The Coffee County CHS freshman boys’ basketball team was in action on Thursday night in Fayetteville. Taking on the Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy, the Raiders battled to the end before falling in overtime. Coffee County lost by a final score of 66 to 58 in double overtime.
The freshmen were led in scoring by Connor Shemwell who had 16 points. Phineas Rollman added 12 points and Rueben Alvarez chipped in 10 points for Coffee County.
The freshman will be back in on Monday at home when they play host to the Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.
Colton Sissons scored 3:05 into overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
Sissons cut to the net and beat goaltender Anders Nilsson with a redirection of Nick Bonino’s pass to the top of the crease.
The Predators (21-10-1) have won two games in a row after losing two straight. They have the best record in the Western Conference.
The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Canucks (14-16-4), who tied the game with two special-teams goals in the final 4:05.
Bo Horvat scored shorthanded to tie it 3-3 with 44 seconds remaining in the third period. Nikolay Goldobin took the initial shot, and Horvat got to the rebound.
Brock Boeser scored to make it 3-2 at 15:55 of the third with a one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle on the power play.
Ryan Hartman gave the Predators a 1-0 lead 5:52 into the game on a shot from the top of the right circle.
Bonino made it 2-0 at 8:40 of the first period on a shot from the left circle off a pass on the rush from Sissons.
Jay Beagle scored for the Canucks on a 2-on-1 rush while shorthanded to make it 2-1 at 15:15. Markus Granlund intercepted a pass by Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm and found Beagle, who scored his first goal with the Vancouver.
Calle Jarnkrok gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 11:05 of the second period when he redirected the initial shot by Kyle Turris. The Predators are back at home on Saturday night when they play host to the New Jersey Devils. Faceoff is set fro 7 PM, Thunder Radio will bring you the radio broadcast immediately following Coffee County CHS basketball.
The Coffee County CHS wrestlers made the long trip to Lawrenceburg on Tuesday night. After capturing a victory over Lawrence County, the Raider grapplers came home with the lead in the district. Coffee County also dropped a non-district match to Huntsville High in the tri-match.
Against Lawrence County, Coffee County got 4 forfeits, 3 pin falls and a technical fall to beat the Wildcats 47 to 36. The Red Raiders got pins from Brett Francis(at 126 pounds), Reynaldo Reyes(182) and Christopher Speagle(220). Gabriel Westbrooke(113), Jesse Smith(145), Devin Judge(152) and Dakota Chalker(160) all won via forfeit.
Against Huntsville, Coffee County got a pair of decision wins and a pinfall but lost 53 to 12. Jonathan Cable(138) got a 3 to 0 decision win and Jesse Smith(145) wrestled to a 5 to 2 win. Gavin Prater(152) got the lone pinfall win.
The Raiders return to the mat on Thursday night when they travel to McMinnville for a tri-match. The Raiders will take on Warren County and LaVergne. Weigh-in is at 5, the first match begins at 6 PM.
Motlow post player Josh Endicott (12) battles a Volunteer State player for a rebound during a recent game at Copperweld Arena. Endicott, a freshman from Baxter, leads the TCCAA with an average of 9.3 rebounds per game. [Photo by Jeff Reed Photography]
The Motlow Bucks outscored Chattanooga State 15-4 in the second overtime to capture a 100-89 decision Saturday afternoon in Chattanooga. Motlow began the weekend with a 77-72 victory over Cleveland State Friday night in Cleveland.
The Bucks (5-0, 8-5) have now won five consecutive games and are in sole possession of first place in the TCCAA conference after their road sweep over the two TCCAA opponents. Motlow will step outside the conference to host Wallace State-Hanceville at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, then break for the holidays. The next home game will be Jan. 5, when non-conference Lawson State visits Copperweld Arena at 4 p.m. The next TCCAA game is Friday, Jan. 11, with Roane State as the visitor.
As has been the case during most of their wins this season, the Bucks outrebounded the Cougars 48-36 Friday night, a key stat in the win. Motlow led 47-38 at the half and hit critical baskets in the final minutes. The Bucks shot 43.1 percent from the field, including 6-17 three pointers, and hit 15-21 free throws. Cleveland’s numbers were almost identical, but Motlow’s defense forced the Cougars into 19 turnovers.
Josh Greer led Motlow in scoring with 19 points and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Darius Harding scored 18, and Josh Endicott, who leads the conference in rebounding, scored nine points with 13 boards. Marcus Lacey had eight points and eight rebounds, Jayvon Humphrey scored seven with five rebounds, and Leo Castillo had six points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
The contest between Chattanooga State and Motlow was an old-fashioned barn burner on Saturday. The home Tigers led 44-40 at the half before the Bucks fought back to tie it at 75-75 at the end of regulation. After a 10-10 standoff in the first overtime, Motlow surged ahead and put the game away in the final five minutes.
Three-point shooting was a key for Motlow as the Bucks hit 12-30 for 40 percent. Motlow also pulled down 68 rebounds in the game and turned the ball over only 12 times in 50 minutes of action.
Jarius Key had his best games as a Buck so far, coming off the bench to score 13 points and pull down 12 rebounds. Harding, who is fifth in the TCCAA averaging 16.9 points per game, led the team with 22 points while adding four rebounds and three steals. Greer had 13 points and eight assists, Lacey scored nine with 10 rebounds, Castillo had nine points, six rebounds and five assists, and Endicott added eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.
Motlow’s Azhane Bacot, a freshman from Richmond, Va., drives toward the basket during a game against Volunteer State Dec. 1 at Copperweld Arena. [Photo by Jeff Reed Photography]
The Motlow Lady Bucks equaled last season’s win total, both in the TCCAA conference and overall, by sweeping a pair of conference opponents on the road over the weekend.
Motlow (4-0, 8-2) remains tied at the top of the TCCAA standings with Walters State (4-0, 9-2) after traveling to Cleveland Friday and beating Cleveland State 74-57, then heading to Chattanooga Saturday and edging Chattanooga State 62-53. The back-to-back wins were the final conference games until after the holiday break. Motlow will host Roane State Jan. 11.
The Lady Bucks have more work to do before then though. They will host non-conference opponent Wallace State-Hanceville on Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m., then head to Washington D.C. for the Title IX Tournament Dec. 28-29. Motlow returns to its home floor Jan. 5, hosting Lawson State at 2 p.m.
Motlow dominated Cleveland State from the outset Friday, outscoring the home team 22-10 in the first quarter and leading 43-21 at the half, despite shooting only 28.9 percent from the field, including hitting 6-28 three pointers and 16-27 free throws. The key was Motlow had 90 shots during the game as compared to only 66 for the Lady Cougars, who connected on only 30 percent.
A pair of double-doubles led the way for the Lady Bucks, with Janna Lewis scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds along with three steals and three blocked shots. Azhane Bacot had her best game, scoring 12 points and hauling in 19 rebounds with five assists and two blocks. The 19 rebounds is tied for the ninth most in a single game in Lady Bucks’ history.
Tanisia Murphy added 14 points and six steals, Katie Thomas scored 13 and added five rebounds, Star Bell-Freeman had six points and 10 rebounds, and Dominique Fields scored six with four rebounds and four assists.
Lewis continued to play at an All-American pace in Saturday’s win over Chattanooga State, scoring 23 points and hauling in 19 rebounds as Motlow jumped out front 15-10 after one quarter and 28-19 at the half. Lewis leads the TCCAA in scoring, averaging 20 points per game, and is second in rebounds with 11.6 per contest.
Motlow shot the ball a little better Saturday, connecting on 39.3 percent from the field and hitting 13-19 free throws. The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, couldn’t find the range in their home gym, hitting only 4-25 three pointers and 9-23 free throws.
Murphy scored 11 points with a pair of rebounds, and Bacot pulled in 11 rebounds with five points and three blocked shots. Bell-Freeman scored 10 and had three blocks and two boards, and Thomas hit a pair of three pointers and scored eight points with three rebounds.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.
A record-setting inaugural season continued for Nashville Soccer Club this week at the United Soccer League (USL) Winter Summit in Tampa, Fla. The league handed out its season-ending front office awards and Nashville SC, thanks it its incredible fans, took home three honors, tied for the most of any franchise, for season tickets, corporate sales trade revenue and total merchandise revenue.
Nashville SC earned the season ticket award for having the most season ticket sales of any current USL team and for breaking the league’s inaugural season ticket record. By the end of the season, Nashville SC had more than 6,110 Season Ticket Members, surpassing the previous record set by Sacramento Republic in 2014.
“Our season ticket record is all about our fans,” said Nashville SC director of ticketing Jake Shaw. “An awesome group of supporters have filled up First Tennessee Park for our games, showing that Nashville is a soccer city.”
Corporate partnerships are one of the revenue backbones for any professional sports franchise, and Nashville SC was tops in the league when it came to trade revenue.
“We have fantastic corporate partners who have shown a commitment to pro soccer in Nashville,” said Nashville SC VP of ticketing and corporate partnerships Michael Schetzel. “Many of Nashville’s most recognizable brands are in our corner, and we are grateful for their support during our inaugural season.”
Finally, Nashville SC was honored with the merchandise total revenue award, despite being in its inaugural season. The club is nearing the league’s inaugural season record for merchandise sales.
“The Nashville SC brand is built by the fans,” said Nashville SC manager of consumer products and e-commerce Susan Nogues. “It is always exciting to see fans wearing our gear around Nashville.”
Season tickets for 2019 are now on sale and start at just $10 a game. To purchase a 2019 Season Ticket Membership, visit NashvilleSC.com/seasontickets or speak to a ticket representative at (615) 457-8200.
A pair of managers from Manchester’s First Bank present a check to CHS track coach Nathan Wanuch. Pictured left to right are CHS track athletes Dillon Helms and Trace Bryant, CHS athletic director Rebecca Koger, First Bank Financial Center Manager Ryan Mabe, CHS track coach Nathan Wanuch, First Bank Financial Relationship Manager Ryan Gray and CHS track athlete Jacob Melton
Hoping to offer more high profile and prestigious track meets at Carden-Jarrell Field, Coffee County CHS track coach Nathan Wanuch saw a need for electronic timing for his program. Wanuch undertook a fundraising campaign to raise the $8,000 needed to purchase an electronic timing system that could be used by both the Cross Country and Track programs. That campaign reached its goal on Tuesday thanks to a huge donation by First Bank of Manchester.
Needing $8,000 for the Eagle Eye Fully Automatic Timing System and computer hardware, First Bank of Manchester presented a check for the final $5,000 needed to make the purchase. Ryan Mabe, financial center manager for the Manchester branch, stated that the contribution continues First Bank’s “mission to give back to the community. At First Bank we want to support local businesses and organizations.”
Coach Wanuch saw Tuesday’s donation as the culmination of fund raising efforts to continue the improvement of the track facilities. “After the school board made the investment in resurfacing and improving the track itself, we were in a perfect location to host regional and sectional meets. The one thing needed was an electronic timing system.” Wanuch plans on using the timing system this spring beginning with a jamboree meet on March 7th.
Wanuch will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the donation and the impact it will have on the school’s programs. The Coffee Coaches Show is heard live each Saturday at 10 AM. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln and in heard exclusively on Thunder Radio.
The home team allowed a goal just 34 seconds into Tuesday’s game, but it was all positive from there.
Three different Preds found the back of the net as Nashville defeated the Ottawa Senators by a 3-1 final at Bridgestone Arena. The result ends Nashville’s two-game skid and gives them their 20th win of the campaign.
After a road trip to Western Canada didn’t go their way, the Preds returned home to face a Senators club also dealing with injury issues, and Nashville kept it simple to collect the satisfying victory.
“We were disappointed in poor play on the road; at times it was good, and at times it wasn’t,” Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “Tonight, we came in and simplified a lot of errors in our game, and the result was there. If we continue with that game plan, I think we’ll like the results.”
“We addressed a lot of things after the last road trip,” Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “I felt like tonight, we played with speed, got the pucks deep, turned a lot of pucks over, and created chances. Our defense always plays a big role in our offense.”
Mark Stone gave the Senators their only lead of the night less than a minute in, but in the latter portions of the first, Austin Watson redirected a Mattias Ekholm point shot for his sixth of the season and even tally through 20 minutes.
After relentless pressure to start the second, it was Ellis who blasted a shot past Craig Anderson midway through the frame to put the Preds up by one, and Craig Smith added another in the third to seal the victory.
Rinne made 25 saves to collect his 13th win of the campaign and move to 8-3-0 in 11 career starts against the Senators.
“It was good for us to get back on the winning trend, and it’s always nice to come back home and play in front of our fans,” Watson said. “A really good group effort from our guys tonight.”
Back to Basics:
The hockey clichés were flying in the Nashville locker room after Tuesday’s win, but they wouldn’t be uttered if they didn’t mean something.
After the Predators said they got away from their game in recent memory, they got back to what makes them successful – keeping it simple and relying on an effective system that plays to their strengths.
“That’s pretty much exactly what we did; we got pucks behind them, got a better forecheck, and when we turned over pucks in their end, we started our cycle game,” Ellis said. “Overall it was a good game on our part.”
That, in turn, allows Nashville to prosper, no matter who is in or out of the lineup. And with four big names still on the shelf, the Preds executed the game plan to near perfection in Tuesday’s triumph.
“We are missing some fire power, but as long as we stick to what we do well, we will play good and smart hockey,” Watson said. “We get ourselves in trouble when we turn the puck over, too. We talk about these clichés like getting line changes and getting pucks out deep, but it really holds true for us right now.”
Doing that with consistency will be key for the Preds as they’ll continue to be without wingers Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson likely into the New Year. And just as they’ve done before in the recent stretch, the group prevailed once more for win No. 20.
“It’s roughly the same group that has been here the last three to four years, so we have seen this sort of thing before,” Watson said. “Guys get injured every year, it’s a part of the game but I think we are well-equipped to handle it.”
Notes:
Zac Rinaldo and Matt Irwin were scratched for the Predators on Tuesday.
The Preds are now 9-0-0 against the Eastern Conference this season.
Nashville continues their three-game homestand on Thursday night when the Vancouver Canucks come to town before finishing off their season series with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
The Nashville Sounds, in conjunction with the Texas Rangers, announced today at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas that the two teams will play a spring training exhibition game at First Tennessee Park on Sunday, March 24 at 1:05 p.m.
“This is another thrilling and historic day for the Nashville Sounds,” said General Manager Adam Nuse. “One of the biggest goals we established with our partnership with the Rangers was to bring a spring training exhibition game to First Tennessee Park and the city of Nashville. We can’t wait to work with the Rangers to showcase Major League Baseball to this great city and our incredibly supportive fan base.”
Sounds season ticket members will have first right to their same seat for the March 24 exhibition game at a discounted rate. Members who have renewed for the 2019 season will receive additional information in the next few days.
Fans interested in securing tickets immediately can do so by purchasing a full, half or partial-season ticket plan for the 2019 season. Season ticket memberships start as low as $325. Individual exhibition game tickets will not be available to the general public until early March.
A Major League Baseball exhibition game has not been played in Nashville since June 3, 1999 when the Sounds hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Greer Stadium.
Recently named Rangers Manager Chris Woodward played for the Sounds in 2008. The Sounds are scheduled to announce their field staff in the next few weeks.
The Rangers’ spring training home is in Surprise, Ariz. Pitchers and catchers report on February 13 with the first full-squad workout scheduled for February 18. Texas begins their 2019 regular season against the Chicago Cubs on March 28 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
The Sounds and Rangers announced a four-year Player Development Contract in a press conference at First Tennessee Park on September 20. The Rangers’ presence in Nashville continued last month during the Sounds’ “Remastered” release event when team executives, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and current players were on hand to support Nashville’s rebrand.
The 42nd season of Nashville Sounds baseball begins on Thursday, April 4 when the Nashville Sounds host the Iowa Cubs at First Tennessee Park. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.
Welcoming conference rival White County to the CCMS gym on Monday night, the Coffee County Middle School basketball teams squared off in a pair of hard fought games. White County hit a last second shot to beat the Lady Raiders 28 to 26. The Red Raiders saw a 4th quarter rally come up short in a 47 to 37 loss.
In the girls’ game, Coffee Middle built a 12 to 4 lead in the first quarter to seize control of the pivotal contest. But White County roared back as the Lady Raiders cooled off to tie the game at 20 entering the 4th quarter. Tied at 26 with 3 seconds to go, White County was able to score on an offensive rebound just ahead of the final horn to get the win. Chloe Gannon led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 12 points as she was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Alivia Reel added 10 points and Olivia Vinson chipped in 4 points.
Hayden Garr of CCMS basketball
In the boys’ game, White County raced out to a big lead in the 2nd half and held off a late charge by the Red Raiders who had a trio of 3 point baskets in the final period. Hayden Garr led the Red Raiders in scoring with 17 points as he was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Jacob Holder added 7 points and Cooper Reed finished with 4 points.
The Raiders and Lady Raiders return home on Thursday night for a doubleheader with Harris. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM, Thunder Radio will begin live coverage as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series. Lucky Knott will have the pregame show beginning at 5:50.
The Coffee County CHS freshman boys’ basketball team was in action on Thursday night in Fayetteville. Taking on the Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy, the Raiders battled to the end before falling in overtime. Coffee County lost by a final score of 66 to 58 in double overtime.
