Category: Sports

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 some of the highlights of year for the boys’ soccer teams at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County and Westwood middle schools.

The highlight of the year had to be the exciting conference championship won by the Westwood Rockets on penalty kicks.  Thunder Radio was on hand to bring you the story, including video of the championship winning kick, in a story we published on April 23^rd:

Dynasty!

For the 4th year in a row, the Westwood Middle School soccer team claimed the Central Tennessee Soccer Conference title.  The Rockets nailed down the iconic feat with a thrilling 1 to 0 decision over St. Andrews-Sewanee on Saturday at Dyer-Bouldin Field in a match that was decided by a shootout.

After a scoreless 60 minutes of regulation soccer, the two teams battled through a 10 minutes of extra time without a score.  Westwood controlled possession in extra time but were unable to get a quality shot on frame as 5 shot attempts sailed high or wide.

In the penalty kick round, the Rockets’ John Martinez, Keiton Sherrill, Nico Sanfilipo and Kevin Perigrino all nailed their shots; matched by the first 4 shooters of the Mountain Lions. In the 5th round, the St. Andrews’ kicker missed in his attempt to go high left leaving the match and the title on Tucker Brown’s foot.  Brown bent a shot to the low left past the diving Lions’ keeper for the win.

Check out the game-winning shot in a video HERE

The Coffee County Middle School soccer team enjoyed a resurgence of fortunes in 2018 with a young roster and a pair of new coaches.  One of the highlights for the young Raiders was a dominant conference win over North Franklin on April 3rd.  Thunder Radio reported on the win with the following story:

The Coffee County Middle School soccer team welcomed North Franklin to CCMS on Tuesday.   Having not played since March 15th, the Red Raiders were able to shake off a brutal loss in their last game.  The Raiders used five 1st half goals to roll to a 7 to 2 conference win.

Two goals in the first 10 minutes allowed the Raiders to get control of the match early.  Coffee Middle added 3 more 1st half goals to lead 5 nil at intermission.  The teams traded a pair of goals each in the 2nd half.  Javier Rodriquez scored 4 goals, Reuben Alvarez and Jamie Norris each added a single goal and Coffee County also got the benefit of an own goal by North Franklin.  Coffee County also won the JV game 4 to 0 as Norris added 3 goals and Alex Prater added the other goal.  The win evens the Raiders conference record at 2 and 2.

Coffee County is back in action on Friday when they open play in the Red Raider Invitational at the Raider Academy.  The Raiders open play at 5 PM as they will take on Prescott Middle.  That game will take place on the football field at Carden-Jarrell Field.

The Coffee County CHS soccer team battled through injuries, inexperience and bad weather all spring before falling in the district tournament.  One of the highlights of the year was a dominant shutout win over Fayetteville on April 27^th for Senior Night.  Thunder Radio was on hand and brought you the story:

Celebrating Senior Night on Friday, the Coffee County Red Raider soccer teamed scored early and often as they mauled Fayetteville.  Celebrating the careers of 7 seniors, the Red Raiders made short work of the Tigers.  Coffee County cruised to the 8 to 0 win.

The Raiders built a 3 to 0 halftime lead, beginning with a beautiful goal from a pair of seniors in the 11th minute.  Ben Reid made a long run upfield from his defenders position to convert an assist from David Morales to make it 1 to 0.   Senior Tyler Walker added a pair of goals, one off an assist from fellow senior Paco Barrera in the 28th minute and one off a Ben Reid free kick in the 29th.

In the second half, Briggs Haithcock tallied a goal in the 47th minute off a feed from senior Cameron Kistler.  Senior Paco Barrera added an unassisted goal in the 48th minute.  Walker drove home an assist from Kistler in the 59th minute to make it 6 to 0.  Barrera added a goal in the 62nd from Walker and Matteo Meazzi notched a goal off a feed from Kistler to make it 8 to 0 in the 75th minute.

Coffee County will close out the regular season on Tuesday as they travel to Tullahoma for the annual Coffee Cup game.  That match will kick off at 7 PM at Tullahoma’s East Middle School.

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 some of the highlights of year for the tennis teams at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County and Westwood middle schools.

The Coffee County Middle School tennis program continued to show great promise as the girls team finished the year with a perfect record.  The Raiders and Lady Raiders got a sweep in their final home match of the year against St. Andrews-Sewanee and Thunder Radio reported on it in a story we brought you on April 17^th

The Coffee County Middle School tennis teams welcomed St. Andrew’s-Sewanee to the Raider Academy Courts on Monday. The Lady Raiders won all 3 of the contested singles matches to capture a 7 to 0 win. The Red Raiders eked out a 4 to 3 win as they won all 4 of the matches that they were able to contest.

The Lady Raiders got wins in singles play from Jayda Wright(6-4), Marley Perry(6-0) and Anna Amado(6-0). Lucy Riddle(7-5) and Kylie Millaway(6-0) earned exhibition wins in singles. The doubles teams of Paige Meadows/Mallie Fletcher captured a 6 to 1 decision in an exhibition match. The doubles team of Claire Rondelet/Rylie Tucker also won 4 to 2 in their exhibition match.

The Red Raiders got singles wins from Jayden Brown(6-4), Connor Fox(7-5) and Leon Mayo(6 to 4). They clinched the match with a 6 to 4 win in doubles play from the team of Fox and Brown.

The Coffee County CHS team also grabbed a team sweep in their final regular season match at home against district rival Columbia.  Thunder Radio reported on the wins in a story we brought to you on April 20^th

The Coffee County CHS tennis team welcomed Columbia to the Raider Academy courts on Thursday for the final regular season match of the year.  The Red Raiders captured 6 forfeit wins on their way to a 7 to 0 shutout.  The Lady Raiders won 4 of their 5 singles matches to grab a 5 to 2 win.

Senior Grey Riddle was the only Red Raider netter to compete on Thursday as he breezed his way to an 8 to 0 shutout win.  The Lady Raiders got singles wins from Natalie Elzeer(8 to 2), Emily Shelton(8 to 5), Wren Lawson(8 to 5) and Odalis Garcia(8 to 1).  In doubles play, Garcia  teamed with Jessica Barrera to win their match 8 to 1.

The Raider tennis teams will now await the final regular season matches to conclude for seeding in the team district tournament which is scheduled to begin next week.  The district singles and doubles tournament is set to begin on Friday, April 27th at Sewanee’s University of the South.

The Westwood tennis teams closed out their home schedule with a team sweep over Harris Middle School.   Thunder Radio reported on the wins in a story we brought to you on April 19^th

The Westwood tennis team welcomed Harris Middle to Manchester on Wednesday for a match at Fred Deadman Park. The Lady Rockets captured a 4 to 3 win over the Eagles. The Rockets needed a win in doubles play to grab their own 4 to 3 victory.

With only 1 doubles team available for the Westwood boys, Jonathan Nelson and Caleb Simmons teamed up to capture a 6 to 0 doubles win to give the Rockets the clinching 4th win. Nelson won his singles match 6 to 3 while Caleb won his singles match 6 to 2. Also winning in singles play for Westwood was Jeffery Hale who captured a 6 to 4 win.

In girls’ action, Westwood got singles wins from Lauren Perry(6 to 0), Rylea McNamara(6 to 2) and Anna Johnson(6 to 3). The doubles team of Perry and McNamara grabbed a 7 to 6 win.

Westwood is set to travel to McMinnville on Monday for a match with Warren County. That match will get underway at 4 PM.

During this season of giving, one local business has quietly been at the forefront of helping local sports teams and organizations.  Al White Ford/Lincoln of Manchester hosted 11 different fund-raising events in 2018 helping raise more than $75,000 to fund local sports teams.   Working with the Ford Motor Company and Lincoln Automotive, Baxter White has coordinated test drive fund-raising events since 2013 to benefit schools, clubs and teams.

In 2018, White coordinated 11 different test drive events which netted more than $75,000 in donations to local teams.  Using the Lincoln “Driven to Give” program and the Ford “Drive 4 Your School” programs, Al White Ford/Lincoln has hosted 39 different fund raisers which have raised over a quarter of a million dollars since 2013.

The test drive events use volunteers from the program raising money to accompany folks on a short test drive of a new Ford or Lincoln vehicle.  Ford and Lincoln pledge money for each test drive taken, documented by the completion of a questionnaire.  Those taking test drive are under no obligation to listen to a sales pitch and no member of the Al White sales staff is present at the event.  Look for more events in 2019 and continue to use every opportunity to help local teams and organizations.

Entering Saturday’s Coffee County Classic final day, both of the Coffee County CHS basketball teams entered play unbeaten in the 3 day tournament as each matched with Oakland.  The Red Raiders got off to a rocky start before falling 50 to 31.  The Lady Raiders rallied from a 9 point deficit to claim a 61 to 52 win.

In the boys’ game, Coffee County got a 3 point shot to fall in their first possession before going ice cold over the next 9 minutes to fall behind 17 to 3.  Trailing 29 to 10 at the half, the Red Raiders mounted a comeback in the 3^rd quarter as they opened the half on a 7-0 run.  Coffee County trimmed the deficit to 10 points only to see Oakland close strong for the win.  Coffee County was led in scoring by Darius Rozier who had 12 points, Kyle Farless added 8 points and Andrew Mahaffey scored 5.

The girls’ game was a back and forth battle in the first half as the 2 teams went to the locker room tied at 30 at the half.  In the 3^rd quarter, Oakland’s defense held the Lady Raiders to 3 points to take a 9 point lead into the final 8 minutes.  The Lady Raiders exploded on a 15 to 5 run in the first 3 and a half minutes of the 4^th quarter to take their first lead of the second half at 48 to 47.  Coffee County’s Abby Morgan and Bella Vinson answered the call in the 4^th period as Morgan scored 12 and Vinson added 11 points in the decisive period.  Morgan finished with 23 points to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Vinson and Ellie Graham finished with 11 points and Jacey Vaughn added 10 points.  After the game, Ellie Graham, Jenna Garretson, Kiya Ferrell, Jacey Vaughn and Bella Vinson were named to the All-Tournament team and Abby Morgan was named the tournament’s Most Valuable player.  The win improves the Lady Raiders to 15 and 0 on the season.

The Lady Raiders will next be in action on Thursday as they begin play in the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational.   The Lady Raiders will take on Tampa Bay Tech on Thursday at 1:30 PM at Seffner Christian Academy.  The tournament concludes on Saturday.  The Raiders and Lady Raiders return to regular season play on January the 3^rd at Warren County.

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

By Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

Win, and they’re in.

Well, not yet.

But it’s getting close.

On Saturday, the Titans did their part once again with a 25-16 win over the Washington Redskins. It was a nail-biter for the Titans and their fans, as they had to rally to get it.

The win gave the Titans (9-6) their fourth straight victory. Now, the team needs a loss by the Steelers (who face the Saints tomorrow) to cause the Titans vs. Colts game to be a win-and-in playoff scenario next Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

“We’ve just taken it one game at a time, and that’s all we can do,” said Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler, who sealed the game with an interception return for a touchdown on the game’s final play. “We’ve gotten the job done so far, but there’s work to do. We know our work is not finished.”

With the win, the Titans guaranteed themselves a winning record for the third straight season. It’s the first time that’s happened in the “Titans era.”

Titans safety Kevin Byard said the team won’t let up.

“There’s no time to relax right now,” Byard said. “I feel like the playoffs started for us a while back, and every single week we have to flush the game before and keep it moving. It’s a survive-and-advance mentality, and we’re surviving now and playing hard.”

The Titans lost quarterback Marcus Mariota to an injury late in the first half. Mariota suffered a stinger, and did not return.

Back-up quarterback Blaine Gabbert stepped in and proved to be a hero.

Gabbert guided a seven-play, 75 yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt to give the Titans a 19-16 lead with 4:30 left. Running back Derrick Henry was big on the go-ahead drive, ripping off 30 yards of runs to put the Titans inside the Redskins’ five.

Byard made a critical interception with 1:17 left, before Butler sealed the game with a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired.

“I’m really proud of (Blaine),” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Gabbert. “I’m really proud of the entire team because they stuck together.”

The Titans announced Mariota’s injury as a stinger. Mariota was injured after being sacked on a first-and-10 play from the Redskins 14. Trainers examined Mariota on the field, and he headed to the locker room prior to the half.

Mariota completed 10-of-13 passes for 110 yards before leaving the contest.

Gabbert finished the contest 7-of-11 for 101 yards and a touchdown, with a 123.7 rating.

“Blaine stepped up,” Henry, who ran for 84 yards and a touchdown, said of Gabbert. “He was very smooth. Blaine has that attitude, and he has that killer instinct. Nothing scares him – he doesn’t shy away from anything. He goes out there like he’s the starter. When one man goes down, you have to step up and that’s what he did.”

Gabbert, who has completed 43-of-72 passes (59.7 percent) for 461 yards with an 80.3 rating this season, said he was happy to do his part.

“It was, “Just go win the game,” Gabbert said of his mindset when he entered the contest. “It was a fun win, and it’s always fun to win big games, and just go out there and play with the guys. You work hard day in and day out, and sometimes you don’t get the chance to play.

“So whenever I am out there I just try to make the most of the opportunity and have fun. I’m just glad we were able to pull it out and win the game.”

After the Redskins took a 3-0 lead on their opening possession on a 50-yard field goal by kicker Dustin Hopkins, the Titans took an early 6-3 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Henry, which capped an 11-play, 69-yard drive that included a big third down run by Mariota, and completions to Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor.

The Redskins reclaimed the lead on seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Johnson to receiver Michael Floyd, which made it 10-6 with 4:28 left in the second quarter before the Titans cut the lead to 10-9 at the end of the first half on a 42-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop.

After the Redskins stretched the lead back to 13-9 with 4:57 left in the third quarter on another field goal by Hopkins, the Titans answered back with a 60-yard drive, and another Succop field goal, to make it 13-12 with 14:55 left in the contest. The Redskins added another field goal to make it 16-12 with 8:09 left.

Then came the big drive, which gave the Titans the lead.

Now, the Titans will sit back and find out just how big next Sunday’s game against the Colts will be at Nissan Stadium.

“That’s our mentality — survive and advance,” Taylor said. “You know, this is our playoffs right here. Lose and you go home. So we are taking it one game at a time.

“It is going to be fun celebrating this win tonight. Unfortunately, we have to put it behind us and get ready for the Colts.”

The Christmas break couldn’t have arrived soon enough.

A 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday sent the Nashville Predators limping into the holiday period, a reprieve they’ve likely had circled on the calendar for a while now with not one, not two, but four key players now on Injured Reserve.

The result sees the Preds go winless in their four-game road trip as their record away from home stands at 0-8-2 in their last 10 outings.

At times on Saturday, Nashville played the way they’re capable of skating, putting shot after shot on the Boston net. But, between penalties taken and mistakes made, they ended up on the wrong side of the ledger once more.

“We played well enough to win a game, we made enough mistakes to lose a hockey game,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Right now, where we’re at, especially on the road, it’s about those one or two or three extra things in the course of a game that we could clean up that we’re in control of and we could be better, so it wasn’t a lack of effort. Our guys competed hard today, but it’s a mistake here, it’s a penalty that we shouldn’t take there, it’s execution of a penalty kill or shift 5-on-5, it’s little things and that’s what they say it takes to win on the road.”

If there’s a positive, the Predators are expected to get P.K. Subban and Viktor Arvidsson, who have missed the last 40 games combined, back in the lineup shortly after the four-day break.

“We just have to regroup over the break,” Nashville center Kyle Turris said. “We’re working hard, we just have to find a way to get through it, push through it and we will. It’s no question, it’s trying to figure out over the break here.”

Patrice Bergeron returned to the Boston lineup on Saturday and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The score temporarily swelled to 2-0 for the home team in the second, until the Nashville coaching staff asked referees Dan O’Rourke and Frederick L’Ecuyer for a second opinion.

After winning the challenge for goaltender interference, Ryan Johansen threw his sixth of the season past goaltender Jaroslav Halak to even the score at 1-1 after 40 minutes.

Boston got a power-play goal early in the third to go up 2-1. Turris scored to tie the game and give the Preds life once more at 9:17. But the Bruins, who controlled the puck for the majority of the contest, broke through with a power-play goal, a 2-on-1 score and an empty-netter in the game’s final nine minutes.

“We played good at times and played bad at times,” Preds defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “We get lulls in our game, and we just need to compete for the whole 60 minutes. That’s what we always preach, and that’s what every team looks to do. At times we were great, and at other times we weren’t.”

Outside of the opening period in Ottawa on Monday, the effort and compete level has predominantly been there for Nashville, and yet they went 0-3-0 to close out the trip (losing 2-1 to Chicago; 2-1 to Philadelphia and 5-2 to Boston).

Now with the break arriving, the Preds have no choice but to recharge and refocus before getting back on the ice after the holiday.

“It’s good that we get the break here, get your mind out of this little rut we’re in and enjoy some family and some time away from the game,” Ellis said. “Hopefully, we come back hungrier and rested, maybe a bit healthier than we are now and go from there.”

Notes:

Defenseman Mattias Ekholm returned to the Predators lineup after missing Thursday’s game in Philadelphia due to illness.

Forwards Colton Sissons, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg, as well as defenseman P.K. Subban, were absent on Saturday and all remain on Injured Reserve.

Blueliner Yannick Weber was injured in the final period of Saturday’s game and required assistance to exit the ice.

The Christmas Break has arrived for the Predators, who will now get the next four days off before returning to the ice on Dec. 27 as they host the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena.

The Coffee County wrestling team hosted their first home match of the year on Thursday night.  The Raider grapplers welcomed Cookeville and Tullahoma to their home mat at the Coffee County Raider Academy.  The Red Raiders came up short in the 2 battles as the fell to Cookeville 38 to 21 and to Tullahoma 56 to 9.

Against Cookeville, the Raiders got their lone pinfall win from Chris Speagle (at 220 pounds).  Gabriel Westbrook(106) got a forfeit win  while Jesse Smith(145), Jonathan Cable(138) and Rey Reyes(182) all got decision wins.  Against Tullahoma, Jonathan Cable(138) won a pinfall win and Jesse Smith(145) won a 4 to 1 decision win.

The Raiders return to the mat on Friday when they travel Huntsville to take part in the Battlefield Duals.

Friday at the Coffee County Christmas Classic saw the Red Raiders roll to their 3^rd straight win and Lady Raider Abby Morgan eclipse the 1,000 point mark for her high school career.  The Red Raiders opened the day with a 67 to 49 win over Riverside Christian.  The Lady Raiders held Nashville Central Christian to single digits in every quarter in a 67 to 28 win.

In the opening game of the day on Friday, the Red Raiders got off to a red hot start as they jumped out to a 26 to 8 lead after 1 quarter and cruised to the easy win over Riverside Christian.  In a game where the starters played less than 10 minutes, Coffee County kept the lead near 20 points for most of the game.  Andrew Mahaffey got a field goal and a trio of triples to score Coffee County’s first 11 points.  Mahaffey finished with 11 points.  Connor Shemwell finished with 8 points and C.J. Anthony added 7.

It seemed that everyone on hand for the girls’ game knew Abby Morgan was 7 points away from 1,000 at the start of the game.  But in the first half, Morgan missed her first 6 shots before closing the half with 5 points.  Morgan sank a driving layup just 42 seconds into the second half to send the crowd into celebration mode.  The Lady Raiders pulled the starters with 3:14 left in the 3^rd quarter as 9 different Lady Raiders scored in the win.  Jacey Vaughn led the team with 20 points.  Morgan finished with 9 points, while Ellie Graham added 8 points.

On Saturday, both Raider teams will be in action in the final day of the Coffee County Christmas Classic.  The Raiders and Lady Raiders will play back to back games beginning at 12:30 PM against Oakland.  The Red Raiders will take in the Patriots at 12:30 with the Lady Raiders game to follow.  Thunder Radio will bring you live action of the girls’ game, beginning around 2 PM, streaming at WMSRradio.com and on the Thunder Radio app.

The Coffee County Red Raider basketball team opened up play in the 5^th Annual Coffee County Christmas Classic on Thursday.  Taking on Wilson Central, Coffee County played one of their most complete games of the year in a 54 to 52 win.

In a game that saw seventeen 3 point baskets, it was a missed 3 pointer at the buzzer by Wilson Central that sealed the Red Raider victory.  Coffee County had built an 11 point lead early in the 4^th quarter but the Wildcats came storming back with 3 pointers and free throws to cut the deficit to 1 point with 66 seconds remaining.  A head’s up play in the paint by Harley Hinshaw to save a turnover, and clutch free throws down the stretch by Darius Rozier, Rod Brinkley, Kyle Farless and Andrew Mahaffey sealed the Red Raiders 7^th win on the season.

Rozier led Coffee County in scoring with 11 points.  Hinshaw added 10 points as he earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game award.  Mahaffey finished with 9 points while Brinkley and Farless each scored 7.

The Red Raiders return to the court at 9:30 AM on Friday when they will take on Riverside Christian.  The Lady Raiders will open tournament play on Friday afternoon when they take on Nashville Central Christian at 2 PM.  Both Raider teams will close out the tournament on Saturday afternoon with games against Oakland.  The boys’ game begins at 12:30 PM with the girls’ game to follow at 2 PM.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of the Lady Raiders game streaming on the Thunder Radio App or online at WMSRradio.com.

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

Saturday is a busy sports broadcast day here on Thunder Radio.  The sports begins at 10 AM with the Coffee Coaches Show broadcast LIVE from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  Featured on this week’s Coffee Coaches Show will be the elementary basketball league champion teams the Westwood Lady Eagles and the College Street Cougars, along with the Westwood Middle School Rockets basketball team.  The Coffee Coaches Show will be aired in its normal timeslot from 10 to 11 followed by a live edition of The Fan Zone with Billy and Eric.  The Fan Zone will celebrate their 5 year anniversary show from 11 to 12 in the Al White Ford/Lincoln showroom.  Beginning at noon, Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of Nashville Predators hockey as the Predators are in Boston taking on the Bruins.  At 2:30 PM, Thunder Radio will bring you live coverage of the Coffee County Lady Raider basketball game with Oakland on the Thunder Radio App and streaming at WMSRradio.com.  Beginning at 3 PM, the Thunder Radio airwaves will bring you live coverage of the Tennessee Titans taking on the Washington Redskins as a part of the Tennessee Titans Radio Network.