On a blistering hot Saturday on Nickajack Lake, the Coffee County Youth Bass Club did some red hot fishing in the Central Tennessee Region BASS Nation region championship.  Four boats landed full live wells as all finished in the top 30.  The Raider anglers also came home with national and state tournament berths, plus team and coach honors.

Capping off a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coffee County teams closed out their region season in grand form.  The top 4 Raider boats all landed the maximum 5 keepers.  The team of Garrett Davis / Isaiah Owens was the top finishing boat for the Raider anglers in the tournament.  They claimed 3^rd place on the day with 5 fish totaling 14.66 pounds to finish in 3^rd place.  The team of Kaden Freeze/Briley Sain came home in 4^th place with 5 fish tipping the scales at 13.66 pounds. 

The brother team of Branson and Dawson Wells came home in 12^th place as they also landed 5 fish with a total weight of 12.18 pounds.  Jacob Garms and Jase Rice finished the day in 30^th place as they also put 5 fish in the live well weighing 9.77 pounds.  That finish for Garms/Rice was good enough to give them a 2^nd place finish in the region for the regular season and earn them a berth in the national tournament in October.  Freeze and Sain are still in the running for a provisional berth in the national tournament which will be held on Kentucky Lake. 

The team of Tristan Boyd/Regan Hershman came in 63^rd place on Saturday with 1 fish totaling 2.67 pounds.  Logan Floyd/Brent Boehman came home in 65^th with a 2.47 pound keeper.  The team of Curtis Tudor/Ethan Bell rounded out the squad score with a 74^th place finish with 1 fish weighing 1.63 pounds. 

Coffee County anglers captured Region Team of the Year honors for the season AND top team honors for the region championship tournament.  Additionally, head coach Phil Petty was honored as the Coach of the Year in the region.  All the Coffee County anglers have qualified for the state tournament which is scheduled for July 9^th. 10^th and 11^th.  The Tennessee Bass National High School State Tournament will take place on Pickwick Lake.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association will open up their 2020 season on Monday with 6 games in 3 divisions at Fred Deadman Park. The first pitches of the season will happen at 5 PM with the 2nd games of the doubleheader taking place at 7:30. In action on Monday night will be games in the 8U, 10U and 12U divisions. The 6U and 18U divisions will have their first games on Tuesday night as all 5 divisions will play on the 2nd night of the season. The league will be in action on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this opening week. The season is scheduled to run through Friday, July 17th.

Monday’s MYBA Schedule
8U Division – Fast Pitch Field
5:00 PM – Lion’s Club vs. Interstate Auto
7:30 PM – Dr. J vs. KK’s

10U Division – National League Field
5:00 PM – Chico’s Bail Bonds vs. Coffee County Bank
7:30 PM – First National Bank vs. State Farm

12U Division – Aaron Miller Field
5:00 PM – Shelter Insurance vs. Powers Storage
7:30 PM – First Vision Bank vs. Peoples Bank

Tuesday’s MYBA Schedule
6U Division – Tee Ball Field
5:00 PM – Cooper Sports vs. Lovelady Auto Parts
7:30 PM – Manchester Tire & Brake vs. Star Physical Therapy

8U Division – Fast Pitch Field
5:00 PM – Interstate Auto vs. Freedom Automotive
7:30 PM – KK’s vs. Lions Club

10U Division – National League Field
5:00 PM – Chico’s Bail Bonds vs. Coffee County Bank
7:30 PM – First National Bank vs. State Farm

12U Division – Aaron Miller Field
5:00 PM – Clower Automotive vs. Peoples Bank

18U Division – Babe Ruth Field(Looney Riddle Field)
6:00 PM – C. Braves vs. M. Braves
8:00 PM – Mets vs. Expos

The TSSAA Legislative Council held a special called meeting on Thursday, June 4 to discuss the summer Dead Period. While some felt that the Dead Period has been made superfluous due to the COVID-19 pandemic response, the motion to make changes to the 2020 Dead Period failed by a vote of 6-6.

“We don’t ever want to put sports before families, and many families make plans for the Dead Period every year,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “This is not the first year we’ve had the Dead Period and as eager as coaches are to get back to their routine, the Council ultimately felt that there wasn’t a strong enough case for doing away with it this year.” The Dead Period is from Monday, June 22 through Sunday, July 5.

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to relax, a pair of Coffee County CHS teams will be return to competition this weekend.  The Coffee County Youth Bass Club will compete in a pair of important tournaments this weekend.  The Coffee County Claybusters will compete in team shoot for the first time since March 7^th.

Like most other outdoor, individual sports, the Claybusters have been practicing and competing as individuals for a few weeks.  Saturday they will travel to Big Springs Clay Target Sports in Christiana.  The Claybusters are looking to sharpen their skills in preparation for the AIM State Championships coming up later in June.   All the Claybusters events have and will continue to adhere to applicable COVID-19 safeguards and guidelines including proper social distancing.

Eight boats representing the Coffee County Youth Bass Club will compete on Saturday in the Central Tennessee Region Championship.  The region championship will be held on Nickajack Lake as the boats will put in at Marion County Park.  The Coffee County team of Jase Rice and Jacob Garms enter the region championship in 2^nd place in the season standings.   On Sunday, Garms and Rice will hit the water on Chickamauga for the Tennessee Bass Federation State Championship. 

As always, Thunder Radio will keep you updated on the results.

Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith lifted the team’s offense to great heights in his first year on the job in 2019.  Under Smith’s direction, the Titans ranked first in the NFL in red zone efficiency (75.6%), third in rushing (138.9 yards per game), fourth in yards per play (6.12, which was the third best in franchise history) and 10th in points per game (402, 25.1 per game).

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill led the NFL in passer rating (117.5) and running back Derrick Henry led the league in rushing with 1,540 yards. Along the way, rookie A.J. Brown blossomed into one of the league’s top young talents.

With all of them returning, Year 2 should be a breeze, huh?  Not so fast, said Smith, who is taking nothing for granted coming off a trip to the AFC Championship Game.  The former tight ends coach wants to build on last year’s success and knows the offense will need to come together leading up to the season following an offseason when virtual meetings have taken the place of OTAs and minicamps to this point.

A positive: He’s more comfortable heading into his second season.  “It is certainly different going into Year 2, whether we are at the facility or not, for me in this role,” Smith said on a Zoom conference call on Wednesday. “Any job you take for the first time, you try to plan for what’s coming, and until you have experienced something. … Now the fear of the unknown is gone.

“But I have a long way to go, and every season you have to start over. We have to make more improvement, and certainly I am aware of that. But the unknown, after going through it for a year, you know what to expect.”

In 2019, the Titans’ red zone efficiency was the best in the NFL since 2013, and the third-highest percentage in the league since 1991. The team surpassed the 400-point total for a season for only the second time since 1990 (435 in 2003). Tannehill and Henry became only the fourth NFL duo (since 1973, when passer rating was established), and first in franchise history, to lead the league in rushing and passer rating in the same season.  And Brown, in his rookie season, finished the season with 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns.  “We have to evolve (as an offense),” Smith. “We don’t want to get stale. We need to improve.”

During the 20-minute Zoom conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Smith tackled a number of questions.

A look at some of the hot topics…

-When asked about Henry’s workload moving forward coming off a 2019 season when he carried the ball 367 times, including the postseason, Smith said “we’ll see how the season evolves for him and see what happens with the other running back spot. But Derrick has done a great job the last couple of years, especially down the stretch. We’ll have to see how it evolves during the season.” Smith said Henry emerged as more of a leader last season, and he expects him to pick up where he left off. “We feel good about the run game and we’ll continue to build off of that,” Smith said.

-Smith said he anticipates quarterbacks Logan Woodside and Cole McDonald battling it out for the back-up spot behind Tannehill. Smith said Woodside did a great job behind the scenes last year while on Injured Reserve, “and I’m excited to see when we get on the field how much he’s grown.” Smith bounced out of a question on whether the team could potentially add a veteran QB, saying he wants to see Woodside and McDonald compete in the short term.

-In addition to praising Brown, Smith also raved about receiver Corey Davis, who caught 43 passes for 601 yards and two touchdown last season. “We want to see their growth as well,” Smith said. “We want to be the most explosive unit we can. … Corey is a big part of our offense. And there were some huge explosive plays (last year) that Corey was the unsung hero to. … He’s a big part of this offense and I think he’ll take another step. I feel very confident in Corey, A.J. and Adam (Humphries) and that group.” After being asked about the competition at receiver behind Brown, Davis and Humphries, Smith named receivers Cody Hollister, Cam Batson and Rashard Davis while also complimenting Kalif Raymond for the job he did stepping up in 2019. “I think we’re going to have great competition there.”

-Smith complimented tight end Jonnu Smith while expressing how much he’ll miss veteran Delanie Walker from a leadership standpoint. “He’s come a long way,” Smith said of Jonnu Smith. “That’s a tough position to play … and Jonnu does a great job. He does it all and hopefully he’ll take the next step.”

-Smith sounded excited about the potential of running back Darrynton Evans, the team’s third-round pick in the NFL Draft out of Appalachian State. “When we get out there, we have to see what he can do,” Smith said of Evans. “Obviously we are excited about the potential of what Darrynton can bring. He’s a very smart player and had a ton of production at App. We feel like he can (help us). … I can give you an answer after we see him practice a few weeks. We’ll see what he can handle and how we bring him along. We hope he gives us another element.”

-Smith said Tannehill did a great job after taking over as the starter last season. “He was decisive with the football, and he made some great plays,” Smith said. “He is able to move, and he is good in the pocket. … We are excited about Ryan and where we can go with the passing offense. I feel very confident in Ryan. We see the game very similar. I am excited about the leadership Ryan brings, too.”

-In a recent Zoom call, left tackle Taylor Lewan said he’d like to take on more of a leadership role moving forward. Smith said he’d welcome that while indicating he views Lewan as a leader. “Taylor is going to lead in his own way, and it may be different from how Ryan leads,” Smith said. “Like all of us, hopefully I’ve matured and evolved as a coach and the same thing he’s done as a player. … Taylor works hard and he leads by example.”

MLS and the MLS Players Association completed a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday after the MLSPA voted to approve a revised plan.

The new CBA will run through 2025 and includes agreement on a plan to resume the 2020 season with a tournament in Orlando, MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed in a video conference with media on Wednesday afternoon.

MLS suspended the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full details, including specific dates and competition format for the Orlando tournament, are expected to be revealed in the coming days.  Thunder Radio will keep you updated on the return of Nashville SC soccer.