Bella Lawson of CCMS soccer

The Coffee County Middle School soccer team traveled to Winchester on Thursday to tangle with conference rival North Franklin.  The Lady Raiders and Lady Gators battled to a 1 all draw at intermission.  North added 3 goals in the 2^nd half to grab a 4 to 1 win over Coffee County.

Bella Lawson produced the lone goal for the Lady Raiders.  Lawson pounced on a deflected shot by Jorja Waggoner to convert the goal.

The Lady Raiders will return to action on Monday when they travel to McMinnville to take on Warren County.  Opening kick is set for 4:30 PM.

It was magic again for Nashville SC against North Carolina FC as the boys in gold scored three times in the second half to earn a point in a 3-3 road draw on Saturday afternoon. The comeback secured a vital road point for Nashville as it aims to stay in playoff position in the USL’s Eastern Conference.

90 in a Nutshell

In the 18’ minute, midfielder Lebo Moloto sent an errant pass into the middle of the field and was intercepted by Tiyi Shipalane. Shipalane took the ball and drove it down to near the top of the box. His shot was deflected by defender Liam Doyle and caught keeper Matt Pickens off guard as NCFC tallied first.

A foul by Nashville defender Bradley Bourgeois just outside the top of the box late in the first half led to the second North Carolina goal. Daniel Rios sent the free kick curling around the Nashville wall and into the right-hand corner of the net to double the NCFC lead. The goal from Rios was his 16th of the season, tied for second in the USL. The strike would send Nashville to the locker room at the break at a 2-0 deficit.

Nashville has historically been able to claw back from early deficits on the road, but the side found new life in the second frame when Brandon Allen coolly converted a PK in the 51’ minute. Moloto sent in a free kick that hit a NCFC hand and gave Nashville the penalty and cut the deficit in half.

North Carolina was able to answer though as Zach Steinberger found the back of the net in the 63’ minute off a failed Nashville clearance. The ball fell to Steinberger just outside the box who drove it into the ground and past Pickens into the goal.

In the 80’ minute Tucker Hume earned Nashville’s second PK of the match and again Allen was called upon. The striker converted his second PK of the night to cut the deficit to just one goal. Just two minutes later, Moloto would score the equalizer when a rocket shot from the left side, some 20+ yards out, took a deflection off a NCFC defender into the right side of the net. The goal marked the 13th Nashville has scored in the final 10 minutes of a match this season.

North Carolina put on threatening pressure in the waning minutes of the match, but Nashville was able to defend well and earn the point on the road.

Goals

18’ NC – Tiyi Shipalane

39’ NC – Daniel Rios

51’ NSH – Brandon Allen (PK)

63’ NC – Zach Steinberger

80’ NSH – Brandon Allen (PK)

82’ NSH – Lebo Moloto

Quotable

Head coach Gary Smith

“The big difference was the second half performance. It had more edge and purpose to it. There was a brighter feel about it. Scoring quickly there was key to getting ourselves back on track. The inclusion on Tucker gave us a great focal point. I am pleased the referee showed the moral strength to give the two penalties. Great performance in the second half by the lads.”

Key Stat

NSH – Four of five penalties converted. Nashville has been almost automatic from the spot as it has converted all but one of its PKs this season.

Eastern Conference Update

The point earned is massive for Nashville in the playoff chase.  Nashville is currently in 8th place, 1 point ahead of Ottawa.

Up Next

Nashville SC will have a break before returning home where wins have been plentiful. Its next match will be at First Tennessee Park on Tuesday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Jeremy Pruitt earned his first win as a collegiate head coach in dominant fashion as the Tennessee Volunteers defeated in-state foe ETSU 59-3 Saturday evening at Neyland Stadium.
“To me, I don’t see this any different than any game I’ve ever coached in,” Pruitt said. “I’m happy we won, and you’ll find out (about me) the more games we win, I’m a little more ticked. There’s a standard we want to play to. Everything wasn’t perfect this week. Everything wasn’t perfect in the last couple of days, and we were trying to get things right. We’re learning from it, and I think it’ll make us a better football team, and it’s going to make us a better football program.”

Six Vols recorded the first touchdowns of their respective Tennessee careers in the win, led by running backs Jeremy Banks and Madre London with two rushing scores apiece. Josh Palmer entered the checkerboards on a 20-yard end-around rush, and Jordan Murphyhauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass to round out UT’s offensive touchdowns.

Junior defensive back Marquill Osborne found the end zone for the first time on a blocked punt return, while redshirt-junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. added a defensive touchdown with his first-career pick-six.

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano led the passing attack for the Big Orange, connecting on 8-of-13 passes for 154 yards. Grad transfer QB Keller Chryst saw action for the second-straight week and completed all three of his passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore RB Tim Jordan led all players in rushing with 65 yards in 15 attempts on the ground, while Marquez Callaway logged a game-high five catches and 78 yards through the air.

Sophomore placekicker Brent Cimaglia opened the scoring for UT on a 26-yard field goal with 9:32 remaining in the first quarter. The Vols first entered the red zone on a 51-yard pass from Guarantano to Palmer – the longest play for UT this season.

Tennessee (1-1) scored its first touchdown at Neyland Stadium in 2018 on a blocked punt return by Osborne. Recovering his own block at the eight-yard line, the junior DB high-stepped into the endzone to put the Vols ahead 10-0 with 2:49 left in the opening frame.

The game entered a weather delay at the 12:01 mark of the second quarter as the clock read 4:52 p.m. Play resumed at 5:40 p.m. for a total delay of 48 minutes.

Following the delay, UT put together a quick six-play, 82-yard drive over 2:34 that was capped off by a one-yard Banks rushing TD. The touchdown was set up by a 51-yard bomb, caught by Callaway despite pass interference from ETSU defensive back Jeremy Lewis.

On the first play of the ensuing Buccaneer drive, freshman DB Bryce Thompson nabbed his first-career interception and returned it 21 yards before stepping out-of-bounds at the three-yard line. Banks went into the checkerboards on the very next play to give the Vols a 24-0 edge with 9:12 remaining in the half.

Kirkland Jr. made it a 31-0 lead for the Vols with his first-career pick-six on the next ETSU drive. The Indianapolis, Ind. native intercepted a pass at the 33-yard line, broke a tackle and sprinted into the endzone for UT’s second non-offensive touchdown of the day.

Chryst entered the game with 6:04 left in the second quarter, leading the Vols on a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that spanned 3:04 of game time. Chryst completed his first pass attempt as a Vol for 12 yards to tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson before the drive was finished off on a 20-yard end-around rush by Palmer. Following Cimaglia’s fifth successful PAT, the Vols went up 38-0 and took that lead into the halftime locker room.

Guarantano led the opening drive of the second half as UT marched down the field for a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown series. London broke off a 34-yard rush before scoring his first TD as a Vol on a three-yard scamper, advancing Tennessee’s lead to 45-0. ETSU (1-1) broke up the shutout on a 39-yard field goal from JJ Jerman at the 4:57 mark of the third quarter, and neither team was able to score for the remainder of the period.

Chryst fired the first touchdown of his UT career early in the fourth quarter, finding a wide-open Murphy down the sideline for a 50-yard scoring connection with 13:34 left in the game. London notched the final TD of the night on a four-yard rush with 3:20 remaining. The last scoring drive started following Micah Abernathy’s fumble recovery on a muffed punt.

Junior newcomer Emmit Gooden led Tennessee with eight total tackles on the defensive line, including UT’s lone sack and a team-high three tackles for loss. In addition to his first-career interception, Thompson recorded two tackles for loss for the Volunteers. As a unit, the Vols held ETSU to 69 passing yards and limited the Buccaneers to 2-of-15 on third-down conversions.

Tennessee returns to action next Saturday as the UTEP Miners visit Neyland Stadium. The game is set for a noon kickoff and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team is hosting a 2 day golf tournament on Saturday and Sunday, September 15^th and 16^th.  The tournament will be held at Old Stone Fort Golf Course and will be a 2 person scramble format.  Cost for each team is $250 and includes a BBQ dinner on Saturday night at Prater’s BBQ.

The $250 entry fee includes greens fees with a cart for both days.  Also included will be 1 mulligan per player per day and entry in the skins game.  Teams will be flighted after Saturday’s round and auctioned off at a Calcutta to be held at Prater’s after the first round.  If you need information, or want to register, contact Coach Joe Pat Cope at 615-426-1209 or Old Stone Fort Golf Course at 931-954-0366.

Coach Joe Pat Cope will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the upcoming golf tournament.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday at 10 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.