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Coffee County Middle Basketball Gets Road Split at White County
In the girls’ game, Coffee County trailed at the half 11 to 10. Unfortunately, White County outscored the Lady Raiders 15 to 0 in the 3rd quarter to race to the conference win. Coffee Middle was led in scoring by Chloe Gannon who had 6 points. Olivia Vinson added 4 points in the conference loss.
In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders rallied from a 9 point halftime deficit to get the win. Coffee County outscored the Warriors 33 to 17 in the 2nd half to capture their 2nd straight conference win to start the season. Coffee County was led in scoring by Dayne Crosslin who had 19 points, all of them in the 2nd half. Crosslin hit 5 three pointers on the night to spark the comeback. Jacob Holder added 13 points and Ethan Hargrove chipped in 9 points.
Both Raider teams will travel to Rutherford County on Tuesday night to compete in the Rockvale tournament. The Lady Raiders will square off against Oakland at 4 PM. The Red Raiders will also take on Oakland immediately following the girls’ game. Second round action will take place on Thursday and the finals are scheduled for Saturday. All the games will be held at Rockvale Middle School.
Titans Shine in Monday Night Football Win Over Cowboys
The Titans showed up on the Monday Night Football stage, and turned in a performance worthy of a bow.
After a shaky start, the Titans took over Monday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
When it was over, the Titans left with a 28-14 victory, which ended a three-game losing streak and started to build some momentum heading into the second half of the season. It came before 90,466 fans at AT&T Stadium.
“This game was of the utmost importance,” Titans cornerback Logan Ryan said. “It was a ‘got to have it,’ it was ‘desperation,’ it was everything. We needed to win this game. It was one of those weeks where we had to do whatever it took to win, and we are happy to get it.
“I said it (coming in). I told the guys: It’s a must win. We put ourselves in that position. We came in here and believed we could win and we played like that.”
The Titans (4-4) face the New England Patriots on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
“I think all the wins in this league are great wins – they are difficult each week, and it’s a great challenge to come in here on the road, in this environment, for us to play, our organization to play, on Monday Night Football and for a lot of guys to contribute to that win,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “Hopefully we can get healthy in a hurry and we can move on to New England very quickly.”
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota played well on center stage, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another. Mariota’s nine-yard touchdown run with 4:38 gave the Titans a two-touchdown lead. Mariota completed 21-of-29 passes for 240 yards in the contest, with touchdown passes to running back Dion Lewis and tight end Jonnu Smith.
On offense, the Titans were 11-of-14 (79 percent) on third down in the contest. Lewis had another big day, rushing for a team-high 62 yards while also catching four passes for 60 yards.
In the second half, the Titans defense also turned up the pressure on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, recording five sacks. The Titans also stiffened up while defending running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Titans edge rusher Harold Landry had one of the team’s five sacks. Wesley Woodyard, Brian Orakpo, Austin Johnson and Jayon Brown got in on the action as well.
“They always say: Sacks come in bunches,” Landry said. “I feel like when one dude is eating, everybody starts eating and that’s how it worked out. We were feeding off of one another’s energy.”
Things were bad before it got better for the Titans.
The Cowboys took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to receiver Amari Cooper, which came just 1:53 after a Titans turnover. The Titans gave the Cowboys good field position after Mariota fumbled while being sacked, and Dallas recovered the football at the Tennessee 15.
After another turnover, the Titans were on the verge of being buried early. That’s when safety Kevin Byard stepped up and made a huge play – an interception in the end zone. He celebrated by running into the middle of the star at AT&T Stadium – reminiscent of a Terrell Owens celebration 18 years ago when he played for the 49ers, against the Cowboys.
“It’s just something I thought about at the hotel, thinking about Monday night in Dallas,” Byard said. “I was thinking, ‘What can I do if I make a play?” And really just to show the team we are not scared. We are here to play ball, and here to win the game. I made the play and I ran straight to the 50-yard line.”
The Titans responded with a beautiful scoring drive that was capped off with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Derrick Henry, which made it 7-7. Henry’s run capped off a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took 8:55 off the clock.
After getting a stop on defense, the Titans put together another nice scoring drive led by Mariota, and it was capped off with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Lewis to give the Titans a 14-7 lead. Mariota connected with receiver Darius Jennings on a beautiful 36-yard completion on the drive, and he also found receiver Cameron Batson on another third down to extend the drive.
But the Cowboys tied the game just before halftime on a 23-yard pass from Prescott to receiver Allen Hurns, who got behind Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler to make it 14-14 at the half.
The Titans got another big play on defense in the third quarter, when Brown sacked Prescott, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Woodyard at the Dallas 40.
The Titans turned the turnover into points, capping a seven-play drive off with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Smith with 5:44 left in the third quarter, which made it 21-14.
The Titans missed a golden opportunity for more points when kicker Ryan Succop missed a 28-yard field goal with 10:58 remaining, keeping the score 21-14.
But the Titans made the plays to win it late, including Mariota’s touchdown run.
“It is special for sure,” Mariota said. “Growing up, all you can really dream about is playing on Monday night. It was fun to be able to do that – we had a great atmosphere and we had a bunch of Titans fans in town. So it was quite enjoyable.
“And being able to get back to .500 was very important, and we have another one (against the Patriots) coming up.”
11/4/18 — Birthdays
No birthdays to report
11/3/18 — Birthdays
No birthdays to report
Anniversaries:
Kris & Sherrie Slade, 17
It’s Election Time in Tennessee
Tennesseans will head to the polls across the state Tuesday to vote in the Nov. 6 general election.
1,378,840 Tennesseans voted in person or absentee during the two-week early voting period which ended Thursday, November 1, 2018. A comprehensive breakdown and interactive map from the Division of Elections shows how this turnout compares to past election years.
Voters can download the GoVoteTN app, available in the App Store or Google Play, to view voter-specific information. Voters can find polling locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more. The platform is also available at GoVoteTN.com.
When polls open and close
Polls open at various times depending on the county. Here in Coffee County the polls are open 8 am-7 pm.
Being flexible may also help speed up the process. Midmorning and midafternoon are usually slower times at polling locations, while early morning, noon and 5 p.m. are peak times as people typically vote before work, after work or on their lunch breaks.
Tennesseans voting on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification with them to the polls. A driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security as well as photo IDs issued by Tennessee state government or the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.
More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found here: What ID is required when voting? or by calling toll free 1-877-850-4959.
Unofficial election results for the Nov. 6 general election will be posted at elections.tn.gov and local results at wmsrradio.com.
State law requires polling locations and the area within a 100-foot boundary surrounding each entrance remain campaign-free zones. Tennessee law prohibits the display or distribution of campaign materials and the solicitation of votes for or against any person, party or question on the ballot in these areas.
Frail, physically disabled or visibly pregnant voters should tell their polling officials if they are unable to wait in line to vote. The law allows them to move through the process faster.
Operation Incognito is November 13
On November 13, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office will join various state and local partners to launch Operation Incognito statewide. The campaign was developed this year to evolve Tennessee’s fourth statewide distracted driving enforcement initiative, known as “the bus tour.”
Operation Incognito will also promote National Traffic Incident Response Week, which occurs November 11-17. The campaign will focus on the dangers of distracted driving and emphasize Tennessee’s “move over law.”
COLA Increase Won’t Cover Cost of Living for Most Seniors

The average Social Security retirement benefit in Tennessee is $1,393.61 per month. (@afishcalledmanda,Twenty/20).
The average Tennessee recipient collects almost $1,400 a month from Social Security, so with the increase, the typical senior is looking at about a $40 monthly boost, or $468 per year. Mary Johnson, Social Security and Medicare policy analyst with the Senior Citizens League, said this is the largest COLA increase since 2012.
“And there have been three years when there was no cost of living adjustment at all,” Johnson said. “And in 2017, it was only three-tenths of a percent, or almost zero.”
Johnson said people who receive less than $600 in Social Security income won’t see any net increase in their benefit.
More than 62 million people collect Social Security in the U.S., including more than 936,000 in Tennessee. Johnson said the low cost-of-living increases are concerning, because those who depend the most on this income have lost significant buying power over the years.
“Since the year 2000, Social Security benefits have lost about 34 percent of their buying power,” she said. “And that has really big implications for anybody trying to live on Social Security if they don’t have lots of savings.”
She said people often underestimate how much money they’ll need to live on in retirement and end up spending their savings faster than they planned or going into debt by taking out a second mortgage. Health care and high medication costs are often to blame.
Johnson added seniors in rural areas often face the greatest challenges.
“A lot of people simply did not have the type of job where they had the opportunity to have a 401(k) or to save,” Johnson said. “And 60 percent of retirees are dependent on Social Security for over half of their income.”
Tennessee is one of 37 states that does not tax Social Security benefits. Lawmakers continue to work on solutions for the COLA to better keep up with actual inflation rates.
Manchester Police Investigator Completes TBI School
Investigator Tomberlin represented Manchester very well as he was named class president.
Prep Swim Teams Open Season with Home Meet

Swimmers hit the water on Friday night at the Coffee County Swim Meet at the Manchester Recreation Center[Photo by Tiffany Clutter]
The Red Raider high school swimmers got wins in both team matches over Enrichment Fellowship of Tullahoma 452 to 110 and Enrichment Fellowship of Warren County 461 to 127. The Red Raiders outscored Enrichment Fellowship of Tullahoma 231 to 34 and Enrichment Fellowship of Warren County 210 to 90. The Lady Raiders beat Enrichment Fellowship of Tullahoma 239 to 76 and Enrichment Fellowship of Warren County 251 to 37.
The Westwood swimmers fell in their 3 team matches. Westwood fell to Enrichment Fellowship Middle 474 to 224, Coffee Middle 302 to 235 and Rockvale 531 to 233. The boys lost 70 to 40 to Coffee Middle; 247 to 37 to Enrichment Fellowship Middle and 258 to 40 to Rockvale. The girls fell by scores of 273 to 193 to Rockvale; 227 to 187 to Enrichment Fellowship Middle and 232 to 195 to Coffee County Middle.
The Coffee County Middle School swimmers were 1 and 2 on the night. The Raider swimmers lost to Enrichment Fellowship Middle 470 to 289 and lost to Rockvale 518 to 305. The boys lost 251 to 62 to Enrichment Fellowship Middle and 227 to 70 to Rockvale. The girls lost 261 to 235 to Rockvale and defeated Enrichment Fellowship Middle 227 to 219.
The swimmers are back in the water on Thursday, November 15th at Franklin County. That meet will get underway at 5:15 PM.