Coffee County CHS softball player Katie Rutledge signs with Blue Mountain College on Wednesday at CHS. Joining her are(Front Row left to right): Donna Rutledge, mother; Katie Rutledge; J.J. Rutledge(father). Back Row: Jon Spears, CHS assistant softball coach; Adam Kirkpatrick, Blue Mountain head coach; Brandon McWhorter, CHS softball coach; Anthony Smith, travel ball coach; Ken Hardwick, Blue Mountain assistant softball coach.

Coffee County’s Katie Rutledge signed a scholarship on Wednesday at CHS to continue her softball career at the college level with Blue Mountain College.  The senior Lady Raider softball player has been one of the most decorated athletes for the Lady Raider program in the last 4 years.  Rutledge, a pitcher and outfielder, will join the Mississippi college next fall.

Blue Mountain College is a private liberal arts college located in the northeastern Mississippi town of Blue Mountain not far from Tupelo.  Blue Mountain is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) playing in the Southern States Athletic Conference.  The Toppers are coached by first year head coach Adam Kirkpatrick and assisted by Ken Hardvick who is in his 8^th year on staff at Blue Mountain.  When asked about Rutledge, Kirkpatrick explained his happiness at getting the Lady Raider on his team.  “She is a great person and a good softball player.  She fits the mold of what we are looking for in terms of character” said Kirkpatrick.  “I see her having an instant impact on our program” added Kirkpatrick.

Rutledge first became aware of Blue Mountain this summer during her travel softball season.  Rutledge visited the school in August for an overnight recruiting trip.  “I knew after that visit that it was right for me” said Rutledge.  “It is a good program that puts a lot into their athletes” Rutledge added.  Rutledge is expected to compete as a pitcher and outfielder for the Toppers.

Coffee County coach Brandon McWhorter was quick to point out that Katie’s “work ethic, skill set and knowledge of the game is what college coaches look for in a recruit.  She is an exceptional softball talent and is always working to better herself” added McWhorter.  “Her leadership, especially at the beginning of this year, has been a huge contribution to our program.   She is well respected by her teammates and cares for each one of them.  She also brings a speed aspect to the team that’s hard to find.”

The Motlow State Lady Bucks ended their 2018 soccer season with an 8-0 loss to the nation’s sixth-ranked team, Lewis & Clark Community College, in the semifinals of the NJCAA Central District Tournament Thursday in Godfrey, Illinois.

Motlow (12-5-2) advanced to the NJCAA tournament after winning the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament last week in Collierville. The Lady Bucks beat Southwest Tennessee 3-2 in the championship game, capping a season that also saw them win the TCCAA regular season championship.

“It was a great experience to travel to Illinois and to witness what the upper level of Division I junior college soccer looks like,” said Andy Lyon, Motlow head coach. “We competed well for long periods of the contest and created several scoring chances against one of the nation’s best teams. Our program is better now because of this experience. We’ve taken another step forward.”

Lyon, who built the program after being hired in September 2016, was named the TCCAA/Region VII Coach of the Year. Additional honors went to Alexandra Rouse, TCCAA/Region VII Tournament Most Valuable Player; Emily Vallejo, Freshman of the Year; Natalie Feaster, Defensive Player of the Year; and Tyler Feaster, Natalie Feaster, Kayla Moultry and Keely Smith, who were each named to the All-TCCAA team.

Tyler Feaster led the Lady Bucks in points for the season with 25, followed by Emily Vallejo with 21, April Gillespie with 12, and Rouse and Kristen Heath with 11 each. Feaster also had a team-high 10 goals on the season, while Vallejo had nine and Rouse five. Gillespie and Smith each had a team-high six assists.

Emily Bryant was the top goal keeper, posting an 8-4-1 record and allowing 17 goals, including all eight against Lewis & Clark. Although her statistics are somewhat skewed after the final game, Bryant was splendid the entire season with 42 total saves. Ashley Woods posted a 3-0 record in goal and had 31 saves with a 1.09 goals-against average.

“This team has represented the College and itself very well,” added Lyon. “They genuinely enjoy being around each other and they have been a pleasure to coach. It has been a special journey for the sophomores. They wanted to make history since the introduction of the program and they succeeded. They created a great foundation for future recruiting classes and they will always be remembered as the first recruiting class, the first TCCAA/Region VII conference champion, and the first Division I community college soccer players in Tennessee.”

Lyon will be a guest on the Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday broadcast live from the Al White Ford/Lincoln showroom.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live from 10 to 11 AM each Saturday and is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.

Colton Sissons of the Nashville Predators

Colton Sissons had a hat trick to help the Nashville Predators defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 at Pepsi Center on Wednesday.

Sissons scored two goals in the first period, and completed his second regular-season NHL hat trick when he tipped in Kyle Turris’ shot on a power play with 3 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-1. Ryan Hartman made it 4-1 with an empty-net goal with 2:54 left in the third.

Sissons, who had one goal in the first 14 games, has scored eight goals in 10 regular-season games against the Avalanche.

“Everybody has a team or two they have success against and feel good against,” Sissons said. “Fortunately for me it’s a team in our division. They are always tough games, like playoff games, and I like playing in those games. Maybe that’s it.”

Nick Bonino had three assists, and Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for the Predators (12-3-0), who have won four games in a row, 11 straight against the Avalanche in the regular season and all seven road games this season.

Predators coach Peter Laviolette said he put Sissons, Bonino and Hartman on a line for their defense, so their offense was a bonus.

“[Sissons] played really well tonight,” Laviolette said. “That line did a terrific job. Colton had a big night.”

Matt Calvert scored, and Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves for the Avalanche (7-5-3), who have lost four games in a row (0-3-1) and five of six. Colorado had two goals overturned by video review.

Sissons gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 13:39 of the first period. Bonino was at the right side of the net when he slid the puck to Sissons on the opposite side for a tap-in.

“Kind of a gift on the back door,” Sissons said. “It was just kind of sitting there for me.”

The Predators made it 2-0 at 17:21 when Roman Josi passed to Sissons in the right circle for a shot that beat Varlamov to the blocker side.

“Josi kicked it out to me and I just placed a nice shot, fortunately,” Sissons said. “The [third one], a little bit of luck on a tip-in.”

An apparent goal by Colorado’s Ian Cole at 1:29 of the second was overturned following a video review after Nashville requested a Coach’s Challenge. Samuel Girard brought the puck outside the zone on a spin move, causing the play to be offside.

The Avalanche closed to 2-1 at 7:08 when Calvert scored on a power play. Girard took a shot from the blue line and Calvert deflected it for his first goal of the season. Nathan MacKinnon had an assist, his 200th in the NHL.

“It felt great to contribute offensively,” Calvert said. “I was trying too hard, I think. It was a great shot by [Girard] and I got a stick on it. Sometimes you need the first one to go in like that.”

A goal by the Avalanche’s Colin Wilson at 7:39 of the third was overturned when it was determined that Alexander Kerfoot was offside following another Coach’s Challenge by the Predators.

“Great calls by our video guys, but it was offsides,” Laviolette said. “That’s what rules are for. They were great calls by our guys in the back room and they were close, too, but they were adamant they were offsides, and you have to be sure. There was no question about [challenging them.]”

Said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar: “Tape-to-tape passes we’re throwing into guys’ skates even when there aren’t players in-between them, going offside on goals, that’s part execution, slows down our pace, slows down the tempo of our game.

“The two goals getting called back to me is just another aspect of our lack of execution.”

They said it
“Focus, we know what we have to do. We come to the rink ready to play. There is less matching going on, we just roll the lines with no last change.” — Predators forward Nick Bonino on their road success

Need to know
Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen was held without a point for the third time this season. He leads the NHL in assists (19) and points (24) … Rinne has a 24-7-2 record against Colorado … Josi has five points (two goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak. … The other regular-season hat trick for Sissons was on Jan. 5, 2017 in a 6-1 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also had a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, against the Anaheim Ducks in a 6-3 win May 22, 2017 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.

Pete Weber’s Post Game Report