Category: Sports

After suffering their 1^st loss in 6 seasons on Saturday, the College Street Cougar basketball team bounced back on Sunday in the Motlow Shootout.  Taking on a scrappy North Lake Leopard team, the Cougars fought and clawed their way to a 34 to 15 win in a true cat fight.  The win gives the College Street cagers a final season record of 12 and 1 and a 3^rd place finish in the 3 day tournament. 

College Street got off to a hot start as they raced out to an 8 to 0 lead in the first 11 minutes.  North Lake finally solved the full court press to cut the lead to 10 to 5 with just under 6 minutes remaining in the 1^st half.  But the Cougars closed out the half on a 9 to 1 run.  In the 2^nd half, College Street built the lead to 28 to 9 before emptying the bench.

Gabe Hamby was the leading scorer for College Street as he finished with 13 points.  Matthew White added 7 points.  Riley Evans finished the game with 5 points as 6 different Cougars scored in the game. 

The Tennessee Titans punched their ticket into the postseason in Houston on Sunday with 35-14 win over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

The Titans will travel to Foxborough next weekend to face the New England Patriots in the first round of the playoffs.

It will be the franchise’s second playoff appearance in three seasons. In 2017, the Titans beat the Chiefs in the playoff’s first round before being knocked out of the postseason with a loss to the Patriots.

With the win, the Titans finished the season with a 9-7 mark.

Running back Derrick Henry ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in the contest and won the NFL’s rushing title in the process. Henry finished the regular season with 1,540 yards while playing in 15 games. Henry eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time this season in the contest.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who helped turn around Tennessee’s season, turned in yet another solid performance. Since Tannehill stepped in at Week 7, the Titans posted a 7-3 mark.

Also, receiver A.J. Brown went over the 1,000-yard mark for receiving yards in his rookie season.

It all added up to a big win for the Titans, who entered the day with a win-and-in playoff scenario.

Up 14-7 at halftime, the Titans took the opening drive of the second half and produced a 78-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a three-yard touchdown run by Henry. It was a big drive that featured all runs, including seven from Henry.

After the Texans answered back with a long scoring drive of their own, cutting the lead to 21-14 with 1:09 left in the third quarter on a one-yard by quarterback AJ McCarron, who started in place of regular Texans starter Deshaun Watson, the Titans stepped up again.

Henry finished off a five-play 75-yard scoring drive with another one-yard score, which was set up by a 47-yard pass from quarterback Tannehill to Brown, who made a remarkable catch at the one-yard line to set up the score to make it 28-14.

Then, a 53-yard touchdown run by Henry with 2:54 remaining in the game set off a celebration on the Tennessee sideline, and in the stands. It sparked chants of “Henry, Henry, Henry.”

The Titans fell down early before rallying.

The Titans took a 14-7 in the second quarter that ended with a one-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to tight end MyCole Pruitt and included a lot.

On the 16-play, 90-yard drive,. Brown went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season – on a 24-yard completion from quarterback Marcus Mariota, who entered the game for one play.

The Titans jumped on the scoreboard on their first possession on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Brown, who caught the ball and outraced defenders to the end zone to tie the game.

It was a big early answer – it came less than two minutes after the Texans jumped out to a 7-0 lead early on a one-yard touchdown run by Duke Johnson, which capped off a 15-play, 75-yard drive.

By finishing with a 9-7 mark, the team finished with a winning record for the fourth season in a row.

Saturday was semifinal day for a pair of Manchester elementary school teams at the Motlow Shootout at Motlow’s Moore County Campus.  The Lady Eagles of Westwood fought off a tough Broadview team to grab a 14 to 10 win and advance to the title game.  The Cougars of College Street suffered their first loss of the year in a 28 to 17 defeat to Farrar Elementary of Tullahoma and will play in Sunday’s consolation.

In the girls’ game, it was a battle of Eagles as Westwood and Broadview did battle in a nip and tuck contest for the entire game.  Tied at 10 with 3 minutes remaining, Jules Ferrell hit a layup to put Westwood on top of the Eagles from Winchester.  Ferrell put the icing on the cake by hitting a pair of free throws to give the Manchester Eagles their 12^th win of the year.  Ferrell led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 9 points.  Reece Finch chipped in 5.

In the boys’ game, College Street had no answers for the height advantage of the Frogs from Farrar.  The Cougars trailed early before rallying to cut the deficit to 11 to 9 at the half.  In the 2^nd half, the Cougars made it a 1 point game before Farrar stopped the rally and pulled away to get the win.  College Street was led in scoring by Gabe Hamby who had 6 points.  Matthew White chipped in 4 points for the Cougars.

Westwood will advance to Sunday’s championship game as they are set to take on Decherd.  That game will tip off at 5 PM.  College Street will hit the court at 4 PM in the consolation game against North Lake from Franklin County.  Both games will be held at Motlow’s Nesbitt Center on the Moore County campus. 

The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team traveled to West Tennessee on Friday for a 2 day trip to Fayette County.  The Lady Raiders opened the 2 day tournament on Friday with a 61 to 51 win over Bartlett. 

After suffering a stunning loss on Thursday, Coffee County bounced back to grab the Friday win.  After falling behind in the 1^st quarter, the Lady Raiders rallied to take a 4 point lead into the half.  Coffee County held off a 2^nd half rally from the Panthers and closed out strong as they finished with 23 points in the 4^th quarter.

Coffee County was led in scoring by Bella Vinson who had 18 points.  Jenna Garretson added 15 points while Jalie Ruehling added 11 points.  The win improves the Lady Raiders season record to 12 and 3.

Coffee County will conclude their road trip on Saturday as they close out the 2^nd day of tournament action at Fayette Academy in Somerville.  Coffee County will take on First Assembly Christian School at noon.   

A pair of Manchester elementary school basketball teams opened up play on Friday in the Motlow Elementary Shootout at Motlow’s Moore County campus.  The Lady Eagles of Westwood Elementary rolled to a 33 to 4 win over Tullahoma’s Bel-Aire Elementary.  The Cougars of College Street Elementary bounced Tullahoma’s Robert E. Lee Elementary by a final score of 25 to 23. 

Westwood held the Bel-Aire Bees scoreless for the first half in the dominating win.  The Lady Eagles built a 21 to 0 lead in the 2^nd half before the Tullahoma squad got on the board with 15 minutes remaining in the game.  Westwood was led in scoring by Jules Ferrell who had 23 points.  Reese Finch and Jerzee Ferrell each chipped in 4 points apiece. 

Westwood will advance to Saturday’s 2^nd round where they take on Broadview Elementary from Franklin County.  That game will tip off at 2 PM at Motlow’s Nesbitt Center on the Moore County campus. 

College Street squared off against the Lions of Robert E. Lee in an exciting catfight.  After a slow start, the Cougars built a 7 point lead but could never pull away from the Lions.  Lee cut the deficit to 1 point late in the 2^nd half as the 2 teams battled through the last 7 minutes separated by no more than 3 points.  College Street had to defend a last second shot from Robert E. Lee to grab the win.  Jackson Pruitt led College Street in scoring with 12 points.   Matthew White and Eric Clem each added 4 points.

College Street will advance to Saturday’s 2^nd round where they take on Farrar Elementary from Tullahoma.  That game will tip off at 5 PM at Motlow’s Nesbitt Center on the Moore County campus. 

Nashville started a home-and-home series with Pittsburgh on a five-game point streak, but three goals for the Penguins in the first period guided the visitors to a 5-2 victory at Bridgestone Arena.

Preds Captain Roman Josi, who saw his goal streak end at five games, thought his team was ready to play, but in-tight conversions on multiple high-danger chances helped the Penguins to a 5-1 lead through two periods.

“We started pretty well. It didn’t seem like a 5-1 game after two periods, and they capitalized on a lot of chances,” Josi said. “We have to do a better job in front of our goaltenders and make sure we defend that area better. I thought we had some chances too, but we couldn’t capitalize.”

“They were opportunistic,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of the Penguins. “They got positioning on us on the inside on a few of the goals, and they were able to tap them in. They made the most of the chances they got through two periods.”

Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead roughly two minutes into the contest. Craig Smith answered for the Predators two minutes later, but after Ryan Johansen’s shot hit the crossbar, the Penguins tacked on two more goals in the opening period.

Bryan Rust and Juuso Riikola scored in the second period to put Pittsburgh up by four after 40 minutes. Goaltender Pekka Rinne allowed three goals in the first and was replaced in the Nashville net by Juuse Saros, who made 17 saves in 42 minutes of action.

Viktor Arvidsson got one by Tristan Jarry in the third, but that was as close as the Predators got to staging a comeback.

“We worked hard, but they got some bounces early in the game and we were chasing,” Arvidsson said. “The second period was better, and I think we tried to push and push, but we weren’t good enough in front of our net. They won that battle, and they won the game.”

Up next, Nashville heads straight to Pittsburgh in preparation to meet the Penguins once more on Saturday night (at 6 p.m. CT), an opportunity for the Preds to get back into the win column in the final game of the 2019 calendar year.

“It’s a quick turnaround, playing against them again,” Josi said. “We have to show a reaction, be better tomorrow and get a win.”

Notes:

Predators forward Colton Sissons (lower-body) and Dan Hamhuis (upper-body) were both injured during the first period of Friday’s contest and did not return.

Preds Captain Roman Josi skated in his 600th career game to become the fifth player in franchise history to appear in at least 600 games with the club.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Predators recalled forward Colin Blackwell and defenseman Jarred Tinordi from Milwaukee. Both were healthy scratches against Pittsburgh.

The Predators hosted 17,849 fans at Bridgestone Arena on Friday night, a record for fans at a hockey game in the building.

The Predators and Penguins will face off once more on Saturday night from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Then, the Preds will head to Dallas to prepare to face the Stars in the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day.

The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team returned to the court on Thursday as they traveled to Riverdale to take on Madison Academy of Alabama.  Hitting the court for their first game in 10 days, the Lady Raiders showed some rust as they dropped a 61 to 46 decision to the Mustangs.

Coffee County got off to a hot start as they built a 14 to 8 lead in the opening quarter.  Madison fought back to cut the deficit to 1 point at the half.  In the 2^nd half, the Mustangs outscored the Lady Raiders 17 to 7 in the 3^rd quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish. 

Coffee County was led in scoring by Bella Vinson who had 13 points.  Jenna Garretson added 9 points while Kiya Ferrell added 8 points.  The loss drops the Lady Raiders season record to 11 and 3. 

Coffee County will hit the road as they travel to West Tennessee for 2 days of tournament action at Fayette Academy in Somerville.  On Friday, the Lady Raiders will tangle with Bartlett at 3 PM.  On Saturday, Coffee County will take on First Assembly Christian School at noon.   

As 2019 draws to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at some of the highlights of year for the football teams at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle schools. 

The Coffee County Middle School football team opened the season with 3 straight losses before reeling off 5 straight conference wins to qualify for the CTC Championship Game.  The Red Raiders fought hard but came up short to Tullahoma.  Thunder Radio broadcast the game and reported on the game with the following story we brought to you on October 7^th. 

Competing for their 1st ever middle school conference title, the Coffee County Middle School football team traveled to Tullahoma on Saturday for a rematch with the Wildcats of Tullahoma Middle.  The Red Raiders carried a lead into the final 4 minutes before Tullahoma scored twice to capture the win.  In a game you heard here on Thunder Radio, Coffee County fell 26 to 13.

Each team turned the ball over in the first 12 minutes as the 2 defenses fought off explosive plays from the offenses.  Tullahoma got on the board first as they scored with 2:03 left in the half on a 10 yard touchdown pass to lead 6 to 0.  But the Raiders answered back on a 50 yard touchdown run from Cole Pippenger to tie the game at 6 going into the half.  In the second half, Pippenger returned the opening kick 68 yards for a touchdown.  Ethan Hargrove hit the extra point kick to give the Raiders a 13 to 6 lead that they would carry into the 4th quarter.  Tullahoma rallied for a touchdown with 3:50 to go and added an insurance score with 1:29 to play to ice the win.  As Coffee County has done all year, the Raiders fought hard to the final whistle as they drove down to the 1 yard line before running out of time.

Pippenger led the team in rushing as he 100 yards on 13 carries.  Jackson Shemwell was 4 of 6 passing for 30 yards.   After the game, 4 members of the Red Raiders were named to the CTC All-Conference team.  Cole Pippenger, Jackson Shemwell, Blayne Myers and Jacob Barlow were voted to the squad by the conference coaches.

Download the broadcast at: www.thunder1320.com/downloads

The Westwood Middle School team opened their season on the road as they traveled to Woodbury to take on Cannon County.  The Rockets opened the season with a 22 to 6 win in a game we brought to you on Thunder Radio as a part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  We wrote about the win in a story we brought to you on August 9^th. 

The Westwood Middle School football team opened their 2019 season on Thursday night in Woodbury taking on Cannon County.   The Rockets scored touchdowns on their 3 possessions to get the season off on a winning note. Westwood outlasted the Lions 22 to 6.

After taking the opening kickoff, the Rockets capped off a 3 play, 60 yard drive with a 40 yard touchdown run by Jayden Carter.  Carter ran for the 2 point conversion to take an 8 to 0 lead.  Westwood forced a fumble on Cannon County’s 1st drive and capped off their 2nd drive with a 6 yard touchdown run by Brayden Dixon.  Carter added a 3rd touchdown on a 51 yard touchdown run late in the 2nd quarter and Dixon added the PAT to take a 22 to 0 lead.  Cannon County added a touchdown just before the half to make the score at intermission 22 to 6.

Westwood’s ball control offense had a 13 play drive taking 10 minutes off the clock as neither team found the endzone.  Westwood finished the game with 306 yards of total offense.  Carter finished with 223 yards rushing on 11 carries.  Dixon added 53 yards and Izick Sierra carried the ball 5 times for 48 yards.

The Rockets are back in action on Thursday in their 2019 home opener.  The Rockets will take on Eagleville at Dyer-Bouldin Field.  Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM.

Download the broadcast at: https://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

2019 began the Doug Greene era as head coach for the Coffee County CHS Red Raiders.  The year was highlighted by a pair of wins over Murfreesboro teams.   The Red Raiders broke a 15 year losing streak to the Rutherford County school s at Siegel on September 20^th.  Thunder Radio was on hnad to bring you the broadcast at summarized the win the next morning.

Big plays, timely defense, and poise under pressure was the perfect recipe for the Red Raider football team on Friday night as they rolled to a 42 to 36 win at Siegel.  In a game you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Raiders built a 21 point lead in the 4th quarter but had to recover a pair of onside kicks to stave off a late Siegel rally.  The win is the first for a Coffee County football team over a Rutherford County football team since 2004.

Blanton Brown got the Raiders on the board first with 6 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter when he intercepted a Siegel screen pass and rumbled 68 yards for a touchdown.  Felix Salinas hit the extra point to make it 7 to 0 Coffee County after one quarter.  Here is how it sounded on Thunder Radio:

After Siegel tied it, Coffee County marched down the field and scored with 1:22 left in the half as quarterback Matthew Pittman hit C. J. Anthony with a 13 yard touchdown pass.  Salinas drilled the extra point and the Raiders led 14 to 7 at the half.  Here is Dustin Murray with the TD call:

Coffee County and Siegel traded scores in the 3rd period as Pittman had a 7 yard touchdown run but the extra point was missed as Coffee County led 20 to 14 going into a wild 4th quarter that saw 6 touchdowns scored.  The Raiders went up 28 to 14 when Pittman rushed 22 yards for a touchdown then hit a fully prone Marshall Haney on the 2 point conversion pass.  Siegel matched that score with 9:47 left in the game to bring up a crucial kickoff.  Expecting an onside kick, Siegel kicked the ball deep and C.J. Anthony pulled it in at the 2 yard line.  Anthony raced toward the Siegel sideline and galloped 98 yards for the touchdown to put the momentum back in Coffee County’s hip pocket.  Here is how it sounded:

Marshall Haney tacked on an 11 yard touchdown run for the Raiders to make the score 42 to 21 with 6:20 left in the game.  Siegel added a pair of touchdowns, including one with 56 seconds remaining, but the Raiders recovered both onside kicks to control the clock and grab their first win of the year and the first win at Coffee County(in football) for head coach Doug Greene.

Pittman finished the game with 122 yards rushing on 15 carries and 2 touchdowns.  He was also 6 of 8 through the air for 111 yards and another touchdown as he was named the Mid Tenn Turf Most Valuable Player of the game.  Collin Ward caught 2 passes for 57 yards to lead the Raiders in receiving.  Haney had 58 yards rushing on 18 carries and a touchdown for Coffee County.  Kelvin Verge added an interception in the 4th quarter to shut down a promising Siegel drive.

Coffee County will be back at home on Friday night when they welcome Cookeville to Carden-Jarrell Field for Homecoming.  Opening kick is set for 7 PM, Thunder Radio will have exclusive coverage of the game beginning at 6 PM with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame Show, maintained by Premier Lawn Care.

Download the broadcast at:

1st Half – http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/coffee-county-at-siegel-first-half_149006

2nd Half – http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/coffee-county-at-siegel-second-half_149010

As 2019 draws to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at some of the highlights of year for the track teams at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle School. 

For the 28^th straight year, the Coffee County CHS track team qualified an athlete for the TSSAA State Meet.  On the journey to the state meet, the Raiders and Lady Raiders both claimed district team titles.  Thunder Radio reported on the District 8AAA Track Meet in a story we published on May 6^th.

The Coffee County CHS track team brought home a pair of district championships on Friday as they swept the team titles at the district meet in Tullahoma. The Lady Raiders held off Franklin County in the team points by a final score of 203 to 162. Tullahoma finished a distant 3rd with 100 points. The Red Raiders also defeated Franklin County 209 to 144. Tullahoma’s boys were close behind in 3rd with 136 points. Individual athletes and relay teams that finished in the top 4 will advance to the sectional meet at Rhea County on May 10th.

The Lady Raiders got a pair of 1/2/3 sweeps on the day in the high jump and pole vault. Macy Tabor collected a 1st place finish in the high jump at 5’ while Laura Bogard came in 2nd place and Chloe Haggard came in 3rd. In the pole vault, Haggard won the event followed by Makenzie Webb in 2nd place and Claire Bryant in 3rd. Additionally, all 4 relay teams advanced as the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800 teams all finished in 3rd place.

Other individual sectional qualifiers were:
Madison Rooker – 400M and Long Jump;
Patricia Barerra – 1600M and 3200M
Makenzie Webb – 3200M;
Ariana Hansen – 3200M;
Madison Hershman – Long Jump;
Ellie Graham – Triple Jump;
Claire Bryant – Triple Jump;
Carlie Barnes – Shot Put;
BriAnna Norton – Shot Put;

The Red Raiders got 1st place individual finishes from Jacob Rutledge in 3200M and 1600M, Renato Garcia in the 800M, Trace Bryant in the 300 hurdles and Kelvin Verge in the triple jump. All 4 relay teams advanced as well as the 4×400 team won their race while the 4×800 came in 3rd place and the 4×100 and 4×200 teams each came home 4th.

Other individual sectional qualifiers were:
Bodey Todd – 1600M and 3200M;
Trace Bryant – high jump and pole vault;
Ethan Welch – pole vault and discus;
Ethan Beaty – 400M;
Landon Kenney – 1600M;
Garrett Masters – 3200M;
Joshua Roberson – 300M hurdles;
Kelby Walker – triple jump;
Dillon Helms – pole vault;
John Dobson – high jump;

The Sectional Meet will take place on Friday, May 10th at Rhea County High School. Field events will get underway at 11 AM. The top 4 finishes in each event will advance to the TSSAA State Track Meet at MTSU on May 22nd thru May 24th.

See the full results at: https://tn.milesplit.com/meets/339297/results/650244/formatted#.XM9ucvlKjIU

The Coffee County Middle School qualified 3 athletes for the state meet highlighted by a 6^th place medal performance by Holli Hancock.  Thunder Radio reported on the state meet with the following story we brought to you on May 20^th.

Three Coffee County Middle School Lady Raider track athletes qualified for the 2019 TMSAA State Track Meet which was held on Saturday.  Competing at Fontana Stadium at Austin Peay State University, Holli Hancock, Jaylen Case and Kaitlyn Davis represented the Lady Raiders in the event featuring the top 16 qualifiers in 13 different events from across the state.  At the end of the day, Holli Hancock came home with the only medal of the day as she captured 6th place in the shot put.

Jaylen Case opened the day for the Lady Raiders in long jump.  Case got in 4 clean jumps as she added distance in each round.  Jaylen jumped 12′ 6.75″ in the first round and hit a distance of 12’11” in her 4th jump.  That jump was good enough to place her in 16th place overall.

Next up was the discus throw.  Holli Hancock was the lone competitor for the Lady Raiders.  Hancock got a safe toss in of 56′ 1″ on her first throw.  She upped her total on the next 2 throws topping out on her 3rd throw with a distance of 67’11”.  That toss was good enough for 11th place in the event.

The final event of the day was the shot put where Hancock and Kaitlyn Davis competed for the Lady Raiders.  Fouls were the story of the event as Davis fouled on her first attempt.  She rebounded to get 3 throws over 29 feet topping out at 30′ 3.5″ which was good enough for 11th place.  Hancock got off her best throw on her 1st toss as she ripped off a throw of 32 feet.  Fouls on her last 2 throws did not allow Hancock to improve her standing.  Hancock’s 32 foot throw was good enough to put her on the medal stand as she finished in 6th place.