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Titans lock up no. 1 seed with Sunday win over Texans
AFC South champs. ✅
No.1 seed in the AFC. ✅.
Now, it’s on to the playoffs for the Tennessee Titans, who took care of business with a 28-25 win over the Texans here on Sunday before a crowd dominated by Titans fans at NRG Stadium.
The tone after the game: Celebrate, but not too much.
“You celebrate a win,” Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “(And) we accomplished in the season what we wanted to accomplish. However it looked, we did it. Finishing as the No. 1 seed, it’s awesome. But it’s for real now.
“We have to clean up a bunch of stuff and get ready to play some ball in two weeks.”
The win gave the franchise its first 12-win season for the first time since 2008, when those Titans went 13-3.
The win also gave the 12-5 Titans a 5-1 division record for the second straight year.
Most importantly, the win gave the Titans the No.1 seed in the AFC – and a first-round playoff bye.
“We took care of business and put ourselves in a good position,” Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “That’s all it is: A good position. We have to go out and play our best football here in the coming weeks. That’s what great teams do. That’s what the team that ultimately wins the whole thing will do, is play their best football and win games in January into February.”
While other teams open playoff action next weekend, the Titans will have the weekend off.
They’ll play the weekend of January 22-23 at Nissan Stadium vs an opponent to be determined.
“We are a No.1 seed, and these things don’t happen that often,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “It’s very significant. We’ve got guys in the locker room that’s never been a No. 1 seed, and been in the league 10-plus years. So we definitely have to relish in this moment, and understand that this is big time.
“… It’s going to be great to have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, because the way our Titans fans traveled today, I would definitely expect them to be packing out Nissan Stadium for the next playoff game, the Divisional Round.”
Westwood basketball adds game on Jan. 19 to celebrate 8th graders
Westwood Middle School has added a regular season basketball game for January 19.
The game was added after last week’s regularly scheduled home game against Liberty was cancelled because of weather.
Westwood will host the North Warriors of Grundy County on January 19. Junior varsity will play at 4 with varsity girls at 6 p.m. and boys to follow. It will be 8th grade night. Ceremonies will be held between games.
Before that, both Lady Rockets and Rockets head to Cascade this week for the DRVC Conference Tournament. The Rockets (no. 3 seed) play Liberty at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Meanwhile, the no. 1 seed Lady Rockets have a first round BYE and play at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Cascade.
Preds complete perfect road trip with victory in Arizona Saturday
Four different Predators found the back of the net – and Juuse Saros was stellar again – as Nashville defeated the Arizona Coyotes by a 4-2 final on Saturday night at Gila River Arena. The result gives the Preds a perfect road trip – three victories and six points – and a four-game win streak to begin 2022.
Without their top goal-scorer Filip Forsberg, who was added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list prior to Saturday’s contest, the Predators found contributions elsewhere and got clutch goaltending once more to top their new division rivals in the desert in a penalty-filled affair.
Mattias Ekholm, Yakov Trenin, Tanner Jeannot and Roman Josi all found twine, and Saros made 37 saves – for a grand total of 124 stops through three games – to give the Preds six more points to bring home atop the Central Division.
The Preds found the scoreboard three times in the game’s opening 20 minutes, and Ekholm only waited 56 seconds to follow up a rebound and jam the puck past Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka and a 1-0 lead. Later in the first frame, Trenin scored his third goal in as many games on the trip as he wristed a shot home from above the right circle, and less than two minutes after that, Matt Duchene found Jeannot for a tap-in at the side of the cage and a 3-0 lead.
Predators hockey on Thunder Radio is listed by realtor Charlie Gonzales, Weichert Realtors Joe Orr & Associates.
THIS WEEK’S PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE: Jan. 10 – 15
JANUARY 10
6 p.m. — Coffee Middle Basketball HOSTS Warren County. (8th grade night) (Thunder Radio broadcast. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com)
JANUARY 11
4:30 p.m. – WMS boys basketball vs. Liberty AT Cascade. DRVC Tournament
6 p.m. — CHS Basketball HOSTS Franklin County. (Thunder Radio broadcast. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com)
JANUARY 12
6 p.m. – Coffee County Basketball coaches show, live from Praters BBQ on Thunder Radio (Thunder Radio broadcast. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com)
6 p.m. — Westwood Girls basketball vs. TBD AT Cascade. DRVC Tournament
(Thunder Radio broadcast. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com)
JANUARY 13
6 p.m. — Coffee Middle Basketball AT Harris Middle.
6 p.m. – CHS Wrestling at Warren county
JANUARY 14
6 p.m. – CHS Basketball AT Warren County. (Thunder Radio broadcast. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app, thunder1320.com)
JANUARY 15
CHS Wrestling at Admiral Invitational in Franklin.
New Union makes clean sweep of Elementary Hoops Championships
New Union Rebelettes 
New Union Rebels
NEW UNION REBELETTES 32, COLLEGE STREET COUGARS 8
Jenslee Nogodula led the way with 12 points, followed by Brylyn McAdams with 8 as the New Union Rebelettes took care of business in the Elementary Basketball Championships Saturday night at Coffee County High School.
Kinsley Pruitt added 7 points, including a 3 pointer in the first quarter to get New Union off to a hot start.
New Union Rebels 36, North Coffee Chargers 13
New Union’s high-powered offense took off early and put the game out of reach by the end of the first quarter as the Rebels led 18-0 after the first quarter.
Jaxon Pruitt and Cooper HInson led the way for the Rebels with 8 points apiece. Myles McIntosh and Kanon Creek each scored 6.
North Coffee was led by Ethan Arnold with 10 points.
Two arrested after Saturday morning robbery in Coffee County
Two males are in the Coffee County Jail after an alleged aggravated robbery involving a machete Saturday morning just outside of Manchester.
According to Coffee County Sheriff’s Department investigator James Sherrill, two black males from Huntsville, Alabama walked into a trailer on Bryan Blvd. and asked for gas, according to the female resident who lives there.
According to Sherrill, the resident was going to give the males and a female who was with them a ride to the store for gas. At that point, one of the males allegedly sexually assaulted the female resident. At that point a machete was pulled by one of the assailants and the suspects took the woman’s purse, keys and cell phone.
Authorities were able to catch up to the suspects at a convenience store in Winchester on Highway 130 and take them into custody.
Arrested were Darius Lankford, age 38, and Leo Anthony Sewell, age 44. A female with the two was not arrested and was taken back to Huntsville.
Sherrill said investigation is ongoing as to why this particular home may have been selected.
Some of the stolen property was recovered but authorities are still searching for the cell phone that was taken – a Samsung s21. Sherrill believes someone may have picked up the phone and is using it. He encourages anyone who may have seen the phone along Highway 55 or Highway 130 to return it to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department.
Both suspects were charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and especially aggravated robbery. Sewell was also charged with sexual battery. Both are being held in the Coffee County Jail.
Warren County family loses home to fire, donations sought
A house near the Warren County fairgounds was completely destroyed by fire Friday morning.
The house at 51 Kayla Lane was owned by Edwin and Pam Myers. They were not home and no injuries were reported, according to a news report by WOWC. Fire officials say an alternate heating source was likely the cause of the fire but investigation continues.
According to WOWC, the family did not have insurance and are in need of donations from household goods to clothes.
Pam Myers wears size 1 and 2 pants, small shirts and size 6.5 shoes. Edwin Myers wears size 36 pants, 1XL or 2XL shirts and size 12 shoes. You can call 931-414-9526 for more information on dropoff locations and hours.
Murfreesboro police searching for bank robber; reward offered
Police searching for the man who robbed Murfreesboro Fifth Third Bank around 11:17AM Friday morning (1/7/2022). The bank is located at 2437 Old Fort Parkway, near Cason Lane and in front of the Kroger grocery store.
PIO Larry Flowers noted, “He did not display a gun but handed a teller a note demanding money. He got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.”
Bank surveillance photos show a man dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, black shoes, gray gloves, a tan hat, and a surgical mask.
The bank robber parked his getaway car next door at the Waffle House (between the bank and Walgreens).
Surveillance video shows the man getting into the car at the Waffle House and driving on the Old Fort Parkway toward Interstate 24. Police describe the vehicle as a dark-colored 2015-2019 Honda Accord.
The robber fits the description of the man who robbed the First Horizon Bank at 154 Cason Lane, on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. In that robbery he used the same getaway car. Both banks are in the same parking lot near Kroger’s and are only a few hundred feet apart.
Anyone with information about either bank robbery should call Murfreesboro Police Criminal Investigations Division and talk with Detective Julie Cox (phone 629-201-5514).
You can also submit tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers by downloading the P3 Intel app or calling 615-893 STOP (7867). If your tip leads to an arrest and conviction, you’ll be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
– Our news partners at WGNS radio provided this story.
January is human trafficking prevention and awareness month
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Human trafficking continues to be a public health concern in Tennessee. Through mid-December 2021, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Human Trafficking Hotline had received 1,185 tips or leads related to human trafficking concerns. This January, which is recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Tennessee Department of Health encourages Tennesseans to learn risk factors, red flags, and resources for human trafficking that could help save a life.
“Human trafficking continues to affect every corner of our state,” said Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “It is important we take every opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and identify victims and perpetrators quickly. Human trafficking happens in all communities, rural and urban, and often in ways many of us would not suspect. I am proud of the work our health department and leaders across Tennessee State Government have done to combat this growing crisis.”
The following signs may indicate that a person is the victim of human trafficking:
• *Unable to leave or come and go as desired
• *Unpaid or paid very little or only through tips for his/her work
• *Excessively long and/or unusual work hours
• * Not allowed breaks or subjected to unusual restrictions at work
• *Few or no personal possessions and/or identification documents
• *Lack of control of his/her own money
• *Not allowed to speak for him/herself
• *Numerous inconsistencies in his/her stories
• *Fear, anxiety, nervousness, depression, paranoia, submissive behaviors
• *Signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture
If you think you may know someone who needs help or have met a potential victim of human trafficking, please contact the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-855-558-6484 or text “BeFree” to 233722. For more information on human trafficking, please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/what-is-human-trafficking.
Tennessee continues to take a proactive approach to address this public health issue. New laws have been passed every year since 2011 to assist victims of human trafficking and increase punitive action against traffickers. Learn more about these laws at https://ithastostop.com/.
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is recognized each year on January 11. Please join us to raise awareness of human trafficking by taking photos wearing blue and sharing them on social media, using the hashtag #WearBlueDayTN. For more information on the Blue Campaign, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/wearblueday.
Unity Medical Center warns of scam texts
Unity Medical Center is alerting the public of a text message scam using the hospital’s name in an effort to scam victims out of money.
According to Unity officials, people are receiving text messages that claim to be from the hospital and these texts messages suggest that the intended victim owes a given amount of compensation for medical services.
Unity Medical Center says that it does not contact patients via a text message service. Do not give any payment or information if you receive one of these messages. If you have questions or think you may owe the hospital money, contact the hospital directly and ask for billing at 931-728-6354.