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Raider defense pitches second half shutout, CHS beats Franklin County 21-19
The Raider defense showed up to play Friday night and the offense put together enough production for the Central High School Red Raiders to drop visiting Franklin County 21-19 Friday night at Carden-Jarrell Field in Manchester
After giving up two long touchdown passes in the second quarter of 85 and 53 yards, respectively, the Raider defense left the locker room and pitched a shutout in the second half.
Franklin County’s only score in the second half came on a interception return for a touchdown by Anthony Seno in the second half. Seno was in the right place in the right time when a Connor Shemwell passed went through the hands of CJ Anthony on a wide receiver screen, setting the stage for Seno to pluck it out of the air and walk into the end zone.
That Franklin County score cut into the Red Raider lead and made the score 21-19. But Raider linebacker Jalen Williams snuffed out the two-point conversion attempt to maintain the Raiders’ 2 point lead. That lead held through the remainder of the second half thanks to a stingy defense and a defensive stand in the last five minutes when Franklin County crossed the 50 yard line looking to take the lead.
For the Raiders, Shemwell finished the night 8 of 15, including a 51 yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Verge in the second quarter.
Shemwell put the Raiders on the board first in the opening quarter, capping a 13 play drive with a four-yard quarterback sneak thanks to a big push from the offensive line and some help from tailback Marshal Haney.
“These boys are out there trying out their new bodies,” said CHS head coach Doug Greene, speaking about the physicality the Raiders played with Friday. “And they are doing it at the expense of someone else. And that’s a lot of fun to see.”
Haney crossed the 100 yard mark, finishing with 106 yards on 19 totes, including a 21 yard touchdown run.
Perhaps Haney’s most important carries came late in the fourth quarter, when he stayed between the tackles and helped the Raiders melt the clock away.
Notebook
*The lights cut out in the third quarter and forced an approximate 40-minute delay. Head coach Doug Greene said he used that time to “pump more water” into the players.
The Raider defense was flawless after the extra intermission.
*The Raiders are now 1-0 on the season. They will now travel to Tullahoma to take on the Wildcats in the annual Coffee Pot Rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29. That game broadcast can be heard on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM
Click here to listen to the first half broadcast from Thunder Radio.
Click here to listen to the second half broadcast from Thunder Radio.
Red Raider football opens season Friday; Thunder Radio coverage begins at 6 p.m.
Coffee County Central High School’s Red Raiders open the season Friday night, Aug. 21 when Franklin County visits Carden-Jarrell Field.
Thunder Radio will be on hand for the radio coverage as we begin our 63rd year celebrating athletes at Central High School.
Coverage begins with The Friday Night Thunder pregame show (delivered by Riddle Trucking) at 6 p.m., with interviews from both head coaches and a tribute to Dennis Weaver, the voice of Coffee County athletics who passed away less than a month ago as he was getting set to call play-by-play action again this season.
Thunder Radio will have the pregame, game broadcast and the postgame show (Friday Night Thunder) on 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM and streaming at www.thunder1320.com and on the Manchester Go smartphone app.
Lady Raider volleyball remains perfect, sweeps Riverdale
After three matches of the 2020 season, the Central High School Lady Raider volleyball team remains perfect.
In fact, the team has yet to lose a single set.
Coffee County swept visiting Riverdale 3-0 Thursday night at Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium (25-10, 25-21 and 25-16.) The win comes after the Lady Raiders dropped Warren County 3-0 and Shelbyville 3-0 earlier this week.
Junior Lauren Brandt and her three aces led CHS at the service line Thursday against the Lady Warriors of Riverdale. Brandt also led the Lady Raiders in kills with seven and was second on the team in assists with nine. Kiya Ferrell put together 10 assists for CHS and had three kills on the night. Keri Munn added six kills and Lexi Bryan five as the Lady Raiders spread out the production around the net.
The Lady Raiders will return home Tuesday, Aug. 25 to take on Columbia at 6:30 p.m. That match will be broadcast on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series
CMS soccer falls to Tullahoma 8-1
Coffee County Middle School’s Lady Raider soccer team dropped to 1-1 on the season Thursday afternoon with an 8-1 loss to Tullahoma.
In a game you heard on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series, Coffee County fell behind 4-1 at half. The Lady Raiders trailed 2-0 when seventh grader Sadie Moore launched a perfect corner kick that Jasmine Norris connected on to find the back of the net and cut the deficit to 2-1.
But the Tullahoma offense was too powerful, pulling ahead 4-1 by halftime and 8-1 with the final goal coming with 25 seconds to play.
The Lady Raiders have a week off before traveling to North for a 5:30 p.m. start on Aug. 27.
Unemployment rate continues to show signs of recovery in Tennessee
ennessee’s economy continued to show signs of recovery from the COVID-19 health emergency in July. Newly released information from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development revealed statewide unemployment decreased for the third consecutive month.
Tennessee’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July 2020 was 9.5%. That is a 0.1 of a percentage point decrease from the previous month’s revised rate of 9.6%.
The latest jobless rate is 6.1 percentage points higher than it was a year ago in July 2019.
Employers across Tennessee added 600 new jobs between June and July. The leisure/hospitality sector, along with the professional/business services and manufacturing sectors created the most jobs during the month.
While those three sectors showed the biggest gains in employment during July, they are also responsible for the biggest losses over the last year. Between July 2019 and July 2020, nonfarm employment decreased by 160,600 jobs in Tennessee. The hardest-hit sectors were leisure/hospitality, manufacturing, and professional/business services.
Across the United States, unemployment also decreased in July. The preliminary, seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate is 10.2%, a 0.9 of a percentage point drop from the previous month’s rate.
The July rate for the nation is 6.5 percentage points higher than it was one year ago.
A complete analysis of Tennessee’s unemployment situation, including which industries were impacted the most in July, is available here. (https://www.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=166478db53c066a7d114ea462&id=63dd5e7b1d&e=29851e7b63)
As Tennessee economy rebounds, employers across the state are hiring. Jobs4TN.gov offers a wide range of services for Tennesseans looking for new work. Currently, there are more than 221,000 job listings posted on the site. Job seekers can also visit their local American Job Center where career specialists can help them find new employment or training for a new career.
Active COVID-19 case update for Thursday, Aug. 20
Active cases of COVID-19 in Coffee County took a downward trend Thursday, with Tennessee Department of Health reporting 310 active cases. That is 8 fewer than the previous day.
Since testing began in March, there have been 660 total cases in Coffee County. Of these, 345 have recovered and five people have passed away.
Meanwhile, numbers across the state continue to decline, with 543 fewer active cases reported on Thursday. There have been 1,447 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths in Tennessee since March, and 6,156 hospitalizations.
COFFEE POT TICKETS: Coffee County limited to 500 tickets for annual rivalry
The annual Coffee Pot football rivalry is set for Friday, Aug. 28 at Wilkins Stadium in Tullahoma. Due to stadium capacity limitations due to COVID-19 restrictions, Coffee County has only been allotted 500 tickets to sell.
Tickets are $7 each and there is no student discount.
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, and Wednesday, Aug. 26, tickets will only be sold to the varsity football team, cheer squad, dance team and band. Each student may purchase no more than two tickets. Students or a parent of a student can purchase tickets at the Central High School main office between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, any remaining tickets will be sold to the public in the CHS main office from 8 a.m. until noon. There will be no tickets sold on Friday or at the stadium.
TACA and TSSAA passes will be accepted at the Pass Gate.
If you can’t attend the game, you can listen to every Red Raider football game all season long on Thunder Radio. Game broadcasts begin with the Friday Night Thunder pregame show at 6 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m. on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM and streaming at www.thunder1320.com and the Manchester Go smartphone app.
Complaint seeking injunction filed against Coffee County Schools over mask mandate
A complaint has been filed against the Coffee County School System in Circuit Court seeking injunctive relief against the school system’s mask mandate.
The complaint calls for the schools to cease and desist the mask mandate implemented on Aug. 10, citing no legal authority. A judge has yet to review the complaint, which was filed by Parnham Law Office on behalf Heather Murchison, who is the mother of a student in the system.
The complaint states that Murchison’s child was refused the ability to attend class on Aug. 13 and Aug. 18 and was sent to in-school suspension when he refused to wear a mask “based upon personal healthcare decisions made by hiimself, in conjunction with his legal guardian, Mrs. Murchison.”
The complaint goes on to state that “neither the Tennessee General Assembly, nor the State Board of Education have promulgated any mandate that students within the state wear a face mask as a condition precedent to entry into a public school.
“Moreover, the Tennessee State Legislature, in its limited grant of authority, has not authorized local boards of education to promulgate compulsory health mandates before allowing a student to attend public school within a school building.”
The complaint asks that the court enter a judgement for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the schools from enforcing the mask mandate, and also a permanent injunction prohibiting the enforcement of the mandate. The filing also asks that the school board pay for court costs and attorney’s fees for Murchison.
Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson told Thunder Radio News that this matter will be handled by the school board attorney. .
You can see the full complaint by clicking here.
Thursday offers busy slate for area prep sports; CMS soccer to make 2020 radio debut
Thursday night will be busy for area prep teams. Coming off a 32-0 win over Grundy County on Tuesday, the Westwood Rockets football team will open its home slate of games at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Dyer-Bouldin Field.
Also on Thursday, the CHS Lady Raider volleyball team looks to improve to 3-0 when it hosts Riverdale – junior varsity at 5 p.m. and varsity at 6 p.m.
The CHS Lady Raider soccer team is traveling to Rockvale for a 6 p.m. non-district match, and the CMS volleyball team is hoping to remain undefeated with a conference trip to North Franklin at 5 p.m. The Lady Raiders are currently 4-0.
And in a match you will hear on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series, the CMS Lady Raider soccer team will host Tullahoma at 4:30 p.m. CMS is 1-0 on the year, having beat Warren County 2-1 behind goals from Jasmine Norris and Lilly Matherne. You can hear the broadcast at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM or stream it on the Manchester GO app or at www.thunder1320.com.
Red Raider football season opens Friday; Thunder Radio will be on the call all season
Thunder Radio’s 63rd year of covering Red Raider football begins Friday night – Aug. 21 when Coffee County hosts Franklin County in a non-region tilt. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Carden-Jarrell Field.
Thunder Radio will be on hand for every Red Raider game – home and away – to bring all the action back to your radio, computer and streaming devices (smart phones and Amazon Alexa).
The Friday Night Thunder pregame show (delivered by Riddle Trucking), will begin the festivities at 6 p.m.. This is the 12th year for Friday Night Thunder, and a new host will in the studio – Court Steere.
Following Friday Night Thunder, the game broadcast will be handled by Peterson and Dustin Murray – both are former athletes at Coffee County Central, graduates of the school, Manchester natives and veteran broadcasters. Jonathan Oliver returns for his second season as the sideline reporter. Peterson moves from the Friday Night Thunder studio to the play-by-play booth to replace Dennis Weaver, the longtime voice of Coffee County athletics, who tragically passed away on July 24th.
“Weave was extremely excited to start this season and, in typical fashion, was already bombarding me with preparation and ideas,” explained Peterson. “We are going to miss having him on the call, and miss the excitement that he got from celebrating our athletes, teams and coaches. There is no ‘replacing’ Dennis Weaver. We are going to carry on his enthusiasm and his passion and we are going to focus all of our energy here at Thunder Radio on highlighting, promoting and celebrating our athletes and teams at Coffee County Central. We are proud to do it for them, and for him.”
Following each game, the Friday Night Thunder Postgame show – hosted by Steere – will allow for call-ins and a region-wide scoreboard rundown, as well as play highlights from the game.
Every pregame show, game and postgame show can be heard live on Thunder Radio- 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM, streaming at www.thunder1320.com, streaming on the Manchester Go smartphone app and streaming on Amazon Alexa.
Tickets for the season opener against Franklin County should be purchased at the school prior to arrival – no tickets will be sold at the gate. You can purchase tickets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and CHS- 100 Red Raider Dr.