Category: Sports

P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators [Photo by nhl.com]

Preds center Ryan Johansen whacked home the tying goal at 18:44 of the third, but Dylan Larkin cut to the slot and won the game for the Red Wings at 4:34 of overtime. The contest ends Nashville’s two-game win streak with a less than desirable result as the team begins a season-long, six-game road trip.

“Awful,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of his team’s performance. “We lost every 50-50 puck battle. Our goaltender was incredible tonight, the way he played the game. We had three or four guys that showed up to compete on some pucks, and we had 15 that didn’t. You’re never going to win that way. It’s impossible. It’s very, very, very disappointing how soft we were.”

Goaltender Pekka Rinne kep his club in the game, but the positive of a point in the standings and a three-game point streak is only a small amount of solace following a frustratingly inconsistent effort from the Predators which they say cost them a victory.

“It just wasn’t good enough tonight,” Johansen said. “We took two steps in the right direction and took a step back tonight… Pekka gave us a chance, and it’s hard to win on the road. The good thing is we play again tomorrow night, and hopefully we can come away with a game that we’re proud of.”

It took the Preds the majority of the opening period until they registered their first shot on goal, but it was P.K. Subban who struck in the final three minutes of the frame for his first since returning from injury to give his club a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Just three minutes into the middle stanza, Craig Smith scored his second in as many games when he roofed a shot past Jimmy Howard for a 2-0 lead. But, goals from Andreas Athanasiou and Thomas Vanek saw Detroit even the score as the period went along.

Predators defenseman Anthony Bitetto countered shortly after the Wings made it 2-2, but the marker was called back for goaltender interference, and the teams entered the third period tied.

Detroit took the lead in the third on a goal from Tyler Bertuzzi, and Johansen’s late tally forced OT to give Nashville their 51st point in the standings before Larkin ended it.

“It was the same throughout the entire game,” Laviolette said of the effort. “Pekka, I mean, I can’t even count the amount of times we left him with nothing in front of him. Terrible.”

Nashville won’t have much time to dwell on the loss as they prepare to face the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday night (at 6 p.m. CT), a chance to erase this one from the memory bank.

“The biggest [thing we need to change] is the start of the game,” Johansen said. “Make sure we’re ready, and not just to go out and have a solid start, but to dominate and set the tone for the game.”

Notes:

Forward Phillip Di Giuseppe made his Nashville debut on Friday night, registering two shots, three hits and three blocked shots in 11:48 of ice time.

Preds forward Miikka Salomaki left Friday’s game after taking a hard it along the boards and did not return.

Nashville’s trip continues on Saturday night in Montreal as P.K. Subban and Shea Weber face off at the Bell Centre. Next week, it’s onto Toronto, Chicago and Columbus before finishing in Carolina a week from Sunday.

Abby Morgan of CHS basketball

After getting a pair of wins in early December over Warren County, Coffee County traveled to McMinnville on Thursday night to take on non-district rival Warren County looking for the season sweep.  The Lady Raiders had their hands full but escaped with a 42 to 35 win.  The Red Raiders led from start to finish as they pounded the Pioneers 74 to 40.

It was a nip and tuck battle through 3 quarters of the girls’ game.  Coffee County led by 2 points entering the final 8 minutes.  The Lady Raiders opened the 4^th quarter on a 10 to 3 run which seemed to take the fight out of the Lady Pioneers.  Abby Morgan led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 17 points, including 6 in the final period to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Bella Vinson also finished in double figures with 11 while Jacey Vaughn netted 6.

Darius Rozier of Coffee County CHS basketball

The Red Raiders got off to a 15 to 0 run in the boys’ game and coasted to the non-district win.  Leading by 13 at the half, Coffee County opened the 2^nd half on a 16 to 7 run to but the game out of reach.  Twelve different Red Raiders scored in the game led by Darius Rozier who finished with 20.  Kyle Farless added 12 points and Andrew Mahaffey netted 9.  Rozier and Farless were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.

Coffee County returns to district action on Friday when they travel to Fayetteville to take on Lincoln County.  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you live coverage beginning with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental pregame show at 5:50.

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

Brett Francis of Coffee County CHS wrestling

The Coffee County CHS wrestling team welcomed Columbia and Whitwell to their home “Dojo” at the Raider Academy for a tri-match on Thursday.  The Raider grapplers got 2019 off to a 1 and 1 start as they split the 2 matches.  Coffee County crushed Columbia 72 to 0 while falling to Whitwell 57 to 19.

Against district foe Columbia, Coffee County got pinfall wins from Hunter Waring(132 pound class), Devin Judge(152), Reynaldo Reyes(182), Christopher Speagle(220) and Brett Francis(120).  Getting forfeit wins were Gavin Prater(138), Dakota Chalker(160), Jacob Phillips(170), Cardin Stump(285), Gabriel Westbrook(106) and Hunter Massey(113)

Against Whitwell, Coffee County got decision wins at 113 by Hunter Massey(7 to 3) and at 120 pounds by Brett Francis(11 to 2).  The Red Raiders also claimed forfeit wins by Jacob Phillips(170) and Christopher Speagle(220).

Coffee County returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Smyrna to take part on the Redhawk Rampage Individual Tournament at Stewarts Creek.  Weigh-ins begin at 9 AM with the first match scheduled to get underway around 10.

Olivia Vinson of CCMS basketball

The Coffee County Middle School basketball team began the stretch run on Thursday night welcoming Warren County to the CCMS gym.  With 4 conference games left before the CTC postseason tournament begins on the 21^st, both Raider teams are needing wins to improve their playoff positioning.  The Lady Raiders powered their way to a 43 to 16 win.  The Red Raiders stumbled in the 2^nd half as they fell 44 to 33.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders held the Lady Pioneers to single digits in all 4 quarters and they rolled to the convincing victory.  Coffee Middle’s Chloe Gannon poured in 21 points to lead all scorers.  Olivia Vinson and Alivia Reel each netted 7 points and Aleaya Barnes added 4 points.

Hayden Garr of CCMS basketball

In the boys’ game, Coffee County and Warren County started out slow in the 1^st quarter and moved into the halftime break tied at 20.  In the 2^nd half, Warren County held the Raiders to single digits in both the 3^rd and 4^th quarters to drop Coffee Middle.  The Red Raiders were led in scoring by Hayden Garr who had 13 points.  Jacob Holder finished with 11 points and Ethan Hargrove added 5.

The Raiders and Lady Raiders will have their final non-conference game on Monday as they play host to Cannon County.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

Two of the most popular Preds are heading to the West Coast for the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend.

Predators Captain Roman Josi and goaltender Pekka Rinne have been named 2019 NHL All-Stars by the League, giving the Predators two participants in the mid-season event set for Jan. 25-26 in San Jose, California.

Both Rinne and Josi have played integral roles in guiding the Predators to the 50-point mark through 41 games this season, and now they’ll get yet another chance to make Nashville proud on a national stage.

For the defending Vezina Trophy winner as the League’s top goaltender, it’s the fourth All-Star selection overall, all of which have come in the past five seasons. Rinne’s first came in 2015, but he did not participate due to injury. Since then, he’s only missed out on the 2017 version, consistently slotting among the top netminders in the game as he gets older.

Now 36, Rinne is having another Vezina-like season thus far, tied for first in goals-against average (2.25), tied for seventh in wins (15) and eighth in save percentage (.920) among goalies who have played at least 20 games at the start of the new year.

Josi will be making his second NHL All-Star appearance, the first of which came in 2016 when Nashville hosted the festivities. Josi has tallied 18 points – two goals and 16 assists – in his last 23 games, and he sits second on the Preds and first among team defensemen in points with 29 (7g-22a).

Entering action on New Year’s Day, Josi was tied for sixth in goals (7), tied for ninth in points (29) and tied for 11th in assists (22) among all League blueliners.

The 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend will once again consist of a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, featuring four teams – one for each NHL division.

The head coach of the NHL team with the highest points percentage (points earned divided by total possible points) in each of the four divisions at the halfway point of the regular season will guide the respective All-Star rosters.

The 2019 NHL All-Star Skills will take place on Friday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. CT on NBCSN, and the 2019 NHL All-Star Game commences on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.

More information on 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend will be available in the days and weeks to come, and be sure to stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com for full coverage from San Jose.

Local sports teams get cranked up on Thursday in the first day of competition for 2019.

The Coffee County CHS wrestling team will hit the mat on Thursday night as they welcome Columbia and Whitwell to their home “Dojo” at the Raider Academy for a tri-match.  Weigh-ins begin at 5 PM with the first match scheduled to get underway at 6 PM.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball team begins the stretch run as they return to the court on Thursday night hosting Warren County at the CCMS gym.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

And the Coffee County CHS basketball team travels to McMinnville on Thursday night for a pair of games with Warren County.  On Friday, the Raiders and Lady Raiders travel to Fayetteville as they return to district play against Lincoln County.  The girls’ game each night will tip off at 6 PM.  Thunder Radio will be on hand for both contests as we begin live coverage with the Powers’ Storage Pregame Show at 5:50.

As 2018 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 the year for the girls’ basketball squads at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle.

The Westwood Lady Rockets got a thrilling overtime win over Forrest in November in a game we brought to you on Thunder Radio.  Maddie Sullivan hit a pair of free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the win in a story we published on November 6^th.

Maddie Sullivan of Westwood basketball

The Westwood basketball teams welcomed Forrest to the Joel Vinson Gym on Monday night.  In a pair of games that you heard here on our Thunder Radio app, the Rocket teams fought to a split on the night.  The Lady Rockets won 32 to 27 in overtime while the Rockets lost 44 to 24.

In the girls’ game, Maddie Sullivan hit 2 free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime.  Anna Johnson finished the game with 18 points, including 9 in the 4th quarter and overtime.  Allie Sullivan added 5 points while Leonor Moreno and Maddie Sullivan each had 4 points.  Johnson and Maddie Sullivan were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.

Turnovers doomed the Rockets as Forrest rolled to the conference win over Westwood.  After playing Forrest tight in the 1st quarter, Forrest pulled away in the final 3 quarters.  Westwood trailed by 1 point entering the 2nd quarter only to be outscored 24 to 7 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.  Brayden Dixon led Westwood in scoring with 5 points.   Caiden Warren added 4 points off the bench to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.

Westwood hits the road on Thursday night when they travel to Murfreesboro to tangle with the Cougars of Middle Tennessee Christian.  Lucky Knott will be on hand to bring you the broadcast as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM, the pregame show will begin at 5:50 here on Thunder.

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

The Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School captured their 3^rd conference title in 4 years in January as they beat North Franklin in the finals.  Thunder Radio brought you the championship recap in a story we published on January 29^th.

CTC champion Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School. [Photo by Demarco Moore – Manchester Times]

The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 16 to 4 lead in the 1st quarter to effectively take North out of contention early.  The Lady Raider defense was able to force the Lady Gators into turnovers as they built the lead to 13 at the half and 16 entering the 4th quarter.  The Lady Raiders were 13 of 16 at the free throw line to hold off a late charge by North to run their record to 19 and 3 on the year.

Marley Perry poured in 33 points on the night in perhaps the most incredible performance of her career.  Kiya Ferrell added 9 points while Aly Harris finished with 5 points and Alyssa McClanahan and Alivia Reel each chipped in 4 points.  Following the tournament, Perry, Ferrell, Harris and McClanahan were named to the All-Conference team.  For the Red Raiders, Connor Shemwell and Aiden Abellana also were selected for the All-Conference team.

Both Raider teams will now advance to the sub-sectional on Monday night.  The Lady Raiders will host Whitworth-Buchanan at 5 PM.  The Red Raiders travel to LaVergne Middle for a 5 PM game.  Monday night’s winners will advance to the TMSAA state sectional tournament to be held in Shelbyville later this week.

The Coffee County Lady Raiders captured the regular season District 8 title last February on Senior Night.  This was the first district title for Lady Raider basketball since 1996.  Thunder Radio brought you the broadcast and gave you a recap in a story we published on February 9^th.

The Coffee County Lady Raiders celebrate with Coach Joe Pat Cope following the win as they sewed up the 1st regular season district title since 1996. [Photo provided by Amy Morgan]

The Lady Raiders played another close, nail-biter with the Eaglettes.  After a series of scoring runs by each team in the first half, Coffee County took a 4 point lead into the dressing room at halftime.  The Lady Raiders built the lead to 8 points with 2 minutes left in the 3rd period only to see Shelbyville rally to take a 2 point lead with 3 minutes left in the game.   The Lady Raiders cranked up the defense and captured the 2 point lead with 20 seconds left on a basket from Alliyah Williams.  Williams also got a steal with 3 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Williams, a senior, finished with 14 points leading the Lady Raiders as she earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  The Lady Raiders improved to 23 and 2 overall and 10 and 1 in district play.

The Red Raiders got off to another lightning fast start as they opened up a 16 to 3 lead in the first quarter.  Coffee County pushed that lead to 23 at the half and 30 in the 4th quarter before substituting out the seniors to a thunderous ovation.

Garrett Booth led the Raiders in scoring with 21 points including four 3 pointers to earn the Crazy Daisies player of the game honor.   De’Aaron Rozier had 14 points and Grey Riddle had 9 points as 9 different Red Raiders scored on the night.

Coffee County will hit the road on Saturday night as they travel to Winchester to take on Franklin County in the regular season finale.  The Red Raiders will need a win to sew up 3rd place in the district and an automatic region berth.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.  Thunder Radio begins live coverage with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental Pregame Show at 5:50.

Download the broadcast of the games at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

As 2018 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 the year for the boys’ basketball squads at Coffee County CHS, Temple Baptist Christian School, Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle.

The Westwood Rockets got a huge 4^th quarter in November to capture a win over Liberty in a game we brought to you on Thunder Radio.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the win in a story we published on November 2^nd.

Jayden Carter of Westwood basketball

The Westwood basketball teams welcomed Liberty to the Joel Vinson Gym on Thursday night. In a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Westwood cagers captured a conference sweep.  The Lady Rockets pulled away in the 2nd half to claim a 47 to 19 win and the Rockets used a strong 4th quarter to capture a 24 to 18 win.

In the girls’ game, Westwood built an 11 to 4 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 5 point scoring explosion in the final 30 seconds of the period.  Liberty tied the game at 14 headed to the half and hit a 3 pointer to start the 2nd half to take their only lead of the game.  The Lady Rocket pressure defense gave the Lady Patriots fits in the 2nd half as they outscored Liberty 31 to 2 in the final 11 and a half minutes of the game to get the win.  Bryleigh Gray and Leonor Moreno led Westwood in scoring with 10 points apiece.  Anna Johnson finished with 9 points and Allie Sullivan had 8 points off the bench.  Moreno captured the Crazy Daisies player of the game award.

The Rockets and Patriots squared off in a hard fought, physical contest.  Neither team could get more than a 2 point lead in the back and forth affair until the 4th quarter.  In the final frame, Jayden Carter exploded for 8 points as the Rockets pulled away for their first win of the year.  Carter finished with a team high 15 points to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Brayden Dixon added 3 points in the conference win.

Westwood is back at home on Monday when they play host to Forrest.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the streaming broadcast of that game as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Tipoff is set for 6 PM and you can hear Lucky Knott on the call on the Thunder Radio app or streaming at WMSRradio.com.

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

The Red Raiders of Coffee County Middle School opened the 2018-2019 season with a pair of wins including a stunning victory over White County in Sparta.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the White County win in a story we published on November 6^th.

Dayne Crosslin of CCMS basketball[file photo]

In the girls’ game, Coffee County trailed at the half 11 to 10.  Unfortunately, White County outscored the Lady Raiders 15 to 0 in the 3rd quarter to race to the conference win.  Coffee Middle was led in scoring by Chloe Gannon who had 6 points.  Olivia Vinson added 4 points in the conference loss.

In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders rallied from a 9 point halftime deficit to get the win.  Coffee County outscored the Warriors 33 to 17 in the 2nd half to capture their 2nd straight conference win to start the season.  Coffee County was led in scoring by Dayne Crosslin who had 19 points, all of them in the 2nd half.  Crosslin hit 5 three pointers on the night to spark the comeback.  Jacob Holder added 13 points and Ethan Hargrove chipped in 9 points.

Both Raider teams will travel to Rutherford County on Tuesday night to compete in the Rockvale tournament.  The Lady Raiders will square off against Oakland at 4 PM.  The Red Raiders will also take on Oakland immediately following the girls’ game.  Second round action will take place on Thursday and the finals are scheduled for Saturday.  All the games will be held at Rockvale Middle School.

The Temple Baptist Christian School broke an 8 year losing streak to their closest rival, Victory Baptist Academy on November 13^th in Shelbyville.  Thunder Radio brought you the news of that victory in a story we published on November 14^th.

Cody Swayze of Temple Baptist Christian School basketball

The Temple Baptist Christian School basketball team made the short trip to Shelbyville on Tuesday night to take on their closest rival Victory Baptist Academy.  Breaking an 8 year losing streak to the Patriots, Temple got a 51 point performance from Cody Swayze in a 79 to 70 win.   The JV team lost by a score of 68 to 20.

In the varsity game, Victory stormed out to an early lead before Temple charged back to tie the game at the half at 36.  Trailing by 4 entering the 4th quarter, the Eagle outscored the Patriots 26 to 13 in the final frame to capture the win.  Swayze poured in 20 of his game high 51 points in the 4th to power the Eagle comeback.  Sam Floyd added 8 points while Mich Gloden and Trace Woodard each scored 7 for Temple.

In the JV game, Victory outscored Temple 21 to 2 in the 2nd quarter to seize control of the game.  Alex Gloden was the leading scorer for Temple as he had 13 points.  Sam Floyd added 5 points and Nathan Baker chipped in 2 points.

Temple will return home on Thursday night for a special Senior Night event.  The Lady Eagle volleyball team and the Eagle basketball team will both be in action on Thursday night at the E.C. Bailey Gym.  Landmark Christian Academy of Louisville will be the opponent for each team.  The Lady Eagle volleyball team will take on Landmark at 4:30 PM followed by the Senior Night ceremony.  Following the Senior Night program, the Eagles will square off against Landmark in a varsity basketball contest.

The Coffee County Red Raiders opened the2018-2019 season winning their first 5 games, including a huge road win at Lawrence County and a come from behind overtime win over Warren County.   Thunder Radio brought you the broadcast and gave you a recap of the Warren County win in a story we published on December 5^th.

Harley Hinshaw of Coffee County CHS basketball

Coffee County welcomed Highway 55 rival Warren County to the packed Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Tuesday.  In a pair of tough, physical games, the Raiders and Lady Raiders battled their way to a sweep of their closest non-district rival.  The Lady Raiders had their hands full with the Lady Pioneers before grabbing a 65 to 44 win.  The Red Raiders rallied from a 4th quarter deficit to gut out a 61 to 55 win in overtime.

After a sluggish start, the Lady Raiders outscored the Lady Pioneers 20 to 7 in an 8 minute stretch of the first half to open up some breathing room.  After Warren County cut the lead to 12 entering the 4th quarter, the Lady Raiders pulled away late to get the 21 point win.  Nine different Lady Raiders scored on the night as Abby Morgan led Coffee County in scoring with 20 points to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Bella Vinson added 12 points and Jacey Vaughn chipped in 9.  The Lady Raiders ran their record to 9 and 0 with the win.

Sluggish starts in both halves put the Red Raiders in holes but after getting outscored 17 to 2 in the 3rd quarter, it appeared Coffee County would suffer its first loss of the year.  The Red Raiders erased a 7 point 4th quarter deficit to force overtime and then dominated in the overtime period.  Coffee County hit 31 free throws in the physical contest but maintained their composure down the stretch to improve to 5 and 0 on the year.  Darius Rozier led the Raiders in scoring with 17 points, including 9 free throws, as he earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game award.  Harley Hinshaw netted 13 points and Andrew Mahaffey chipped in 11.

Coffee County returns to district action on Friday when they travel to Columbia to take on the Lions.  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you live coverage from Columbia Central High School.  We begin our live coverage with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental pregame show at 5:50.

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

As 2018 has drawn 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 Coffee County CHS wrestling team.  2018 marked the first ever appearance of a CHS female wrestler to medal at the state tournament in February.  Coffee County senior wrestler Alicean Stottlemyer closed out her career with a 4^th place finish at the state meet and Thunder Radio reported on the historic performance in a story we brought to you on February 19^th

Alicean Stottlemyer of Coffee County wrestling

Coffee County senior wrestler Alicean Stottlemyer became the first Lady Raider wrestler to earn a medal on Saturday at the TSSAA State Wrestling Championships in Franklin.  Stottlemyer is also the first Lady Raider wrestler to qualify for the state meet.  Stottlemyer advanced to the medal round with a win in the first round of the consolation bracket on Friday.  Stottlemyer finished the tournament twith a record of 2 and 2 to capture a 4th place finish.

Opening up on Friday against the top ranked wrestler in the state, Stottlemyer was pinned in the 1st round.  Alicean rebounded to capture a 2nd round pin on Friday afternoon to advance to Saturday’s medal round.  Stottlemyer captured her second straight pin on Saturday morning in the first round setting up a battle for 3rd place on Saturday afternoon.

In the consolation bracket finals, Alicean squared off against Abigail Vance of West Creek.  Stottlemyer controlled much of the match and nearly scored a pin against Vance.  Stottlemyer ended up losing a heart-breaking 3 to 2 decision to settle for 4th place.  The medal finish is the highest finish for any Coffee County wrestler at the state championship.

As 2018 has drawn 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 the year for the prep swim programs at the high school and middle school level.

Three CHS Red Raider swimmers competed at the Tennessee Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (TISCA) state meet in Knoxville as they posted the best finish in program history.  Thunder Radio reported on the state meet in a story we brought to you on February 12^th

CHS swim team in Knoxville for the state meet(left to right) Coach Mike Ray, Anna O’Connor, Jack Beachboard, Kaylee Williams, head coach Lana Ray) [Photo used with permission]

Anna O’Connor competed in the 100 yard butterfly and the 100 yard backstroke.  On Friday, O’Connor swam the preliminary in the butterfly.  O’Connor posted a time of 1:06.09 which was 9 hundredths of a second off a personal best time.  That result was good enough for 63rd place.  Anna came back on Saturday in the 100 backstroke and smashed her personal best by 2.47 seconds as she placed 44th with a time of 1:05.04.

Kaylee Williams competed in the 200 yard Individual Medley(IM) and the 100 yard breaststroke.  On Friday, Williams missed a new personal best in the 200 yard IM as she finished in 41st place with a time of 2:23.03.  The 41st place finish was the highest finish for a Lady Raider swimmer in the state meet.  On Saturday, Williams eclipsed that school record and her personal best time in the 100 yard breaststroke.  Williams posted a time of 1:09.98(1.36 seconds better than her personal best) as she placed 22nd in the state at that distance.  Both Saturday results are new school records.

Jack Beachboard competed in the 200 IM and the 100 yard breaststroke.  Beachboard, already the highest decorated swimmer in CHS Swim history, just missed advancing to the finals on Friday in the IM as he placed 17th overall.  Beachboard’s time of 2:00.64 was a new personal best as he shaved more than a half a second off his own school record time.  Beachboard’s  17th place finish in the event  is the highest finish in Coffee County CHS swim history.   On Saturday, Jack was just above his personal best in the 100 yard breaststroke as he posted a time of 1:10.48.  This was good enough for 22nd place which is the 2nd highest finish in school history.

All 3 swimmers, plus coaches Lana and Mike Ray will be guests on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the season.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each and every Saturday morning beginning at 10 AM at Al White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.

Starting with this school year, the middle school swimmers have divided up into their respective schools.  Five middle school swimmers, competing as a combined middle school team last year, advanced to the Region Swim Meet in Nashville.  Thunder Radio brought you those results is a story we brought to you on January 29^th.

Members of the middle school swimmers for Coffee County at the region meet on Saturday. Left to right are Emily Williams, Kennedy Norman-Young, Taylor Wall, Aly Hutchins and William Tobitt[Phptp provided]

Norman-Young, Wall, Hutchings and Williams teamed up to place 14th in the 400M freestyle relay and 16th in the 200 freestyle relay.   The 200 relay team broke their season record by 16 seconds and the school record by 8 seconds as they swam the event in 2:10.50. Their 400 relay time of 5:13.18 also set a new school record.

Kennedy Norman-Young advanced to the finals in the 50 freeestyle.  Her finals time of 28.36 was a new personal best at that distance.  Her finish was also good enough to capture 9th place.  Kennedy also finished in 17th place in the 100 breaststroke with a new personal best of 1:26.46 which was just short of advancing to the finals.

William Tobitt reached the finals heat in the 100 freestyle as he finished 9th with a new personal record time of 56.77.  He also finished 17th in his preliminary heat of the 50 freestyle with a time 26.44.

Emily Williams captured 16th place in the finals of the 200 freestyle as she cut 4.61 seconds off her preliminary heat time.  Williams finished the race in 2:20.84.  Emily also finished in 21st place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:29.52.

Aly Hutchings competed in the 50 freestyle and posted a time on 33.27. She also posted a time of 1:25.50 in the 100 freestyle.

Taylor Wall posted a new personal best in the 50 freestyle with a time of 33.87.  Wall also competed in the 100 backstroke finishing in a time of 1:28.45