Category: Sports

Jeremy Pruitt earned his first win as a collegiate head coach in dominant fashion as the Tennessee Volunteers defeated in-state foe ETSU 59-3 Saturday evening at Neyland Stadium.
“To me, I don’t see this any different than any game I’ve ever coached in,” Pruitt said. “I’m happy we won, and you’ll find out (about me) the more games we win, I’m a little more ticked. There’s a standard we want to play to. Everything wasn’t perfect this week. Everything wasn’t perfect in the last couple of days, and we were trying to get things right. We’re learning from it, and I think it’ll make us a better football team, and it’s going to make us a better football program.”

Six Vols recorded the first touchdowns of their respective Tennessee careers in the win, led by running backs Jeremy Banks and Madre London with two rushing scores apiece. Josh Palmer entered the checkerboards on a 20-yard end-around rush, and Jordan Murphyhauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass to round out UT’s offensive touchdowns.

Junior defensive back Marquill Osborne found the end zone for the first time on a blocked punt return, while redshirt-junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. added a defensive touchdown with his first-career pick-six.

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano led the passing attack for the Big Orange, connecting on 8-of-13 passes for 154 yards. Grad transfer QB Keller Chryst saw action for the second-straight week and completed all three of his passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore RB Tim Jordan led all players in rushing with 65 yards in 15 attempts on the ground, while Marquez Callaway logged a game-high five catches and 78 yards through the air.

Sophomore placekicker Brent Cimaglia opened the scoring for UT on a 26-yard field goal with 9:32 remaining in the first quarter. The Vols first entered the red zone on a 51-yard pass from Guarantano to Palmer – the longest play for UT this season.

Tennessee (1-1) scored its first touchdown at Neyland Stadium in 2018 on a blocked punt return by Osborne. Recovering his own block at the eight-yard line, the junior DB high-stepped into the endzone to put the Vols ahead 10-0 with 2:49 left in the opening frame.

The game entered a weather delay at the 12:01 mark of the second quarter as the clock read 4:52 p.m. Play resumed at 5:40 p.m. for a total delay of 48 minutes.

Following the delay, UT put together a quick six-play, 82-yard drive over 2:34 that was capped off by a one-yard Banks rushing TD. The touchdown was set up by a 51-yard bomb, caught by Callaway despite pass interference from ETSU defensive back Jeremy Lewis.

On the first play of the ensuing Buccaneer drive, freshman DB Bryce Thompson nabbed his first-career interception and returned it 21 yards before stepping out-of-bounds at the three-yard line. Banks went into the checkerboards on the very next play to give the Vols a 24-0 edge with 9:12 remaining in the half.

Kirkland Jr. made it a 31-0 lead for the Vols with his first-career pick-six on the next ETSU drive. The Indianapolis, Ind. native intercepted a pass at the 33-yard line, broke a tackle and sprinted into the endzone for UT’s second non-offensive touchdown of the day.

Chryst entered the game with 6:04 left in the second quarter, leading the Vols on a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that spanned 3:04 of game time. Chryst completed his first pass attempt as a Vol for 12 yards to tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson before the drive was finished off on a 20-yard end-around rush by Palmer. Following Cimaglia’s fifth successful PAT, the Vols went up 38-0 and took that lead into the halftime locker room.

Guarantano led the opening drive of the second half as UT marched down the field for a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown series. London broke off a 34-yard rush before scoring his first TD as a Vol on a three-yard scamper, advancing Tennessee’s lead to 45-0. ETSU (1-1) broke up the shutout on a 39-yard field goal from JJ Jerman at the 4:57 mark of the third quarter, and neither team was able to score for the remainder of the period.

Chryst fired the first touchdown of his UT career early in the fourth quarter, finding a wide-open Murphy down the sideline for a 50-yard scoring connection with 13:34 left in the game. London notched the final TD of the night on a four-yard rush with 3:20 remaining. The last scoring drive started following Micah Abernathy’s fumble recovery on a muffed punt.

Junior newcomer Emmit Gooden led Tennessee with eight total tackles on the defensive line, including UT’s lone sack and a team-high three tackles for loss. In addition to his first-career interception, Thompson recorded two tackles for loss for the Volunteers. As a unit, the Vols held ETSU to 69 passing yards and limited the Buccaneers to 2-of-15 on third-down conversions.

Tennessee returns to action next Saturday as the UTEP Miners visit Neyland Stadium. The game is set for a noon kickoff and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

The Coffee County Lady Raider basketball team is hosting a 2 day golf tournament on Saturday and Sunday, September 15^th and 16^th.  The tournament will be held at Old Stone Fort Golf Course and will be a 2 person scramble format.  Cost for each team is $250 and includes a BBQ dinner on Saturday night at Prater’s BBQ.

The $250 entry fee includes greens fees with a cart for both days.  Also included will be 1 mulligan per player per day and entry in the skins game.  Teams will be flighted after Saturday’s round and auctioned off at a Calcutta to be held at Prater’s after the first round.  If you need information, or want to register, contact Coach Joe Pat Cope at 615-426-1209 or Old Stone Fort Golf Course at 931-954-0366.

Coach Joe Pat Cope will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the upcoming golf tournament.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday at 10 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.

CHS senior golfer Austin Farris tees off from earlier in the season [Photo provided]

In a match originally scheduled for 18 holes, lightning forced the teams to end after 9 holes.  The Red Raiders outdistanced their competition by 40 strokes in the match.  Coffee County was led by Samuel Prater and Austin Farris who shot matching 1 over par 37’s.  Matthew Hale and Josh Perry were a stroke back as each finished with a 38.

“ I’m very pleased with how we played today” said Coach Mike Ray following the match.  “We have a good feel for the course and I’m excited about our chances on Monday at the district championship.”

The Red Raiders will return to the Lawrenceburg Country Club on Monday for the District 8AAA tournament.  That 18 hole match will tee off at 9 AM.

Konnor Heaton of Westwood football

The Westwood football team welcomed Community to Dyer-Bouldin Field on Thursday.  In a game you heard here on Thunder Radio, Westwood played inspired football in the 2^nd half but could not overcome a 28 to 0 halftime deficit.  The Rockets lost 34 to 19.

The Vikings scored on the 2^nd play of each of their first 3 drives to build a 20 to 0 lead.  Westwood made some adjustments and forced Community into a 4^th down and 8 play late in the 2^nd quarter.  Community broke free and scored from 28 yards out with 7 seconds left in the half to build their halftime cushion.

In the 2^nd half, Westwood outgained Community 163 to 37 in total yardage but could not catch up to the Vikings.  Konnor Heaton led Westwood in rushing with 95 yards on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns.  Bruising fullback Connor Smith had 91 yards on 20 carries and another score.  Ian Weldon ran the ball 5 times for 50 yards.

Westwood will hit the road next week for a game at Cascade.  Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM in Wartrace.

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

Allie Amado of CHS soccer

The Lady Raider soccer team of Coffee County returned to district action on Thursday in Winchester.  The Lady Raiders traveled to Winchester to take district foe Franklin County looking to avenge a draw in their first meeting.  After taking a 1 to 0 lead in the second half, the Lady Raiders saw the Rebelettes tie the game in the 69^th minute.  Coffee County settled for their 5^th straight draw in district play 1 to 1.

Allie Amado had the Lady Raiders lone goal off a free kick.  Amado and Maddy Jones led Coffee County in in shots with 2 each.  Lucy Riddle turned away 1 of the 2 Franklin County shots on goal and each team finished with 5 corner kicks.

The Lady Raiders will head to Chattanooga this weekend as they take part in a tournament hosted by Chattanooga Christian.  Coffee County will open tournament play at 5:45(EDT) against Knoxville Catholic.  On Saturday, the Lady Raiders will play Chattanooga Christian at 12:00 PM(EDT) and Anderson County at 4:15 PM(EDT).  All 3 games will be played at Chattanooga Christian School.

The Coffee County Middle School volleyball team traveled to Cowan on Thursday for a conference match with South Franklin.  The Lady Raiders dropped their match is straight sets.  South Franklin got the win by set scores of 25-19 and 25-23.

The Lady Raiders will return to action on Monday when they travel to Shelbyville to take on Harris.  First serve is set for 5 PM.

The cross country teams of Westwood Middle School, Coffee County Middle School and Coffee County Central High all traveled to Sewanee on Thursday for a meet hosted by St. Andrews-Sewanee.  A thunderstorm and inclement weather forced the postponement of the meet.  No word yet on the make-up date.

All 3 teams will be back in action on Tuesday at Old Stone Fort State Park.  The meet at Old Stone Fort will feature middle and high school teams and will be hosted by the Coffee County CHS cross country team.  The first race will go off at 4 PM and a limited amount of parking will be available at the Old Stone Fort Museum with the finish line situated near the fort’s entrance.

Members of the 2018 senior class of Coffee County golf. Left to right are: Samuel Prater, Austin Farris, coach Lucky Knott, coach Mike Ray, Josh Perry & Matthew Perry.[Photo by Lana Ray]

In the final regular season home match,  the Coffee County Red Raiders took on their rival from just over Crumpton’s Creek, the Tullahoma Wildcats.

The coaches decided to change things up on Senior Day for the Raiders. The two teams competed in 9-hole modified match play format, based on points. In two of match play competitions, two players from Coffee County played against two from Tullahoma. The other contest was head to a head individual match.

The Raiders defeated the Wildcats 9-0. Coffee County was led by seniors Samuel Prater and Austin Farris as they shot a 4-under 32. The senior team of Josh Perry and Matthew Hale teamed up for a 1-over 37 and freshman Logan Hale picked up the win in the individual match with a score of 3-over 39.
Head Coach Mike Ray said, “I am so happy for the four seniors to get a win on Senior Day, but to do it against your rival makes it very special. He added that all four seniors will an opportunity to play college golf if they choose that path.

The 60-5 Red Raiders will play their final regular season match on Thursday in Lawrenceburg. The district tournament is Monday, also in Lawrenceburg.

Keri Munn of CHS volleyball

The Coffee County CHS volleyball team welcomed Eagleville to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Wednesday.  Coffee County eliminated a lot of the unforced errors they experienced on Tuesday night as they captured a straight set victory.  The Lady Raiders won by set scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-8.

Coffee County got 21 kills and 12 aces on the match while committing only 15 unforced errors.  The trio of Keelie Hillis, Keri Munn and Kiya Ferrell led the Lady Raiders in kills with 4 each.  Abigail Layne scored 4 service aces for while Munn and Ferrell each served up 2 aces.  Amanda Mukai had 11 assists while Sarah West led the team in digs with 5.

Thursday night’s home match with Shelbyville has been cancelled, so the Lady Raiders will next be action at home on Tuesday as they play host to Warren County.  First serve is set for 6 PM.

Motlow freshman Alexandra Rouse kicks the ball downfield towards teammate Emily Vallejo (10) during the Lady Bucks contest against South Georgia State Sunday in Oxford, Ga. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, with Rouse, who played her prep soccer at Oak Ridge High School, scoring the only goal for the Lady Bucks. Motlow will host TCCAA rival Columbia State Friday in Manchester.

The Motlow State Community College women’s soccer team will play its first home game of the season while welcoming its newest rival when Motlow hosts Columbia State on Friday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in Manchester. The contest will be played at the soccer field behind the Raider Academy on Highway 55.

Motlow (1-0, 1-2-1) traveled to Oxford, Ga., for a pair of games over Labor Day weekend. The Lady Bucks played to a 1-1 tie with South Georgia State (SGS) Sunday, than battled through a quick turnaround and stifling heat before falling to the host team, Oxford of Emory College, 2-0 Monday.

Columbia State (1-0, 2-0), playing its first season of women’s soccer, opened the year with a win over Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) opponent Dyersburg State, also playing its first soccer season, and followed that by beating Meridian (Miss.) Community College last Saturday in Columbia.

Since Motlow joined the TCCAA in 1969, Columbia State has been its most significant rival, especially in men’s basketball and baseball. With women’s soccer now being played by four TCCAA schools, including Southwest Tennessee, and more expected to be added in the near future, the Lady Bucks and Lady Chargers are destined to become intense rivals in soccer, and that rivalry begins Friday.

Both Motlow and SGS scored goals in the first half Sunday before the defenses took over and shut out each other in the final 45 minutes. Daniela Ramos put SGS on the scoreboard first with a goal at the 19-minute mark. Motlow freshman Alexandra Rouse answered with her first goal of the season at 33 minutes, tying the score 1-1, which stood for the final 57 minutes.

Sophomore Emily Bryant got her first start of the season as keeper and shut down SGS in the second half. Motlow launched 22 shots on the day, including eight on goal, but credit SGS keeper Crysta Lynn Francis with seven saves. Rouse had six shots on the day, with three on goal, with Bailee Walls adding three shots.

Playing its second game in less than 24 hours, Motlow was unable to get its offense untracked Monday. Oxford took advantage, scoring its first goal just three minutes into the contest and adding its final goal at the 69-minute mark.

Bryant and freshman Annie Kate Gibson each played a half as keeper and each allowed a goal. Bryant had four saves in the first half and Gibson had two in the second. Offensively, Motlow managed three shots in each half, with Kayla Moultry, Walls and Kristen Heath missing shots on goal for the Lady Bucks.

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.