As 2018 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the volleyball teams from CHS, Temple Baptist Christian School, Westwood Middle and Coffee County Middle.

In their first ever full varsity season for Westwood, Coach Heather Sulkowski led the Lady Rockets to a 500 record including wins over Coffee Middle and Tullahoma.  Thunder Radio reported on the varsity/JV sweep over Tullahoma in a story we brought to you on September 14^th.

Emma Kidder of Westwood volleyball

The Westwood Middle School volleyball team welcomed Tullahoma to the Joel Vinson Gym on Thursday.  The Lady Rockets varsity captured a 3 set victory by set scores of 25-18, 23-25 & 15-13.  The JV team also captured a 3 set victory by set scores of 25-7, 18-25 & 15-13.

In the varsity match, Emma Kidder led the way with 4 aces and 8 digs.  Abby Clark led the team in aces with 5.  Anna Johnson had 3 kills and 6 digs while Maddie Sullivan finished with 6 assists.  For the JV Lady Rockets, Lilee Scott finished with 2 digs and 3 aces.  Ivet Ontiverous led the team in aces with 6.  Cassie Douglas had 2 assists.

Westwood will be back at home on Tuesday for their final home match of the year.  Westwood will square off against South Lincoln in that match scheduled for the Joel Vinson Gym.  First serve is set for 5 PM.

The Coffee County Middle School fielded a young and inexperienced team that struggled at times.  The highlight of the year was a straight set win over South Franklin in a home match on August 20^th we brought to you right here in Thunder Radio as part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Here is our story from August 21^st

Madison Pruitt of CCMS volleyball

The Lady Raider volleyball team of Coffee County Middle School returned to conference play on Monday as they welcomed South Franklin to the CCMS gym.  The Lady Raiders were coming off a pair of season opening losses as they looked for their first win.  Coffee Middle got that win in straight sets by set scores of 25-10 and 25-17.

The Lady Raiders once again leaned on their strong service game as they struck 17 aces in the match you heard here on Thunder Radio.  Coffee Middle was led in aces by Madison Pruitt who had 8.  Chloe Gannon finished with 7 aces, 4 kills and a block.  Brayden Tomberlin added 4 kills for the Lady Raiders who improved to 1 and 2 overall and 1 and 1 in conference play.

The Lady Raiders will be back at home on Tuesday night as they play host to Warren County.  First serve is set for 4:30 PM.

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

The Coffee County Central High School volleyball team earned their 7^th straight region tournament berth with a runner-up finish at the District 8AAA tournament.  Thunder Radio brought you the finals as part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Here is our story from October 5^th.

Lexi Bryan of CHS volleyball

Opening up play in the District 8AAA volleyball tournament on Thursday night in Shelbyville, the Lady Raiders were looking for a pair of wins to claim their 2nd straight district title.  Coffee County defeated Columbia in straight sets in the semifinals to advance to Thursday night’s finals.  In the finals, Lincoln County dropped Coffee County in 4 sets.

In the semifinals, the Lady Raiders got a dominant performance at the net in the straight set win.  Coffee County won by set scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-17.  The Lady Raiders were led in kills by Kiya Ferrell and Lexi Bryan who each had 11.  Keri Munn led the team in aces with 5 and blocks with 3.  Amanda Mukai led Coffee County in assists with 21.   The win advanced Coffee County to the finals and guaranteed the Lady Raiders a trip to next week’s Region 4AAA tournament.

In the finals, Coffee County squared off against the regular season champion Lincoln County Lady Falcons.  After Coffee County captured the first set 25 to 16, Lincoln County roared back to grab the next 3 sets 16-25, 20-25 and 23-25.  Bryan led the Lady Raiders in kills with 15.  Keelie Hillis added 6 kills and led the team in assists with 18.  Mukai led the team in aces with 3 and Ferrell led the team in digs with 14.

After the match, Coffee County’s Sarah West, Keelie Hillis and Keri Munn were named to the All-District team.  Coach Andrew Taylor was honored with the Coach of the Year award.  Coffee County will now advance to next week’s Region 4AAA Tournament to be held at Lincoln County High School.  Coffee County will take on Siegel in the semifinals.  The date and time will be announced this weekend.

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

The Temple Baptist Christian School Lady Eagles volleyball team finished the year with a phenomenal record of 31 and 5 which included a 7 and 0 performance in the Landmark Christian Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.   Thunder Radio brought you story of that tournament win in a story we published on October 15^th.

Rachel Butler of Temple Baptist

The Temple Baptist Christian School volleyball team roared through the prestigious Landmark Christian Academy tournament in Louisville, KY on Saturday to capture the tournament championship.  The Lady Eagles finished pool play of Friday with a 4 and 0 record.  As the top seed in Saturday’s tournament, Temple finished out a perfect weekend with a 3 set win in the finals.

In pool play, the Lady Eagles got wins in all 4 matches in straight sets.  Temple got wins over Madison Baptist Academy, Anchored Baptist, Hardin and Belmont Baptist.  In the tournament round on Saturday, Temple opened up with a win over Faith Christian by scores of 25-19 and 25-14.  In the semifinals, Temple swept Cumberland Christian Home Educators(CCHE) by set scores of 25-11 and 26 to 24.  This set up a finals rematch with CCHE.  In the championship match, Temple lost the first set 21-25.  They rallied to capture the second set 25-23 after capturing the final 2 points.  In the tiebreaker set, the Lady Eagles held off a late rally to win the final set and the match 15 to 12.

As 2018 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the girls’ soccer squads at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle.

The Coffee County CHS Lady Raiders advanced to the District 8AAA title game with a thrilling win in Shelbyville in extra time.  Thunder Radio brought you the broadcast of that match and reported on it in a story we brought you on October 10^th.

Maddy Jones of Coffee County CHS soccer

The Lady Raider soccer team of Coffee County Central High opened play on the District 8AAA soccer tournament on Tuesday night in Shelbyville.  In a match you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Lady Raiders squared off against a tough and physical Eaglettes team.  A goal by Maddy Jones in the 15th minute of extra time proved to be the game winner as Coffee County won 2 to 1.

The 2 teams played to a pair of 2 to 2 draws in the regular season so a 1 to 1 tie at the end of regulation did not surprise any of the fans on hand.  Coffee County got on the board first in the 37th minute as Jayda Wright drilled home a pass from Clarissa Barrera to give Coffee County a 1 nil lead at intermission.  Shelbyville tied the match in the 41st minute on a penalty kick.  Despite several opportunities to get the game winning goal in regulation, 11 saves by freshman keeper Lucy Riddle kept Coffee County in the match.  In the 2nd extra period, Allie Amado found Jones streaking into the right side of the 18 yard box.  Jones converted the pass with 5 minutes remaining in the extra period.  Coffee County was able to control possession for much of the last 5 minutes to capture the exciting victory.

The win advances Coffee County to Thursday night’s District 8AAA Championship.  The Lady Raiders will return home to play host to Columbia on Thursday night at the Raider Academy.  Opening kick is set for 6:30 PM.

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

The Westwood Lady Rockets fielded their youngest team ever in 2018 returning only 1 starter.  Westwood did get a big win on 8^th grade night over Liberty.  Thunder Radio reported on it in a story we brought to you on September 10th.

Adriana Basurto of Westwood soccer

The Westwood soccer team welcomed Liberty to the Dyer-Bouldin Field on Friday.  Celebrating 8th Grade Night, Westwood jumped out to a 4 to 1 halftime lead.  The Lady Rockets ended up with 4 players scoring as they won 6 to 3.

Westwood’s only 8th grader, Adriana Basurto finished with a pair of goals to lead Westwood.  Princess Penaloza added 2 goals while Leonor Moreno Rivera and Chloe Bellamy each added one goal.

Westwood is back in action on Tuesday when they hit the road to Wartrace to take on Cascade.  That match will commence at 5 PM.

The Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School also struggled as a young squad in 2018 but did mange a huge conference win on the road in late August.   Coffee Middle blanked White County and Thunder Radio reported on it in a story we brought to you on August 24^th.

Jorja Waggoner of CCMS soccer

The Coffee County Middle School soccer team hit the road to Sparta on Thursday for a conference match with White County.  Needing a boost after dropping their first 2 matches of the season, Coffee Middle jumped on the Warriorettes for a 7 to 0 win.

The Lady Raiders got a pair of goals from Jorja Waggoner, Katie Cotten and Caitlyn Garrett.  Hannah Creal added the 7th tally for Coffee Middle which improved to 1 and 2 on the year overall and in conference play.

The Lady Raiders return home for a Monday match against Tullahoma.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you that contest as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  The opening kick is set for 5 PM with the pregame show set to get underway at 4:45.

As 2018 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at some of the highlights of year for the cross country season.

The Coffee County Middle School cross country team once again qualified a runner for the state meet as Greenlee Woods participated in her 2^nd straight TMSAA Cross Country meet.  Thunder Radio reported on it in a story we brought you on October 8^th

Greenlee Woods of CCMS cross country

Making her 2nd appearance at the TMSAA state cross country meet, Greenlee Woods barely missed the medal stand.  Competing as a 7th grader for the Coffee County Middle School cross country, Woods completed the 2 mile course on Saturday with a time of 14:13.8.  Autumn Headrick of John Sevier Middle School won the race as she clocked a time of 13:10.9.  Woods was 7 seconds out of the top 10 and 14 seconds shy of the medal stand in the race.  The state championship meet is held in Clarksville, Tennessee on the property of the Hilldale Family Life Center and is hosted by Austin Peay State University.

The Westwood Rockets were hit hardest by graduation but still managed a successful season.  They opened the year with a good showing at Bell Buckle and Thunder Radio reported on the meet in a story we brought to you on August 29^th

The Westwood cross country team opened their season on Tuesday in Bell Buckle as they took part in a meet at Webb.  Coach Jim Dodson’s team was hit hard by graduation yet still managed to have a respectable showing.

 For the Rockets, Aidan Smith was the top finisher as he ran the 2 mile course in 12:41 to finish in 11th place.  Timothy Henderson was 50th with a time of 14:57. Hunter Crosslin ran a 15:57 to finish in 66th place while Ethan Miles posted a time of 19:58.

 For the Lady Rockets, Rylea McNamara was the top finisher as she posted the 14th place time of 15:07.  Mattalyn Goney finished in 42nd place with a time of 18:39.  Raygan Dubler was 46th at 19:25 followed by teammate Brooklyn George in 47th with a time of 19:29.  Samantha Wilder ran a time of 24:00 minutes.

The Westwood harriers are back in action on September 6th when they compete in a meet at St. Andrews-Sewanee.   That meet will get underway at 4 PM.

The Coffee County CHS team hosted a pair of meets this year including a dominant performance in their last home meet of the year.  Thunder Radio reported on the wins in a story we brought to you on October 11^th

Patricia Barrera of CHS cross country

The Coffee County cross country teams of CHS and CCMS hosted their second meet of the year on Tuesday at Old Stone Fort State Park.  The Red Raider Run, sponsored by Jiffy Burger and Bridgestone, saw the Raider runners capture wins in all 4 races.

For the middle school runners, Greenlee Woods ran away with the girls’ race to win with a time of 15:09.  Teammate Elizabeth Young broke to tape in 2nd place with a time of 22:13 just 5 tenths of a second ahead of Harris’ Cynthia Vitervo.

 In the middle school boys’ race, Cam Harvey won the race with a time of 12:27.  Lucas Beaty(with a time of 12:35) came in second place and Bradley Escue(13:05) came in 3rd as the Raiders swept the top 3.  Additionally, Manuel Gonzalez(13:59) was 5th and Clayton Bryant(15:17)  finished 7th.

In the high school races, Patricia Barrera led a Coffee County charge that saw 6 Lady Raiders finish in the top 9.  Barrera won the race with a time of 22:35.  Madison Rooker(24:01) was 3rd, Ariana Hanson(26:43) was 4th, Beatris Barrera(36:48) was 5th, Zoe Mills(27:49) was 6th and Haley Sherrill(30:53) came in 9th.

For the boys, Jacob Rutledge won with a time of (18:27).  Renato Ayala(19:42) was 3rd, Ethan Welch(20:14) was 5th, Bodey Todd(20:37) finished in 6th place, Landon Kenney(20:50) was 7th, Jacob Melton(20:51) was 8th, Christian Alvarez(21:13) was 9th and Garrett Masters(21:13) came in 10th place as Coffee County captured 8 of the top 10 places.  Wesley Swiger finished in 18th place with a time of 28:24.

The race ends the season for the middle school runners.  The high school harriers will travel to Dickson on Saturday for the Mid State Cross Country Association Championship.  First race is set to begin at 9 AM at Buckner Park in Dickson.

Nashville center Ryan Johansen

They may not show up on the scoresheet, but the Predators’ guests of honor deserve a lot of recognition for Nashville’s 6-3 victory in Washington.

Two dozen of the Preds’ moms accompanied the team to the Nation’s Capital and saw their sons score five unanswered goals to erase a 3-1 deficit, bust their six-game losing streak and record a significant win to end 2018. The victory also snapped Nashville’s 10-game road winless streak.

“Growing up, you fall and you get a boo-boo, who do you run to? Mom,” Preds forward Rocco Grimaldi said. “We’re on a six-game losing streak, we’re kind of hurting and banged up, who do we need to come running to? Mom. It was a great win by our team, especially going down 3-1. We could’ve hung our heads and thought it’s one of those game again, we can’t get out of this slump, but the boys stuck together, every line chipped in and we have a huge win against the defending Stanley Cup Champs.”

Washington took a 2-0 lead halfway through the opening period, but less than 30 seconds later, it was Grimaldi who gave the Preds their first strike of the day as he redirected Zac Rinaldo’s feed past Braden Holtby to get the Preds on the board.

The Capitals went back up by two at 8:22 of the second period, but again the Preds struck back, this time less than two minutes later on a tap-in goal courtesy of Miikka Salomaki.

Roughly two minutes later, Ryan Johansen poked a puck through the five hole of Holtby to tie the game at three, and Frederick Gaudreau gave Nashville their first lead of the afternoon less than four minutes after that.

“It was a big play by Rinaldo to Grimaldi there, that was a huge goal,” Johansen said. “They had all the momentum at that time, their building was pumped up, and so to get that goal, I thought was huge. That gave us some life and we just kept pounding the legs, shift after shift, everyone played their role very well and competed at both ends of the rink. We did all the little things well, and the result was a big win.”

Just as they did on Saturday night, the Preds carried a lead into the final frame, but this time, they added to their advantage. Ryan Ellis converted off an odd-man rush at 10:35 of the third and Viktor Arvidsson tallied his first goal since returning from injury to stretch the visitors’ lead to 6-3 in the final minutes.

Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette admitted his club had a number of “mental lapses” on the afternoon, but no matter, because goaltender Pekka Rinne was there to bail them out on a number of occasions to earn his 15th win of the season.

A complete team victory, and perhaps then some if you count the assist to the mothers, Nashville put together all the pieces for much-needed triumph to finally get two points back on their side of the ledger.

“We competed really well,” Laviolette said. “We played a good game offensively, we were opportunistic and did what we needed to do. Coming from behind a couple times down by two goals is also a good thing, on the road is a good thing, certainly against a good team, so lots of positives to pull from today.”

Do It for The Moms:

Rocco Grimaldi’s mother, Susie, shed a tear after her son scored.

Paivi Salomaki gave a prolonged hug to Helena Rinne after Miikka put one in the net. Ryan Johansen’s mother, Roz, high-fived Debbie Sissons. Frederick Gaudreau’s mom, France, jumped for joy.

Mary Ellis? She was just plain thrilled. So was Asa Arvidsson.

Indeed, this one meant a little more to the Preds with the team’s first-ever Mothers Trip in full effect.

And their boys delivered.

“You could tell how much it meant to them,” Johansen said. “After the game was over, we looked up there and they were hootin’ and hollerin’ pretty good. It’s a fun experience for them and we’re happy we could get the win for them to make it even more special.”

In the case of the Grimaldis, his mother’s emotion was a surprise to Rocco. But as Mrs. Grimaldi, a former police officer, said after the game, anyone who has a child would understand.

And for Rocco, having his mom along makes the win that much more satisfying.

“She’s a tough, strong woman, so it means a lot for her to show the emotion,” Grimaldi said. “I’ve said it all week, but my parents have sacrificed everything for me, basically retired from their jobs early as police officers to hopefully let me live my dream one day. They took a chance on a 12-year-old kid to move to Michigan just for hockey, so they’ve done everything for me. It was a nice little reward to score, but I’m sure she likes the win a lot more than me scoring.”

Notes:

Kyle Turris (day-to-day) missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury.

Prior to Monday’s game, the Preds recalled forward Nicholas Baptiste from Milwaukee. Baptiste did not dress against the Capitals.

After jetting back to Nashville before the clock strikes midnight, the Preds will be right back at it on New Year’s Day as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night