Category: Sports

By Jim Wyatt, TitansOnline.com

The 2019 Titans reenergized the city of Nashville, winning playoff games and igniting celebrations in living rooms and bars across Music City and beyond.

By winning playoff games against the Patriots and Ravens, they exceeded the expectations of most observers across the country, and even some of their most ardent fans.

But ultimately, these Titans fell short of the ultimate goal – to get to Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium, and to win it.

Here on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to earn the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

The 2019 NFL season now officially complete, the focus can now shift to the 2020 season, and the quest to get to Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Can the Titans get there?

“Well, we’ll see,” long-time NFL reporter John Clayton said. “I do feel like the Titans are heading in the right direction, but some things are going to have to happen. I was impressed with what they were able to do this year. It’s obvious players believe in (coach) Mike Vrabel, and he coaches them well. I like what they are doing. But ask me again in a few months. We’ll know a lot more about them obviously by what happens coming up.”

The Titans finished 9-7 for the fourth straight year in 2019, and their wins at New England and Baltimore put them in the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City, where they lost 35-24.

On Saturday, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after leading the NFL in passer rating and running back Derrick Henry was selected as the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year after leading the league in rushing.

But Henry and Tannehill are among roughly 20 players scheduled to become free agents.

“Obviously they have to figure out a way to keep their key offensive guys,” Peter King of NBC Sports said in the press box before Sunday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium. “They have to find some way to not have Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill make so much money that it cripples them on other parts of the roster. They are going to have to pay an absolutely premium if they’re going to keep (Jack) Conklin, and he’ll probably be worth it. We’ll see what happens with him. The other thing is, (cornerback) Logan Ryan is really valuable (and he’s going to be a free agent). He is not Richard Sherman valuable, but he is really, really valuable. … I hope they can find a way to keep him.

“There’s work they have to do. Overall, I think the best thing about that team is that it is young, leadership is good, and they know they have a great chance ahead of them. Free agency is an odd time. You don’t know how they are going to be standing at the end of it, so we’ll see.”

King pointed to the 49ers as a source of inspiration for teams across the NFL, including the Titans.

“I think the 49ers did a great service for the NFL and for every team that is remotely close,” King said. “Basically, after having an injury at the quarterback position and going 4-12 last year, they make it to the Super Bowl. I think what the Titans did, it wasn’t an injury obviously, but it was a transition at quarterback (from Marcus Mariota to Tannehill), and the transition went well.”

Tom Curran, with NBC Sports Boston, covered Vrabel during his playing days with the Patriots.

He was also on hand for Tennessee’s 20-13 Wild Card victory over the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., last month.

Curran thinks the Titans “are just getting started.”

“This year’s Titans reminded me a lot of the 2001 Patriots, in that it was a-whole-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts team, and they had better parts than the ’01 Patriots,” Curran said. “They switched the quarterback out, albeit under different circumstances, but they got the kind of bump that was necessary. And I think what impressed me about them is they understood exactly what needed to be done against certain opponents and with players, that gives you the kind of buy-in you’re going to get for your head coach from a team, and you’re going to get with Vrabel. He put players in a position to win games. The team has his imprint on it because he is decisive and fearless and he has a touch of arrogance to him that I think makes you say, ‘I believe this is going to work’, which infuses a whole team.

“I think there’s a ton of upside with the Titans.”

Clayton, for one, believes the AFC teams with the young quarterbacks – Kansas City (Patrick Mahomes), Baltimore (Lamar Jackson) and Houston (Deshaun Watson) – are “going to be the teams the Titans are going to have to worry about.”

What happens with quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots, of course, will also have a big bearing in the NFL’s landscape.

Prior to Super Bowl LIV, Clayton said the Titans “need to make sure that K.C. wins the Super Bowl, because it is hard to repeat.”

The Chiefs rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to win it, and it marked the second year in a row the Titans beat the eventual Super Bowl champion in the regular season. The Titans beat New England during the 2018 regular season before the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII.

Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, an analyst with FOX, said he expects the Titans to continue their momentum from 2019 in 2020.

“I am not surprised by anything that’s happened (with the Titans), and they’ll be back,” Aikman said. “They were in the AFC Championship Game and they have a bullet going into next year. I like them.”

Former Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, on Super Bowl Radio Row this week, said he’s hopeful the Titans can take the next step.

The countdown to Super Bowl LV is now under way.

“I am definitely looking forward to the next step,” Bulluck said. “When Mike Mularkey left, they were 9-7 and a playoff team, and Mike Vrabel takes over and they were on the cusp (in 2018) and this year … they go to the AFC Championship Game. Obviously, they are a team to be reckoned with, a playoff team.

“But I want to see that next step, when they become that 13-3 team or that 12-4 team where they show that consistency throughout the entire season. It’s one thing to be a scrappy, gritty team, which they are, and go against any team every Sunday. But I want to see them get to the point where teams are coming into Nissan Stadium or the Titans are going into their stadium and they are looking at them like, ‘Alright, we’ve got the Titans this week.’ I am sure they think that already, but it’s a little different when you know you are playing a scrappy team than when you know you are playing a juggernaut.”

The Coffee County CHS Lady Raider wrestling team traveled to Nolensville for the West Regional Individual Tournament on Friday and Saturday.   Four Lady Raiders were in action and 2 of the 4 qualified for the TSSAA State Tournament.  In the team standings, the Lady Raiders placed 9^th out of 53 teams.  At the end of the day, Mary Wolfrum and Alanna Coker punched their ticket to represent the Lady Raider wrestling team at the state tournament for the 3^rd straight season. 

Coker ran through the 112 bracket with a pair of byes and a pair of 3^rd round pinfalls on Friday.  In the semifinals on Saturday morning, Coker lost in an 11 to 5 decision.  Coker bounced back in the consolation bracket to grab a 9 to 4 decision to advance to the 3^rd place match.  In the medal match, Coker grabbed a pinfall in the 2^nd round to claim 3^rd place and insure her spot in the state meet.

Mary Wolfrum got a pair of byes on Friday before being pinned in a round 1 match-up against the eventual tournament champion from Rossview.  In the consolation bracket, Wolfrum got a pair of pinfalls and a 6 to 0 decision win before advancing to the consolation semifinals via an injury win.  Another forfeit win advanced her to the medal round where she won a 9 to 6 decision to finish in 3^rd place.  That finish earned her a spot in the state tournament.

Lyra Leftwich received a 1^st round bye before winning her 2^nd match via a pinfall.  Leftwich won her next 2 matches in the consolation bracket by pinfall, including a pin in 16 seconds, to advance to the semifinals.  Leftwich fell via a pinfall one win short of qualifying for the state meet.   

Mary Anne Walker’s Friday started the same as Mary Wolfrum as she got a pair of byes before falling via a pin to the eventual tournament champion from Rossview.   In the consolation bracket,  Walker got a pinfall win before losing a 4 to 0 decision in the quarterfinal round.

The Lady Raider grapplers will compete in the TSSAA state tournament beginning on February 20^th at the Williamson County Expo Center in Franklin.  The Red Raiders will return to action on February 14^th and 15^th in the region individual tournament attempting to punch their ticket to the boys’ state tournament.

The Coffee County Central High School basketball teams traveled to Shelbyville on Friday night for a district doubleheader.  Looking to strengthen their hold on the top spots in the district, Coffee County came home with 2 wins in a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio.  The Lady Raiders clobbered the Eaglettes 75 to 44.  The Red Raiders clipped the Eagles 56 to 34.

The Lady Raiders rode the red hot shooting of Bella Vinson in the 1^st half to stay in front of the Eaglettes.  After Coffee County built a 6 point lead in the 1^st quarter, Shelbyville kept the game close until the final 3 minutes of the 1^st half.  Coffee County opened the 2^nd half on a 16 to 3 run to build a 22 point lead and Shelbyville could never get the margin before 20 the rest of the game.  Vinson scored 15 points in the 1^st quarter and 23 in the 1^st half behind five 3 point baskets.  Vinson finished with eight 3 pointers and 32 points for the game earning the Stone Fort Mortgage player of the game award.  Chloe Gannon added 12 points and Jalie Ruehling netted 6. 

The Red Raiders had their hands full with the Eagles in the first half.  In a game that saw neither team take a lead of more than 3 points for the first 12 minutes, Coffee County closed out the half on an 11 to 0 run to take a 10 point lead into halftime.  The Raiders held Shelbyville to 15 points in the 2^nd half as they rolled to their 17^th win of the year and improved to 8 and 1 in district play.  Connor Shemwell was the leading scorer for Coffee County as he had 15 points earning the Stone Fort Mortgage player of the game honor.  Jaylon Wooten netted 13 points and Jaxon Vaughn finished the night with 9. 

Coffee County is off on Tuesday and will return to the court on Friday, February 7^th at home against Lawrence County.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast beginning with the Powers Storage Pregame Show at 5:50.

Download the broadcast at: www.Thunder1320.com/Downloads

In an announcement released on Friday, Coffee County CHS Principal Paul Parsley and Athletic Director Rebecca Koger are “pleased” to announce the hiring of Brad Costello as the new Golf coach.  Costello takes over for Mike Ray who retired at the conclusion of the fall season.  Costello will begin his second term as Raiders coach beginning in July. 

Koger praised Costello in announcing the hiring.  “Coach Costello brings a wealth of experience to the position as a player and a coach.  Costello coached golf previously at CHS at Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida . He played in high school(at CHS) and college (at Freed Hardeman) and has continued to play since then.  Costello is an active member of Willowbrook. We are excited to welcome Coach Costello to the CHS coaching family and look forward to the extensive instruction he can provide our student-athletes.”

When contacted by Thunder Radio Sports on Friday afternoon, Costello expressed excitement at returning to the head coach’s position.  Costello was the coach at CHS from 2005 thru the 2007 season.  Costello said “I am looking forward to seeing (the golfers) improve.”  Costello has not made definitive plans regarding try-outs yet.  Costello will be a guest on the Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday, February 8^th to talk about his plans for the upcoming season. 

Pekka Rinne made 36 saves, but the Predators were unable to find the back of the net, as they fell to the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0, on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees Nashville’s two-game win streak conclude, as they finish their season series against Vegas with a 1-1-1 record.

After an encouraging set of back-to-back victories on the road, the Predators returned home looking for another boost of confidence against a Vegas team on the second half of a back-to-back of their own.

Instead, the home team was left looking for answers.

“It’s not good enough from our side,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “They outplayed us for two periods, and they were the better team. They were faster than us and won more battles. It was still 1-0 [to start the third period], and we had a chance to win it, but we couldn’t get it done.”

“Disappointing,” Rinne said. “We talked before the game [and said] it’s our playoff time now. It’s disappointing. We’ve had a tough record at home, and [this is] another home loss… They had a back-to-back, and it looked like they were the [fresher] team. Just disappointed.”

The Predators were only able to register two shots on goal in the game’s opening period, and just six more followed in the middle frame. Rinne was stellar, however, stopping 28 Vegas shots through 40 minutes.

The only goal in those first two periods came off the stick of Chandler Stephenson, and Nicolas Roy beat Rinne in the third before Reilly Smith iced it into the empty net.

Entering the third period down by just one, the Predators knew they had a chance to come back once more, just as they had in those previous two road outings. But they weren’t able to muster much in the form of high quality chances against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Golden Knights, a fact that led to another disappointing result.

“We had a chance tonight,” Rinne said. “Half the second period, it was a 1-0 game and we still had a chance. I really liked that. I liked the fact that we’ve been able to come from behind [in the last two games]. It showed mental strength, so that’s obviously important at this point in the season. But at the same time, I guess I’m just so stuck with the results. It’s all about the results.”

The Predators will now embark on a four-game road trip through Western Canada, a crucial journey as the regular season reaches its final two full months of action.

“It’s certainly the challenge that our team is facing right now is trying to string some consistent games together, consistent results together, and that’s something that we’ve got to find,” Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. “We’ve got to find a way… We felt like we were playing some pretty good hockey, overcoming some adversity a little bit, high-scoring games. But then tonight, I just think when it came to the speed of the game, the mental engagement, the physical engagement of what it took to win this hockey game tonight, we just weren’t on the same level.”

Notes:

Calle Jarnkrok missed his second consecutive game due to illness. Yakov Trenin and Matt Irwin were also scratched for the Preds on Saturday night.

The Predators will now head back on the road, this time to Western Canada for a four-game swing. It starts Tuesday night in Winnipeg before making stops in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver over the next 10 days.

The Westwood Lady Rocket basketball team celebrated one of the most successful seasons ever on Thursday night with their annual awards banquet. Honored with individual awards were: Leonor Moreno – Joel Vinson Award. Princess Penaloza – MVP. Kailee Rossman – Leadership Award. Allie Sullivan – Defensive Award. Bryleigh Gray – Heart and Hustle Award. Remi Benjamin – Rebounding Award.

After completing the 2019-2020 season unbeaten, the Westwood Lady Rocket basketball team will be featured on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about their conference championship.  The Lady Rockets finished the year with a 17 and 0 record which included 3 wins in the Morrison Preseason Tournament, 12 straight conference wins and a pair of wins in the postseason conference tournament.  The Lady Rockets are coached by Anglea Houck and Tanessa Buchanan. 

Also featured on Saturday’s Coach Show will be Coffee County CHS basketball coach Micah Williams and Coffee County CHS Track coach Nathan Wanuch.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast each Saturday morning from 10 to 11 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show, in its 6^th year, is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.

Super Bowl Sunday has become a traditional holiday in America during its 54 year history.  Thunder Radio will continue its very own tradition by bringing you Westwood 1’s coverage of Super Bowl 54 from Miami.  Super Bowl 54 features a match up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.  Kickoff is set for 5:30 PM from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Live coverage will begin at 1 PM here on Thunder Radio with Westwood 1’s Super Bowl Preview Show.  Pregame coverage continues with the Super Bowl Insider show at 2 PM followed by Super Sunday at 3 PM.  Westwood 1’s Pregame Show begins at 4 PM from Miami as Kevin Harland and Kurt Warner will bring you the call of the game.  Sideline reporters will be Laura Okmin and Tony Boselli to the broadcast which can be heard at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM and AM 1320.  Due to NFL regulations, Thunder Radio is unable to carry the broadcast on our stream or the Manchester Go app.

The drama persisted up until the final play of the game, as the Nashville Predators claimed two points in New Jersey with a 6-5 shootout win on Thursday night.

Nashville tied the score on three separate occasions across the final half of regulation, forced overtime and prevailed in the shootout behind goals from Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene. The comeback victory gives the Preds two wins in a back-to-back set and sees them sitting two points out of a Wild Card spot, with two games in hand.

“We’re just finding a way right now,” Duchene said. “There’s still some stuff we need to clean up… but [goaltender Pekka Rinne] was great when we needed him, and it’s just a team effort. We don’t want to give up five goals, but the fact that we’re scoring five is great. We need more of that, and these are two huge wins.”

“It’s a big win,” Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. “We came into the road trip, we won back-to-back games, and this was a great game where you’re playing against a rested team. That was a big step for our team to be able to come from behind and find a way to win.”

Mattias Ekholm waited only 42 seconds into Thursday’s contest to give the Preds a 1-0 lead, when his point shot deflected off a New Jersey defender and past Mackenzie Blackwood. Four minutes later, Devils forward Pavel Zacha got his first of the night, while shorthanded, to even the score. The Predators were able to emerge from the opening period with a 2-1 lead after Filip Forsberg tallied his team-leading 17th of the season at the 8:17 mark.

In the second, Nick Bonino potted his 15th, but the Devils added three of their own – courtesy of Zacha, Nikita Gusev and Jesper Bratt – to give the home team a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes.

“We came in, and we were ready to play in the first, but the second period [wasn’t good],” Forsberg said. “But then we battled back again in the same situation like last night. There’s a lot of fight in this team, and we’ve shown that the last two games.”

The visitors were in the exact spot they were in 24 hours prior: down 4-3 and starting the third period. Another goal in the opening minute of a period – this time from Duchene – brought Nashville back even. But when the Devils retook a one-goal lead at 6:37, the Predators were forced to play catchup once again.

Forsberg gave the Preds one more answer with their third power-play goal in the last four games, when his iconic wrister worked again, beating Blackwood cleanly for a 5-5 game.

“I just like our effort,” Forsberg said. “There’s been times where we’ve been down a couple goals going into the third, and we just quit playing. That’s the biggest thing, just a mentality… and just that belief is back a little bit.”

The duo of Forsberg and Duchene came up clutch one more time in the shootout, as both converted their attempts to seal the road victory. That sets the stage for a pivotal game in Music City on Saturday night. A regulation win over the Vegas Golden Knights will vault the Predators back into playoff positioning for the first time in weeks.

“You’ve got to feel good about these wins, and that’s something we haven’t done this year,” Duchene said. “When we’ve won games, won big games, that’s kind of been like we’re a team that’s expected to win. But you’ve got to ride the momentum and feel good about ourselves… [With these two wins], now we can we can start feeling good about ourselves.”

Not only did the Preds win one for Hynes in his first game back in New Jersey to coach against his former team, but with the victory, general manager David Poile became the winningest GM – regular season and postseason combined – in NHL history with No. 1,507.

Indeed, there is plenty for the Predators to feel good about right now, but they know they need to keep that fire ignited, and they can’t wait for Saturday night in Smashville.

“It’s never going to be perfect this time of year,” Duchene said. “We’re a team that’s fighting for everything right now… and I thought we did a great job sticking with it. Some timely goals, we never got down, and we’re showing great mental strength. What’s great about this is we kind of hit rock bottom, and now we’re coming on the way up. Our best is yet to come. We’re working and we should feel so great about these two wins and bring that enthusiasm, that confidence and that swagger into Saturday.”

Notes:

Preds forward Colton Sissons returned to the Nashville lineup on Thursday night after missing action since December 27 due to a lower-body injury.

Forward Calle Jarnkrok missed Thursday’s game due to illness. Forward Yakov Trenin took his place in the lineup. Colin Blackwell and Matt Irwin were also scratched for the Predators.

With their back-to-back road set now complete, the Preds return to Nashville to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday evening (at 7 p.m. CT) at Bridgestone Arena.

The Coffee County Middle School Red Raider basketball team opened play in the TMSAA Sectional Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Stewarts Creek Middle School.  In a game you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Red Raiders matched up against Blackman Middle in a quarterfinal round match.  Coffee County’s season came to a close as they fell 62 to 29 to the red hot shooting Flames team from Blackman.

With the 2 teams tied at 12 midway through the 2^nd quarter, Blackman closed out the half on a 12 to 0 run.  Blackman opened the 2^nd half with 6 straight points to build a 30 to 12 lead before an Ethan Hargrove 3 point play stopped the point streak.  Blackman hit ten 3 point baskets in the game. 

Ethan Hargrove was the leading scorer for Coffee County as he finished with 13 points.  Cooper Reed added 8 points while Jackson Shemwell finished with 4 points.  The Red Raiders will end the season with an overall record of 18 and 6.  Coffee County finished with a 2^nd place finish in the CTC regular season and an Area 6 tournament title. 

The Coffee County CHS wrestling team traveled to Rockvale on Tuesday night for a dual meet with the Rockets.  The Red Raiders got 3 pinfall wins and a win via a technical fall in the match but fell 45 to 23. 

Earning pins for Coffee County were Caleb Boothe(132 pounds), Gavin Prater(145) and Cardin Stump(285).  Hunter Massey(126) earned a technical fall victory as he outscored his opponent 15 to 0.  Chris Speegle(220) dropped a 6 to 4 decision.

The Lady Raider grapplers are back in action on Friday and Saturday at the West Regional Individual Tournament at Nolensville High School.  The Red Raiders will return to action in on February 14^th and 15^th in the region individual tournament.