Category: Sports

For the 2^nd year in a row, the Coffee County CHS basketball teams will open their season at home in a series of Hall of Champion games.  Twenty-three different teams from 14 different high schools will visit Manchester on Friday and Saturday for the 2 day event.  Twenty-two games will take place over the 2 day event with games at both Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle School. 

The Lady Raiders will play 4 games and the Red Raiders will play 3 games over the course of the weekend.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of Friday’s final 2 games from the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.  At 6:30 PM, we will have the Lady Raiders game with Siegel and at 7:45 PM we will broadcast the Red Raiders game with Valor Collegiate Academy of Nashville.  As always, you can hear the broadcasts at 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, AM 1320 and online at WMSRradio.com. 

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) host the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) this week in a late afternoon matchup. Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 24.

THE BROADCAST

The Titans Radio Network, including Thunder Radio, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells and gameday hosts Rhett Bryan and Jonathan Hutton.

TITANS AIM TO KEEP MOMENTUM THROUGH BYE

The Titans, who had a bye last week, were most recently in action on Nov. 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a memorable finish, the Titans achieved an improbable 35-32 victory.

After the Chiefs led by as many nine points in the fourth quarter, Titans wide receiver Adam Humphries scored the game-winning touchdown on a 23-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill with 23 seconds on the clock. Defensive back Joshua Kalu then preserved the Tennessee win by blocking a potential game-tying 52-yard field goal attempt by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker as time expired.

Tannehill has started the last four games for the Titans and is 3-1 in those contests. He has been credited with a game-winning drive in each of the wins, and his combined numbers in his four starts include 84-of-120 passing for 1,017 yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions and a 107.5 passer rating.

Meanwhile, running back Derrick Henry shared the spotlight with Tannehill by rushing for 188 yards and two scores. He registered the second-highest rushing yardage total of his career and the second-highest total of any NFL player in 2019—Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette is the only player with a bigger day (225 at Denver, Sept. 29).

The Titans and Jaguars are each hoping to keep pace in a tight AFC South race with a win. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are each 6-4 and knotted atop the division. They play Thursday night in Houston.

In their final six games, the Titans have three home games and three road trips. Four of the games are within the AFC South, including a visit to Indianapolis next week.

THE JAGUARS

Following a bye in Week 10, the Jaguars visited the Colts last week and fell by a final score of 33-13. QuarterbackNick Foles started his first game since the season opener and passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

Foles joined the Jaguars during the offseason as an unrestricted free agent from the Eagles. During the 2017 postseason, he earned Super Bowl LII MVP honors after leading Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

After Foles landed on injured reserve in Week 2, rookie Gardner Minshew started the next eight games, including the first Titans-Jaguars matchup on Sept. 19. The Jaguars won that game by a final score of 20-7.

The Jaguars are in their third full season under head coach Doug Marrone, who led the team to a division title in 2017.

ANNUAL COAT DRIVE

Fans attending Sunday’s game are encouraged to donate new and gently used coats or jackets for local homeless and domestic violence shelters. Volunteers will be accepting donations outside Nissan Stadium beginning two hours prior to kickoff. Coats and jackets of all sizes are appreciated. Since 2017, more than 1,200 coats have been given to eight local non-profit organizations that serve individuals in need of a warm coat during the winter months.

Nashville Soccer Club selected five players in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft on Tuesday as the club continues to build their roster ahead of their inaugural MLS home match on Feb. 29 against Atlanta United. Following the Expansion Draft, Nashville SC traded Zarek Valentin for Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis, and sent Brandon Vazquez to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. The club also added U.S. Men’s National Team defender Daniel Lovitz and Sporting KC promising goalkeeper Adrián Zendejas.

MLS Expansion Draft Summary:

1. ABU DANLADI
   Forward drafted from Minnesota United FC
   Selected by Minnesota United FC with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft ahead of the club’s inaugural season, Danladi is an exciting, young attacking player. He just completed his third season with Minnesota becoming a regular contributor with 69 appearances in all competitions (25 starts).

He scored eight goals in his rookie campaign and added three assists. After dealing with injuries during his 2018 season, he bounced back with 24 appearances in 2019 and helping the club reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final and the playoffs for the first time in the club’s brief history.

Danladi is originally from Ghana and graduated from the Right to Dream program, the same program that produced Nashville SC winger David Accam. He played his college soccer at UCLA.

1. ZAREK VALENTIN TRADED FOR JOE WILLIS
   Defender drafted from the Portland Timbers; traded to Houston Dynamo for Goalkeeper Joe Willis

Houston will receive an additional $75,000 in 2021 TAM if Willis meets certain performance-based metrics

1. JALIL ANIBABA
   Defender drafted from New England Revolution
   A proven veteran of the league, Anibaba has brought experience, leadership and success to the backline of the five MLS clubs he has served over the course of his 10-year career, reaching the MLS Playoffs with all of them. Having amassed a total of 229 matches in all competitions (209 as a starter), it was earlier this fall that the 31-year old defender reached his 200th career MLS start in a 2-0 playoff-clinching win over New York City FC on Sep. 29.

In addition to his MLS success, where he won the Supporters Shield with Seattle Sounders FC in 2014, Anibaba is also a back-to-back Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion and a three-time finalist (2011, 2014, 2015).

Internationally, Anibaba has represented the United States at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels. In 2007 he was a member of the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team that competed in the Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1. BRANDON VAZQUEZ
   Forward drafted from Atlanta United; traded to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money.

Nashville SC will receive an additional $50,000 in 2021 GAM if Vazquez meets certain performance-based metrics.

1. JIMMY MEDRANDA
   Defender drafted from Sporting KC
   Medranda, a seven-season MLS veteran, joined Sporting KC in August 2013 on loan from Deportivo Pereira (Colombia) the same year the club won the MLS Cup. He joined permanently six months later as a 20-year old.

Medranda continued his development throughout the next couple of years helping the club win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2015 and 2017.

A versatile player who can play as an outside back, a winger and in the central midfield, the Colombian has appeared in 103 matches for SKC in all competitions (66 starts).

The MLS trade window reopened upon the conclusion of the MLS Expansion and with that Nashville SC completed two transactions:

1. Nashville SC added U.S. Men’s National Team defender Daniel Lovitz from Montreal Impact in exchange for $50,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money, $50,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.

One of the most reliable left backs in the league and for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Lovitz became the first capped player joining from the Canadian side. A 2014 MLS SuperDraft pick by the Impact, he made his professional debut on May 17, 2014 against the Red Bulls. Since then, he has registered 125 matches (89 starts) in MLS between Toronto FC and the Impact.

Internationally, Lovitz made his international debut earlier this year in a friendly against Panama on Jan. 27 and has already accrued 12 caps (five starts) with the USMNT. Lovitz is currently with the National Team as they prepare to face Cuba at 6:30 p.m. tonight on FS1.

1. Nashville SC added Joe Willis in a trade that sent recently drafted from the Portland Timbers Zarek Valentin to Houston. The Dynamo’s first-choice keeper joins the club after nine MLS seasons and a total of 136 appearances (132 starts).

A Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion with both D.C. United (2013) and Houston Dynamo (2018), Willis has made the playoffs in three different occasions, twice with D.C. and one with Houston as they reached the 2017 Western Conference Final. His veteran presence in the backline will add immediate dependability to Nashville in its inaugural season. In CONCACAF Champions League action, Willis has had seven starts split between D.C. and Houston.

1. Nashville SC added promising goalkeeper Adrián Zendejas in exchange for $125,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money, $50,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.

Originally signed by Sporting KC’s USL Championship affiliate Swope Park Rangers in the side’s 2016 inaugural season, the 24-year old keeper has gone back and forth earning valuable playing minutes between the two leagues. The 6-foot, 5 inches tall player finally made his MLS debut at FC Cincinnati in 1-1 draw on April 7 after earning 54 USL Championship starts with SPR. He also started against Panamanian side Club Atlético Independiente in CONCACAF Champions League on Mar. 6, 2019.

Join Nashville SC in its inaugural season in MLS by becoming a Season Ticket Member here or by calling a club representative at 615-750-8800.

****NASHVILLE SC PLAYERS AS OF NOV. 19, 2019

The middle school swim teams of Coffee County and Westwood traveled to Sewanee on Saturday to compete in the Snowflake Invitational.  Competing in their biggest meet of the year, the Raider and Rocket swimmers faced their toughest competition of the year thus far.  At the end of the day, the Westwood team came home with a 7^th place finish in the team standings.  Coffee County finished in 8^th place. 

Westwood’s Abby Gilday had the highest individual finish for the Lady Rockets as she finished in 2^nd place in the 50 butterfly with a time of 35.19.  For the Rockets, Jack Stowe also grabbed a 2^nd place finish in the 200 IM as he posted a time of 2:56.23.  Stowe also grabbed 3^rd place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:12.23.

Coffee County’s Brayden Kesling had the highest individual finish Red Raiders as he finished in 1^st place in the 100 backstroke.  Emily Snider had the highest individual finish with an 8^th place finish in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:16.02

Becky Behrendorf, swim coach for the middle and high school teams will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast each Saturday morning at 10 AM from the showroom of AL White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast exclusively on Thunder Radio. 

The Temple Baptist Christian School basketball teams traveled to Shelbyville on Tuesday night to do battle with the rival Patriots of Victory Baptist Academy.  The junior varsity team(middle school age) opened the season with a 33 to 6 loss. The varsity Eagles fell by a final score of 47 to 14. 

In the JV game, the Eagles got off to an ice cold start as they fell behind 10 to 0 at the half.  Sam Floyd hit a field goal and a free throw in the 3^rd quarter while Jackson Wright added a 3 point basket.

In the varsity game, the Eagles got off to another ice cold start as they were held scoreless in the 1^st quarter.  Victory rushed out to a 27 to 0 lead and built the lead to 28 points by halftime.  Alex Gloden led Temple in scoring with 7 points.  Mich Gloden added 5 points as Temple fell to 3 and 3 on the season. 

The Eagle teams will return to the road on Friday night as they travel to Calhoun, Georgia.  Both the varsity and junior varsity will be in action as they tangle with Philadelphia Christian.  The JV game will tip off at 5 PM EST. 

Nick Bonino scored Nashville’s lone goal as the Predators fell to the Winnipeg Jets, 2-1, on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result pushes Nashville’s winless streak to five games, as they drop their first meeting of the season with their division rival.

Preds goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 23 shots on the night and the home team managed 39 shots at the Winnipeg net, but as was the case in Saturday’s loss, Nashville couldn’t get much to fall in their favor.

Under normal circumstances, a 2-1 loss wouldn’t necessarily elicit frustrated responses from the participants. However, considering their current situation, Tuesday’s result left another disappointing taste with the Predators.

“We’re in a results-oriented business,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “It’s about winning hockey games, and so you try to get better and move in the right direction. I think the guys for the most part did that. I thought we played the game the right way. It’s difficult because you come out on the wrong side of it.”

“I guess it’s a better overall effort, I thought we played hard the whole time, but we got no points,” Bonino said. “We need two points, and it doesn’t matter how hard we work or how good we played. They got two points and we didn’t. Especially these couple weeks where we’re playing division games, you just can’t have it.”

It only took the Jets 18 seconds to take a 1-0 lead, which came courtesy of Patrik Laine, and Nikolaj Ehlers gave the visitors a 2-0 advantage early in the second period. But before the stanza was out, Rocco Grimaldi made a slick feed in front to Bonino, and the Nashville centerman buried his ninth of the season, good enough to tie for the team lead in goals and get his club on the board.

The Predators put 16 more shots on Connor Hellebuyck in the final frame, but Bonino’s goal was as close as they came to finding at least a point in the standings.

“We talked about it this morning – very rarely do you do anything perfect in sports,” Laviolette said. “We were talking about the details of the game. You can’t be perfect with your game, but if you can be better on your details, if you can eliminate some of the problems that are going on the ice might give you a better opportunity to move forward and win hockey games, and I thought we did that. I didn’t think it was a reckless game… We had opportunities and looks, we couldn’t get it done again.”

There was plenty of dissatisfaction to go around in the immediate aftermath on Tuesday, but sulking won’t do the Predators any good. Instead, there’s nothing they can do but look forward to Thursday’s meeting with the Canucks, another chance to end the skid and get back to the team the Preds know they can be.

“When you’re in a bad stretch, you lose two, three, four or whatever in a row, you’ve just got to band together, stick together and come out of it,” Grimaldi said. “It’s actually good we’re going through this. It’s good that we’re going through this in November. Hopefully this is something that we can learn from and it can bond us together. It can grow us because there’s still a lot of season left, 55, 60 games or whatever. So, hopefully this is something that will bond us and bring us closer together as the year goes on.”

Notes:

Forward Kyle Turris, as well as defensemen Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber were scratched for the Preds against the Jets.

Forward Mathieu Olivier made his NHL debut on Tuesday night with the Predators and finished with one shot and three hits in 8:03 of ice time.

Defenseman Steven Santini made his Predators on Tuesday evening and recorded one shot and one hit in 9:03 of ice time.

Nashville’s three-game homestand concludes on Thursday night when the Vancouver Canucks come to town. The Predators then start a home-and-home set with the Blues in St. Louis on Saturday, before returning to Bridgestone Arena on Monday.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams returned home on Monday for a crucial conference doubleheader with West Tullahoma.  In a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Lady Raiders routed the Lady Bobcats 48 to 12.  The Red Raiders battled hard before falling 37 to 27.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders held West scoreless in the first half as they built a 35 to 0 lead at intermission.  Coffee County built the lead to 43 to 0 before West scored with 1:45 left in the 3rd quarter.  The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Olivia Vinson who had 24 points, including 22 in the first half.  Bella Lawson added 6 points as the Lady Raiders improved to 6 and 3 overall and 4 and 2 in conference play. 

In the boys’ game, West closed out the 1^st half on a 10 to 2 run to grab an 18 to 12 halftime lead.  In the 2^nd half, the Red Raiders cut the deficit to 2 points in the 3^rd period before West pulled away in the 4^th quarter for the win.  Coffee County was led in scoring by Ethan Hargrove who had 11 points.  Jackson Shemwell added 10 points and Cooper Reed finished with 4. 

Coffee Middle will travel to McMinnville on Thursday for a conference doubleheader against Warren County.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

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

The Westwood Middle School basketball teams traveled to McMinnville on Monday night for a conference doubleheader with Boyd Christian School.  Both Rocket teams kept their winning streaks alive as each team got impressive wins.  The Lady Rockets won 47 to 2 while the Rockets grabbed a 44 to 11 victory. 

In the girls’ game, the Lady Rockets held the Lady Broncos scoreless in the 1^st half as they built a 37 to 0 lead.  Boyd was held to a pair of free throws in the second half.  Eleven different Lady Rockets scored in the game led by Remi Benjamin who had 8 points.  Leonor Moreno, Princess Penaloza and Keena Seivers all finished with 6 points while Audi Patton added 5 points.  Westwood is now 8 and 0 on the year and 5 and 0 in conference play. 

After a tight 1^st quarter in the boys’ game, the Rockets outscored the Bronco 15 to 1 in the 2^nd quarter to take a 26 to 8 lead into the half.  Westwood emptied their bench in the 4^th quarter as they held Boyd scoreless in the final 6 minutes.  Jayden Carter led the Rockets in scoring with 24 points.  Skyler Stinson added 6 points and Jaiden Warren chipped in 4 as the Rockets improved to 7 to 1 and 6 and 0 in conference play. 

Westwood will be off until after the Thanksgiving holiday.  They return to the Joel Vinson Gym on Monday, December 2^nd when they host Centertown.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you that broadcast as part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Opening tip is set for 6 PM. 

The Coffee County CHS freshmen basketball teams opened their season on Monday as they welcomed Warren County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.  The Lady Raiders dropped a hard fought 37 to 28 decision.   The Red Raiders rallied in the 2^nd half to grab a 42 to 36 win.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders fell behind early as they trailed by 11 points in the 1^st quarter.  Coffee County rallied to tie the game at 23 with 35 seconds left in the half.  In the 2^nd half, the 2 teams traded the lead back and forth before Warren County pulled away in the final 6 minutes.  The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Nia Sheffield who had 9 points.  Maggie Crouch and Holli Hancock each chipped in 5 points for Coffee County. 

In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders trailed most of first half but Warren County could not gain any separation.  Coffee County used a 4 point play with 3:35 to go in the game to break a tie at 33 and gain a lead they would not give up.  The Raiders were led in scoring by Hayden Collins who had 12 points.  Dane Crosslin and Jacob Holder each netted 11 points in the win. 

The freshmen teams will be back in action on Monday, December 16^th when they travel to Sparta to take on White County.  The girls’ game tips off at 6 PM. 

Story by MYFL President Lawrence Phillips

After a long delay the three SMTYFA Manchester Red Raiders teams finally got to play for the SMTYFA titles on Saturday at Bobby Ray Elementary in McMinnville.

The 2019 season began with Manchester and nine other SMTYFA member communities Columbia, Liberty, Shelbyville, Franklin County, Giles County, Fayetteville, Marshall Co and Warren County. Manchester took the measure of all but one of those.

The Division 1 (5-6-7 year olds) went not only undefeated but did not allow a single point in the Jamboree, regular season, Playoffs or Super Bowl, wrapping up the season with 12 “Big” wins, average margin of victory 38 points, and the SMTYFA Championship.

In the Super Bowl win on Saturday Karson Wimley and Avery Hodges scored twice each. Kayleb Morris and Hayes Shemwell added a touchdown each. Macc Chappin and Morris added two extra points each as the Manchester Red Raiders defeated the Franklin County Rebels.

Manchester 40 Franklin County 0

The Division 1 Red Raiders will be guests on the Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday, November 30th. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln. The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.

The Division 2 (8-9 year olds) went into the Super Bowl on Saturday with a 10-1 record including Jamboree and Playoff wins with the lone loss being to Shelbyville.

Levi Scott lead the team with two touchdowns and an extra point. However the championship slipped from the Raiders hands as the Shelbyville Golden Eagles broke two big runs late in the game to take the victory.

Manchester 13 Shelbyville 24

The undefeated Division 3 (10-12 year olds) took their 11-0 record including Jamboree and Playoff wins into the Super Bowl against the one loss Shelbyville Golden Eagles, that loss coming at the hands of the Raiders back in week two of the season. Shelbyville took the 21-14 loss hard and followed it up by obliterating every team they faced by an average of 56 points with no further points allowed. Meanwhile, the Raiders in similar fashion, averaging a scoring margin of 43 points per game only allowed an additional 7 points to Fayetteville.

Manchester 11-0 and Shelbyville 10-1 both having allowed only 21 points for the season rematched in the Championship game on Saturday. Manchester began the scoring with a big run by Caiden Martin which set up goal to go. Kaysen Lowery then passed to Tyler Martin for the score. The extra point was unsuccessful. Raiders lead 6-0. Shelbyville scored on a breakaway by Robert Lentz. The extra point was no good. Manchester 6 Shelbyville 6. Lentz scored again and again the extra point was stopped by the Raiders. Shelbyville 12 Manchester 6. The Raiders Caiden Martin punched in another score right before the end of the first half to make it a 12-12 tie at halftime. The Raiders kicked off to start the second half and the kick was fielded by Lentz who retuned the ball 65 yards for the go ahead score. The extra point failed. Eagles 18 Manchester 12. The defenses for both sides stiffened for the rest of the game which ended late in the 4th with another Caiden Martin touchdown. Raiders 18 Eagles 18. The Eagles then mounted a drive that appeared as though they would steal the game from the Raiders by punching in the late score but the Raiders defense rose to the occasion and caused a fumble which Raiders Jett Trussler recovered. The following series was unsuccessful and the Raiders had to give the Eagles one more chance on offense. Again the Raiders defense saved the day by stopping the Eagles short as time expired and they headed into Overtime tied at 18-18. Shelbyville took the ball on the 10 yard line to start overtime. The Raiders received an offsides penalty to move the ball to the 5 and Shelbyville put the ball in the hands of their big scorer Lentz. The Raiders swarmed Lentz on next three plays driving the Eagles backwards. On the fourth down play the Raiders brought out an all out blitz and stopped the Eagles in their tracks. With the unsuccessful attempt it was now the Raiders chance to pull out the win. Raiders quarterback Lowery tossed the ball over his shoulder to Caiden Martin who would not be denied breaking through the Shelbyville defense and into the end zone for the win.

Manchester 24 Shelbyville 18

The Division 3 Red Raiders will be guests on the Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday, November 23rd. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln. The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.

MYFL would like to give a big Thanks to Thunder Radio for allowing us the use of this medium and also for the radio appearances on the Coffee Coaches show to share our stories with it’s followers.

The coaches, players and parents of the MYFL teams of the SMTYFA and TCYFL associations really appreciate Thunder’s acknowledgement of their contributions to youth football and cheerleading.