Alontae Taylor of CHS football

The Coffee County Red Raider football team completed their preseason workouts with a “dress rehearsal scrimmage” against Heritage Christian out of Dalton, GA on Friday night.  Three Alontae Taylor touchdowns lifted the Red Raiders to a 20 to 14 win in the one half scrimmage between varsity squads.  The Red Raider defense added a safety to get in on the scoring action.

The Raiders scored on their first possession after going 89 yards following an interception in the end zone by Hayden Skipper.  Taylor scored that first touchdown with 5:06 left in the first quarter after hauling in a jump ball in the end zone on a pass from Colton Prater.  A high snap nullified a chance at the point after and Coffee County led 6 to 0.  On the ensuing possession, Skipper provided pressure on the Lions quarterback forcing him in an intentional grounding call in the end zone that gave the Raiders an 8 to 0 lead.  Prater then connected with Taylor with 3:54 left in the half on an 88 yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a 14 to 0 lead.

Heritage Christian rallied back as they scored a touchdown and extra point to close the gap to 14 to 7 with 2:38 left.  On the ensuing drive, the Lions intercepted a Prater screen pass and returned it 38 yards for the tying touchdown with 1:54 left in the half.  Coffee County responded on the next play as Taylor lined up at quarterback and raced 70 yards around left end to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Taylor finished the night with 199 yards and 3 scores.  He hauled in 3 passes for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns.   He rushed 3 times for 90 yards and another score.  Prater was 5 for 12 through the air for 113 yards with 1 interception.  Deaaron Rozier rushed 5 times for 33 yards while catching 1 pass for 12 yards.  Cameron West added 3 carries for 19 yards.

The scrimmage was the final tune-up for the regular season which begins Friday night in Winchester.  The 2017 season begins with a matchup with old rival Franklin County.  The Raiders’ first home game is scheduled for Friday, August 25^th when Tullahoma visits for the 91^st Coffee Pot Game.  For the 3^rd year in a row, the Coffee Pot rivalry game will be featured as part of the Great American Rivalry Series.

As always, Thunder Radio is your exclusive home for Coffee County football and Lucky Knott will bring you all the action beginning at 6:45 PM.  Thunder Radio’s coverage begins at 6:00 PM and ends at 11:00 PM with Friday Night Thunder.

CCMS soccer player Jayda Wright prepares to hit a corner kick which results in a goal on Saturday

Fighting a battle that extends beyond the soccer pitch, the CCMS Lady Raider soccer team hosted their annual “Kickin Cancer PlayDay” on Saturday.  The event serves as a final tune up for the regular season for the young Lady Raider squad.  It also serves as a fund raising and awareness raising event for everyone involved as a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Middle Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition.

Donning pink jerseys and using a pink ball, the Lady Raiders battled their way to a 2 and 0 record on the day with wins over North Franklin and DeKalb County.  The JV Lady Raiders lost a 2 to 0 decision to DeKalb County before fighting to a 1 to 1 draw with Algood.  Ellie Fann had the lone JV goal on the day. “We definitely got better today” said CCMS coach Travis O’Kelley.

The Lady Raiders started off slow in their opening match against North in the 30 minute, running clock match.  Coffee County’s defense was superb shutting out the Lady Gators until Arianna Hansen and Marley Perry could each find the back of the net to give the Lady Raiders a 2 to 0 win.

In their second match, it was another slow start for the Lady Raiders before a corner kick from Marley Perry almost bent its way into the net in the 18^th minute.  That near miss seemed to awaken the Lady Raider attack as they spent the entire final 12 minutes of the match in the Coffee County defensive end.  Coffee Middle racked up 4 goals in the final 10 minutes for the 4 to 0 win.  The Lady Raiders powered up 12 shots while the Lady Raider defense prevented keeper Lucy Riddle from seeing a shot from DeKalb.

Katie Cotton began the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 20 minute.  Perry added a goal on a beautiful corner kick feed from Jayda Wright in the 24^th minute.  Anna Amado added the 3^rd goal, unassisted, in the 25^th minute before Wright added a goal on a penalty kick in the 29^th minute.

Coach O’Kelley was proud of his young Lady Raiders calling out their “patience and passing” as bright spots on the day.  “I felt like our decision making was much improved” added O’Kelley.  Coffee County opens the regular season on Thursday in McMinnville as they take on Warren County.  O’Kelley says that he wants to fine tune some things this week in preparation for the season opener.  “We will need to increase our speed to the ball and work on finishing shots” said O’Kelley.  The match with Warren County kicks off at 5 PM.

In less than a New York minute, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota proved he could take a hit.

Mariota bounced up without hesitation after getting sacked in the team’s preseason opener here against the New York Jets. It was his first action since suffering a fractured fibula last season.

“It was just a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the opportunity I had,” Mariota said. “I just did my best to go out there and make plays, and I really enjoyed it.”

Mariota’s return was the highlight in Saturday night’s preseason opener here at MetLife Stadium. The Titans lost 7-3 to the Jets on a night when starters gave way to back-ups early.

The Titans turned in some good and bad in this one.

The defense struggled early before settling down.

The Jets scored on their first possession on a four-yard pass from quarterback Josh McCown to receiver Charone Peake to make it 7-0. While safety Kevin Byard made a pair of nice defensive stops vs. the run on the first series, the Titans allowed an early deep ball – a 53-yard completion to Robby Anderson to set up the early score.

Then Mariota made his first appearance since December 24 of last season. On the team’s first offensive play, Mariota rolled to his right and completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Rishard Matthews.

A few plays later, Mariota was sacked by Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, but he popped up from the ground without hesitation and on the next play completed a pass to running back Derrick Henry.

Mariota ended up playing in two possessions before being replaced by Alex Tanney in the second quarter. He completed 2-of-3 passes for 15 yards and also ran once for a six-yard gain. He was sacked once.

Tanney played the bulk of the game for the Titans, after taking a big hit on his first snap, which resulted in him being replaced by Tyler Ferguson. Tanney returned the next series, however, and played through the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. Matt Cassel did not play for the Titans.

The Titans struggled on offense, largely because they had trouble in pass protection. Mariota was sacked once, and Tanney was sacked seven times and hit on several other occasions.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey wasn’t happy about the start.

“Not good enough, and that was with our veteran group,” Mularkey said. “Not good enough.”

While Mariota said it felt great to be back, he acknowledged there’s plenty of work to do.

“It was OK, but I didn’t think it was good enough,’’ Mariota said. “We had penalties, and we didn’t really build a rhythm on offense. But that’s what the preseason is for. We have an opportunity to come back, look at the film and get better.”

Titans safety Kevin Byard said the first-team defense needs to tighten up.

“I think we started off a bit slow,” Byard said. “We gave up the deep ball, and we had a couple penalties. But then I liked the way we came out on the next drive and finished it out. We forced them to punt, so it wasn’t the best start but it’s definitely something to work off of.”

Titans running back Derrick Henry started in place of DeMarco Murray, who missed the game with a hamstring injury. Henry carried the ball eight times for 29 yards, and also caught a pass.

Most of Tennessee’s starters were out by the end of the first quarter, and the second half of the game was played by players battling for playing time and roster spots for the 2017 season.

Rookie receiver Taywan Taylor was one of the stars on this night. Taylor, a third-round pick from Western Kentucky, caught four passes for 56 yards, including an acrobatic catch that was initially ruled a 67-yard touchdown. Officials ruled Taylor was down by contact after a 42-yard gain, however.

The play helped set up a 36-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop, Tennessee’s only score of the night.

The Braves put an end to their five-game skid and the Cardinals’ eight-game winning streak on Sunday, as R.A. Dickey silenced a St. Louis offense that had scored at least six runs in its last seven games to take a 6-3 victory at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals staged a comeback attempt in the eighth, loading the bases, but ultimately came up just short.

“They came out with a very clear approach against me today,” Dickey said. “They were going to make me throw strikes. I was able to attack the strike zone early. The first two times through the lineup, they gave me strike one a lot with my fastball. … I knew that once I got through that lineup once by stealing strikes, they were going to turn a little bit more aggressive, and they did. It was nice to have a plan and to execute it. That’s when the game becomes fun.”

With the win, the Braves avoided a sweep and came away with their first win over the Cardinals in the six games the two teams have played this season.
“We’re looking for one however we can get it, whenever we can get it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It all starts on the mound. Your starting pitcher gives you a chance to win the game and then you can get to the back end of your bullpen, and good things can happen.”
With the loss, the Cards slipped a game back in the National League Central behind the Cubs, who defeated the D-backs on Sunday.
“Today it was just too little too late,” said Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong, who connected on his 18th homer. “Dickey was pretty good early in the game and [we] couldn’t get anything elevated. He was getting a lot of weakly hit balls and nothing in the gap.”
Dickey’s knuckleball left the Cardinals with no answers. He gave up one run on seven hits, only one of which went for extra bases, in seven innings. It is just the fourth time since July 16 that a Braves starter has completed seven innings.
“R.A.’s been doing his job all year, and for him to pitch the way he pitched today, it was awesome to really see that,” Braves third baseman Brandon Phillips said. “He kept the ball down. Facing him all these years, he looked like the old R.A. He kept the ball down and he had success today, and it was beautiful to watch.”
The game’s first runs scored in the fourth, when Cardinals starter Michael Wacha gave up two on four hits and a walk. The Braves built on their lead in the fifth, when Phillips blasted a 407-foot two-run homer to make it 4-0.
Ender Inciarte served as a spark for much of the Braves’ offensive surge, finishing the day with three hits, two runs and a stolen base.
“He’s our catalyst,” Snitker said. “When he goes, we do. And the kid, last couple of years, has got as many hits as anybody. So when he’s getting on base and getting his hits, we find ways to score runs.”
Wacha was forced out of the game after just five innings. He gave up eight hits and struck out just one in his first career August loss. The Braves remain the only NL team (besides the Cardinals) he has not earned a win against.
“I just gave up too many runs today for us,” Wacha said. “Our offense showed some fight. We were right back in it, a hit away from taking the lead or tying it up.”
Wacha got in a tough spot in the fourth after the Braves hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Wacha then walked Tyler Flowers to load the bases, a walk that proved costly after the next batter, Danny Santana, hit an RBI single to plate the first run of the game. Atlanta went on to take a two-run lead in the inning.
“[Wacha] had pretty good stuff once again, just got into a couple of trouble innings there in the fourth and fifth,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “[We] just didn’t give him an opportunity. Didn’t get an opportunity to help him out.”
Atlanta reliever Jose Ramirez entered in the eighth with two runners on and one out and the Cardinals in the middle of a comeback attempt after scoring two runs earlier in the inning. After he loaded the bases with a hit by pitch, Ramirez shut things down, striking out Greg Garcia looking on a 98-mph fastball and getting pinch-hitter Yadier Molina to ground out.
Right-hander Julio Teheran (7-10, 5.25 ERA) will open a four-game series at Colorado on Monday night, with first pitch set for 7:40 CT. Teheran will be opposed by Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis, who will make his season debut after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year.