Virginia.

UT took control late in the first quarter when Chandler scampered for 31 yards through the Panther defense and into the end zone to give Tennessee a 14-7 advantage.

Georgia State tied things back up at 14-14 with a 16-play drive of its own late in the second quarter.

As time in the first half expired, the first of Cimaglia’s three field goals gave UT a 17-14 lead as both teams headed to the locker rooms.

Georgia State came out of the break with a well-orchestrated, nine-play, 75-yard drive to retake the lead at 21-17.

Two field goals from Cimaglia that bridged the third and fourth quarters gave UT a slim 23-21 lead before GSU pieced together three consecutive scoring drives, two of which came off Vols turnovers, to take a 38-23 lead in the game’s waning minutes.

Jennings hauled in an 18-yard scoring strike from Guarantano with 53 seconds remaining, and Cimaglia’s PAT provided the final score.

A brilliant one-touch half volley goal in the 79’ minute from forward Kharlton Belmar gave Nashville SC a massive 2-1 road win at Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday evening in St. Petersburg, Fla. The win moves Nashville to second place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference at the end of the night.

A lofted through ball from defender Bradley Bourgeois sprung Belmar free. The forward took just one touch and fired it inside the far post on the fly. The goal was Belmar’s third of the season and came after he head coach Gary Smith had inserted him into the match as a substitute less than 10 minutes earlier in the 71’ minute.

The win over Tampa Bay was the first for Nashville SC in the club’s brief two-year history following two losses and a draw in the three previous meetings. Nashville SC leapfrogged Tampa in the standings with the victory, taking sole possession of second place in the East with seven matches left in the season.

Nashville opened the scoring just before halftime in the 44’ minute when Cameron Lancaster won a free kick just outside the Rowdies 18-yard box. Lancaster took the free kick low and forced a save from Tampa keeper John McCarthy. The rebound from McCarthy found an on-rushing Lebo Moloto who immediately sent the ball into the net to give Nashville the lead.

The Rowdies bounced right back immediately in the second half when Sebastian Guenzatti equalized on a cross through the box. However, deft substitutions from Smith, bringing on Belmar and fellow winger Alan Winn, spun the match back in Nashville’s favor late in the match.

Here are three takeaways from the big Nashville SC win.

1) Road Warriors Yet Again

The win was Nashville SC’s ninth on the road, more than double its total away from home last season (4). Coming against Tampa Bay, a team that has spent the majority of the season on top of the Eastern Conference standings, makes it even more impressive. Nashville SC had to weather Tampa Bay’s attack, which pressed all match behind its home fans. The nine road wins, and 30 road points, are the most for any team in the East. With just two road matches left on its schedule, Nashville could win 11 of 17 road matches in 2019, an impressive possibility.

2) Defense Stands Tall

Pickens and the Nashville SC defense put in a monumental performance on the road in a tough environment. Tampa Bay took 20 shots, including eight on target, and Nashville SC allowed just the one goal. The 20 shots and eight shots on target both tie the most against Pickens and Nashville in the club’s two-year history. The seven saves are a Nashville SC record for Pickens who made several point-blank stops despite taking numerous hits inside the box. One of those hits forced Pickens into a jersey change in stoppage time, but the keeper held just as firm in an 84 jersey as he did in his usual number 18.

3) Bourgeois and Belmar Combine for Winner

Both Bradley Bourgeois and Kharlton Belmar have found themselves on the outside looking in at a starting spot for stretches during the 2019 season, but the pair combined for one of the biggest goals of the season to secure three points for Nashville SC. Bourgeois lofted a ball over the top and led Belmar on a break who one-touched it past McCarthy into the net. For Bourgeois, it was the second consecutive start after no starts in the previous seven matches, and his first assist of the season. It was the third goal for Belmar, and the second in the last three weeks following a road goal against Charlotte Independence.

Up Next

Nashville SC will have its penultimate road match of the season next Saturday night when it takes on Saint Louis FC in the St. Louis suburbs on September 7. Saint Louis beat Nashville earlier this season 1-0 at First Tennessee Park, but has since fallen outside of the playoff picture, winning once in its last 15 matches. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast on MyTV30.

The Sounds were leading the San Antonio Missions into the seventh inning, but allowed a three-run home run to lose the lead. The Missions added two more insurance runs in the eighth, defeating the Sounds 9-5 on Saturday night.

The first run for the Sounds came in the bottom of the first inning. Andy Ibanez hit a solo home run to left-center field, giving Nashville the early 1-0 lead.

San Antonio responded right away with a three-run second inning. Blake Allemand took the lead with one swing of the bat, hitting a bases loaded double that scored two runners. Corey Ray hit in the third run on a ground out, giving the Missions a 3-1 lead.

Matt Davidson launched a home run in the bottom of the third inning. The homer gave him his first three RBI of the game and took the lead for the Sounds 4-3. That brought Davidson to 99 RBI on the season.

The Missions responded right away in the top of the fourth inning. Troy Stokes hit a solo home run on a full count, tying the game at four runs apiece.

Nashville retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Davidson hit a sacrifice fly to give him his 100th RBI and Nashville the lead, 5-4.

A three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning gave the Missions the 7-5 lead. With Nate Orf and Lucas Erceg on base, Jacob Nottingham launched the go-ahead home run. They added two more runs in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run homer by Orf. That would be all the runs San Antonio would need as they beat Nashville 9-5.

Game three of the series will be played a 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, where right-hander Tim Dillard (8-9, 4.80) will pitch for the Sounds against right-hander Bubba Derby (7-7, 4.77).

Post-Game Notes

– With Saturday’s 9-5 loss, the Sounds dropped to 64-72 in 2019.

– Matt Davidson continued climbing the single-season franchise leaderboards in home runs and RBI. He is one home run shy of tying the franchise record, trailing Steve Balboni (1980) and Brian Dayett (1982). He is the fourth hitter in Sounds history to reach 100 RBI and trails Drew Denson who hit 103 RBI in 1993 and 1994. Steve Balboni owns the single-season RBI record with 122 in 1980.

– Andy Ibanez’ home run was his 19th of the season. That extends his single-season career-high.

– Zack Granite led all Nashville hitters with three hits. It was his eighth three-hit game of the season, tying the lead among Nashville hitters with Ibanez.

Patrick Wisdom drilled a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 6-5 win over the San Antonio Missions in front of a sellout crowd of 10,632 fans Friday night at First Tennessee Park.

Wisdom’s mammoth homer to left-center was his 30th of the season. The 30 home runs are tied for the eighth-most by a Sounds player in single-season team history.

David Carpenter came in for the top of the ninth and faced the minimum to earn his 21st save of the season. The 21 saves for Carpenter is the seventh-most in single-season team history.

Nashville nearly wasted a 4-0 lead after plating four runs in the opening inning. Preston Beck’s RBI single gave Nashville a 2-0 lead and Christian Lopes’ two-run double extended the Sounds lead to 4-0.

San Antonio cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Nashville answered immediately in the home half of the second when Andy Ibanez cranked his 18th home run of the season to give the Sounds a 5-2 lead.

Nashville relievers Yohander Mendez and James Jones followed starter Phillips Valdez and combined to throw 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Trouble started in the seventh when San Antonio’s Troy Stokes Jr.’s RBI double trimmed the Nashville lead to 5-3. The Missions got two more runs in the top of the eighth off Kyle Bird when Tyrone Taylor homered and Tuffy Gosewich knocked in the tying run with a groundout.

It didn’t stay tied for long as Wisdom’s blast started the bottom of the eighth.

Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Pedro Payano (2-3, 5.70) starts for Nashville against right-hander Zack Brown (3-7, 5.72) for San Antonio. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

– With Friday’s 6-5 win, the Sounds improved to 64-71 in 2019.

– Ronald Guzman extended his on-base streak to 17 games when he drew a walk in the first inning. He’s hitting .358 (24-for-67) during the streak.

– Patrick Wisdom hit his 30th home run of the season in the eighth inning. The 30 home runs are tied for eighth-most by a Sounds player in single-season team history (Drew Denson, 1994).

– David Carpenter earned his league-leading 21st save of the season. It’s the seventh-most in single-season team history.

– The Sounds improved to 16-5 in Friday games.