Josh Peterson

Ian Welden (no. 3) and Konor Heaton (no. 22) celebrate after Welden got an interception on Franklin County’s first offensive drive of the game Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. — Thunder Radio photos by Holly Peterson

It took three plays for the Coffee County Central Red Raiders to take the lead over Franklin County Friday night.

The Raiders never looked back.

Connor Shemwell connected with Kelby Walker down the sidelines for a 75-yard touchdown strike just minutes into the game and the Raider defense was stout as CHS left Winchester with a 21-14 win Friday night – a game you heard live on Thunder Radio.

MISS THE GAME? LISTEN TO THE REPLAY. CLICK HERE FOR THE FIRST HALF. . . . . . CLICK HERE FOR THE SECOND HALF.

It was the start of a solid night for Shemwell – the Raiders’ senior signal caller who was just one day removed from medical clearance to participate after tearing his ACL in early March. Unofficially, Shemwell went 14-of-20 through the air for 130 and a pair of touchdowns. He later connected with Jahlin Osbourne in the corner of the end zone from 6 yards out.

THUNDER HIGHLIGHT – Hear the Raiders take the lead when Connor Shemwell connects with Kelby Walker.

Coffee County’s other score came on a 17 yard rumble up the middle by Konor Heaton, who racked up 137 yards on 29 totes. Osbourne led the Raiders in receptions with 6 for 47 yards.

THUNDER HIGHLIGHT — Connor Shemwell connects with Osbourne in the corner of the end zone.

THUNDER HIGHLIGHT — Konor Heaton finds the end zone on a power run.

Coffee County led at halftime and had a 21-7 lead with just over 3 minutes to play before the Rebels cut into the lead on an 11 yard touchdown run by Manny Scott.

The Rebels had the ball in the waning seconds and go into Raider territory, but linebacker Kendall James picked off a Keandre Johnson pass to seal the win. The Raider defense was stout all night – intercepting Johnson three times. Cole Pippenger and Ian Welden also had interceptions.

THUNDER HIGHLIGHT – Kendall James seals the game with an interception in the final seconds.

The Raiders are 1-0 with the win and will host Tullahoma on Friday in the annual Coffee Pot Rivalry. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Carden-Jarrell Field. Paper tickets will be sold at CHS through the week and online at www.gofan.co. Tickets will not be sold at the gate.

Of Course the broadcast will be on Thunder Radio – Friday Night Thunder Pregame begins at 6 p.m: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.

COFFEE POT RIVALRY: ticket & broadcast information

Tullahoma and Coffee County will get together for the annual Coffee Pot rivalry on Friday, Aug. 27 at Carden-Jarrell Field in Manchester.

This will be the 96th time the two teams have gotten together.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and below is important information to keep up with the game:

paper tickets

You can purchase paper tickets between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Coffee County Central main office. CHS is located at 100 Red Raider Dr.

Paper tickets will not be sold at the gate.

Digital tickets

Digital tickets will be available at www.gofan.co. Push here for you link for tickets.

Broadcast

Thunder Radio WMSR will be on hand for the broadcast as we continue our 64th year of Red Raider football coverage.

Friday Night Thunder Pregame show begins at 6 p.m. with the kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday Night Thunder Postgame will feature audio highlights and welcome your phone calls. Listen to it all at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, on the Manchester Go smartphone app and thunder1320.com.

VOLLEYBALL: Lady Raiders go 3-2 in weekend tournament

Coffee County Central Lady Raider volleyball team got win number one on the season and went 3-2 over the weekend at the MTCS Cougar Classic.

The Lady Raiders fell to Lipscomb 1-2 and MTCS 0-2; and picked up wins over Macon County 2-0, Creekwood 2-0 and Harding Academy 2-0.

The wins were a welcome sight for the Lady Raiders after dropping two matches in straight sets to open the season – falling to Cookeville and Rockvale.

The Lady Raiders will travel to Shelbyville for a 6:30 p.m. first serve Tuesday, Aug. 24.

Braves win 9th straight, increase lead in NL East

Rain fell for most of Atlanta’s series finale at Camden Yards, but it didn’t matter. The Braves knew they had business to take care of before returning home, which they will do riding a nine-game winning streak thanks to a 3-1 win over the Orioles on Sunday.

THUNDER RADIO IS YOUR HOME FOR ATLANTA BRAVES BASEBALL IN COFFEE COUNTY! 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.

The club swept the Nationals, Marlins and Orioles during its nine-game road trip, surging ahead in the race for the NL East title. The last time the Braves went undefeated on a three-city road trip was in 1992, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

In the top of the fourth inning, Jorge Soler smacked his 18th home run of the season to left-center field, breaking the scoreless tie. Four batters later, Adam Duvall knocked a two-RBI double into center field to give Atlanta a three-run advantage.

Every aspect of this Braves team was working in their ninth-straight win. Starting pitcher Touki Toussiant held the Orioles to one run on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings and Atlanta’s bullpen was lights-out, putting up zeros in the remaining innings.

At least 21 dead in Middle Tennessee flooding; Coffee Co Rescue Squad sends swift water rescue team

A record-setting total of 17 inches of rain fell on Humphreys County in Middle Tennessee Saturday, leading to multiple deaths, millions of dollars in property damage and many still missing as of Sunday afternoon.

Coffee County Rescue Squad was paged early Saturday and asked to send a swift-water rescue team to the area to help save lives from high water levels across the county.

According to Neal Simmons with the rescue squad, Coffee County sent 4 swift water rescuers to the area at 11 a.m. Saturday and severe weather forced them to leave at approximately 9 p.m. Saturday.

As of Sunday afternoon, there have been 21 deaths reported and approximately 30 people were still reported missing.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency activated a state of emergency in response to the devastating flooding.

Items accepted locally

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and Justice Center have a trailer placed at the justice center to be filled with items to take to Waverly early Thursday morning. Items being accepted include food, toiletries, water, dog and cat food, diapers, baby formula and any other emergency assistance items.

Manchester police stepping up DUI enforcement

Manchester Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) for its “Booze It and Lose It” campaign from August 18 to September 6, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. This initiative coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization to increase impaired-driving enforcement nationwide.

Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with increased sobriety checkpoints and high visibility enforcement, aim to drastically reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities this year.

The consequences of a single DUI conviction for a first-time offender in the state of Tennessee may include costly fines, court costs, legal fees, jail time, mandatory drug and alcohol treatment, and/or the installation of an ignition interlock device in his/her vehicle.

The THSO provides grant funding to support Manchester Police Department increased enforcement efforts during the Booze It and Lose It campaign. For more information about the THSO, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.

McMinnville Police searching for suspect in armed robbery

McMinnville Police Department officials are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect who committed an armed robbery at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Vape City on Old Smithville Highway.

Anyone with any possible information is asked to call Detectives at 931-473-3386 or call the non-emergency line at 931-668-7000. Thank you for your help.

Linda Ann Rhoton

Mrs. Linda Ann Rhoton, age 77, of Manchester, TN,
passed from this life on Saturday, August 21, 2021, in Manchester, TN.

Mrs. Rhoton was born in Cannon Co., TN, to her late parents Joe and Ethel
Cawthorn. She was a loving mother and caregiver for her family and was the
best mother anyone could’ve asked for. In addition to her parents, she was
preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Rhoton; sister, Sandra Alford;
and brother, Joe Cawthorn.

Mrs. Rhoton is survived by a son, Steven Dee Rhoton, Manchester, TN;
daughters, Teresa Ann (Larry) Christian, Hillsboro, TN, Vicky Diane (Mike)
Curtiss and Renee Dawn Rhoton, both of Manchester, TN; sister, Debbie Hill;
grandchildren, Jennifer, Brandi, Jordan, Chris, Ashley, Cory, and Bailey;
great grandchildren, Madison, Kailin, Brady, Andrew, Bentley, and Gatlynn.

Visitation with the family will be on Monday, August 23, 2021, from 12:00
noon until 2:00pm at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN. Funeral
services will be conducted immediately following visitation at 2:00pm in
the chapel of Central Funeral Home with Bro. Bill Rhoton officiating.
Burial will follow in Holland Hill Cemetery in Manchester.

Central Funeral Home is serving the family, 931-723-7774,
centralfuneralhome.com

Tuesday is final day to purchase Bonnaroo tickets

Two days remain to purchase discounted tickets to the 2021 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Thunder Radio Coffee County Broadcasting Inc. has 4-day general admission tickets for sale at a special discounted rate for Coffee County residents. The last day to purchase tickets is Tuesday, Aug. 24 with the cutoff at 5 p.m. Box office will be open from 9-5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

Tickets are $175 apiece with an additional $15 shipping per order. Camping and parking passes are also available for purchase.

Purchaser must live within Coffee County and must pay with credit or debit card. Thunder Radio is located at 1030 Oakdale St. in Manchester, TN.

VICTORY: Raiders open season with 21-14 win at Franklin County