Category: Sports

Just short of a year after the idea of an indoor athletic facility at Coffee County Middle School was born, the dream is in the final stages of becoming a reality.  The facility being built is a 60 by 75 foot practice facility with artificial turf, locker rooms, weight room and offices for coaches for football, baseball, softball and soccer.  The building is in the process of being completed behind the softball field on the CCMS campus.

Local businessman Robert Gilley, CCMS athletic director Kyle Harris, CCMS Principal Kim Aaron and others undertook discussion in August and after months of design, planning, site work and weather delays, construction began on the facility in the spring.  Gilley, the owner of Gilley Crane talked to other businesses and community leaders and coordinated donations of labor and needed materials.  Donations for electrical equipment and other equipment are still needed.

Harris told WMSR Radio that there is still a need for monetary donations for equipment and other various needs for the complex.  Businesses and individuals are asked to help offset the remaining deficit of $30,000.  Harris says that people can make donations to the CCMS Athletic Facility and he added that NO taxpayer money will be used for the facility, it will be 100% funded by donations. Donations can be made at the Coffee County Schools central office or at the principal’s office at Coffee County Middle School.

Kyle Harris will be special guest on the Coffee Coaches Show on Thunder Radio this Saturday from Al White Motors beginning at 10 a.m. He will have additional information about the building of the facility and making donations.

Jacob Langham of CHS baseball

2018 Coffee County CHS baseball graduate Jacob Langham has signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball with Jackson State Community College.  The Red Raider graduate becomes the 2nd member of the Class of 2018 to sign to play college baseball.  Langham is set to play shortstop at the college level.

According to Coffee County head baseball coach David Martin told Thunder Radio sports on Tuesday that Jackson State has been recruiting Langham for 2 years.  “They have wanted Jacob from the get-go” said Martin.  “Jacob is a true 5 tool player with elite attributes” added Martin.  He went on to say; “The sky’s the limit for Jacob as he has the chance to be an exceptional college baseball player.“  When asked what would make Langham successful at the college level, Martin said “Jacob in a hard worker.  He does everything the right way.”

Langham hit .300 in the last 2 weeks of his senior season after coming off shoulder surgery in the offseason.  Langham finished 3^rd on the team in runs scored and 2^nd on the team in runs socred with 22.  Jackson State Community College is a member of Tennessee Community College Athletic Association.  The Generals are coached by Tyson Malik.  Malik just completed his 6^th season at the helm of the Generals program.

Jorge Mateo and Ramon Laureano each collected four hits and three RBIs on Tuesday night to lead the Nashville Sounds to an 11-4 victory over the Las Vegas 51s at Cashman Field in the opener of a seven-game road trip.

Every Sounds hitter in the game reached base at least once, and the offense built an early 5-0 lead. Anthony Garcia smashed a long two-run homer in the first, his 19^th of the year. BJ Boyd doubled home Franklin Barreto in the third, and Jorge Mateo’s RBI triple in the fourth made it a 4-0 game. Then Ramon Laureano followed with a run-scoring double to make it 5-0.

After Las Vegas scored one in the fourth and two in the fifth against Chris Bassitt to cut it to 5-3, the Sounds pulled away again. Garcia and Sheldon Neuse drew consecutive bases-loaded walks in the sixth, Mateo smashed a two-run triple in the seventh, and Laureano poked a run-scoring single for a 10-3 advantage. Laureano capped the big night with a long solo homer in the ninth. He and Mateo combined to go 8-for-11 with six RBIs.

Bassitt went seven innings for the second consecutive outing and got the win, allowing four runs on eight hits. Jeremy Bleich and Jake Sanchez each worked a scoreless inning, and Nabil Crismatt took the loss for the 51s.

The Sounds continue the three-game series and seven-game road trip Wednesday night. Daniel Mengden (2-1, 3.68) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Chris Flexen (6-6, 4.39) for the 51s. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41^st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

The Coffee County CHS football team hit the practice field on Monday morning for their first day of practice in full pads.  “Things went well” said Red Raider coach Ryan Sulkowski when asked how the first day of practice went.   Coffee County has been conditioning since July 9^th and practiced in helmets and shorts for a couple of times last week.

2018 is the 5^th year at the helm of the Red Raider program for Sulkowski and will feature a young squad.  The replacement of several All-Region 4-6A players will continue to be the focus heading into the season opener.  Coffee County was scheduled to have a scrimmage with Grundy County on Friday, but with a change in coaching staff at Grundy, it appears that the scrimmage has been cancelled.

The Red Raiders will open the regular season at home on August 17^th when they play host to Franklin County at Carden-Jarrell Field.  Other highlight’s from the 2018 schedule include the Coffee Pot Game which will take place on August 24^th in Tullahoma.  Coffee County’s bye week is set for September 7^th.  Homecoming will be on September 28^th when Coffee County hosts Oakland.  The regular season will wrap up with Senior Night on October 26^th against White County.

Each game will begin at 7 PM and Thunder Radio will continue to bring you all the action.  Thunder Radio’s live coverage will begin each Friday night with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame Show at 6 PM.  Lucky Knott and Dustin Murray will bring you live action from the stadium at 6:45 each Friday night.  Following the game, the Friday Night Thunder Postgame Show will go until 11 PM.  Then on Wednesday night, Thunder Radio will bring you the Ryan Sulkowski Show LIVE from West Main Brick Oven from 6 to 7 PM.

2018 CHS Football Team

Motlow Lady Bucks soccer will return 12 sophomores, including, from left: Megan Blumhoefer from Smyrna, Bailee Walls from Winchester, and Paige Loveless from Murfreesboro.

The Motlow State Community College women’s soccer team will open the 2018 season when it travels to Senatobia, MS, to face Northwest Mississippi Community College on Friday, Aug. 24, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. Official practice begins for NJCAA women’s soccer teams on Aug. 1.

The contest opens a 16-game regular season for the Lady Bucks that concludes Oct. 29 with a home contest against the Martin Methodist College JV squad. Motlow does not have an on-campus soccer facility, so all home games will be played at area high schools. Last season the Lady Bucks played on high school fields in Tullahoma, Manchester, Winchester, Shelbyville, Fayetteville and Smyrna.

There are now four community colleges in Tennessee playing women’s soccer, with Columbia State and Dyersburg State joining Motlow and Southwest Tennessee. All four schools will play at the Division I level of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) tournament will be Oct. 26-27 in Memphis.

Although five schools are needed to qualify as an ‘official sport’ by the TCCAA, the conference tournament will determine a champion, who will then advance to the Central District I tournament against the top teams from Missouri and Illinois, scheduled for Nov. 1-3 at home of the Region 24 winner. The winner of Central District I, along with the runner-up, will advance to the NJCAA tournament, held in Melbourne, FL., in mid-November.

The Motlow soccer program under Head Coach Andy Lyon won eight games in its inaugural season while losing seven and tying one. The Lady Bucks did not meet the criteria to qualify for the district tournament in 2017 as the lone representative from Region VII.

Motlow will play nine road games and seven home games, with the first home contest scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7, against Columbia State. Other TCCAA home games are Friday, Oct, 5, against Dyersburg State and Friday, Oct. 12, against Southwest Tennessee. Motlow will play home games this season in Tullahoma, Manchester, Winchester, McMinnville, Shelbyville and Smyrna.

The Lady Bucks will take three extended road trips, where they will play two opponents over a two-day or three-day span. Two days after their opener in Senatobia, they will be in Memphis to play Southwest Tennessee. On Sept 2-3, they travel to Oxford, GA, to face South Georgia Tech and Oxford College, and Sept. 21-22, Motlow heads to Meridian, MS, to face Meridian Community College and Hinds Community College.

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.

The Titans placed right tackle Jack Conklin and tight end Phillip Supernaw on the team’s “Physically Unable to Perform” (PUP) list on Sunday as they reported to training camp.

Both players missed all of the team’s offseason workouts.

Also, Titans receiver Michael Campanaro and linebacker Rashaan Evans were declared “Non-Football Illness” while defensive tackle Mike Ramsay was placed on “Non-Football Injury.”

Additionally, OLB Kevin Dodd was placed on Reserve – Did Not Report.

On Sunday, the Titans opened training camp for all quarterbacks and rookies — and players who finished the offseason program in June with injuries.

All of the players are eligible to be added back to the active roster by the time training camp kicks off on Thursday at Saint Thomas Sports Park. The rest of the players on the roster are scheduled to report on Wednesday.

Conklin, who suffered a torn ACL in the team’s playoff game against the Patriots in January, said last week he’s made good progress in his recovery. He’s dropped 10 pounds this offseason, but said he’s stronger.

“I am still rehabbing, but things are going well, no setbacks,” Conklin told Titans Online. “It is hard having a new staff, not able to be out there running around. But I have a great team and the staff has done a great job of getting me (healthy). I am excited.

“You don’t want to come back too early and hurt it again. You want to make sure you are full health and ready to go. If I come back too early, I am not only hurting myself, but I am hurting the team. If I can’t play at the level I need to perform at, there’s really no reason I should be out there playing. I think I need to earn my way back health-wise and practicing and that is something I am working toward and something I am excited to get back to.”

By placing players on “Non-Football Illness” or “Non-Football Injury” the players have extra time to get healthy before camp begins. Some of the players could be on the field for the first day of camp.

The Coffee County Lady Raider volleyball team finished up play in the Eagleville Team Camp on Friday.  The Lady Raiders went 2 and 2 on the day in the double elimination tournament.  Coffee County finished the 3 day team camp with a record of 5 and 5.

The Lady Raiders opened tournament play on Friday morning with a win over Columbia Academy.  The Lady Raiders won in 3 sets, 6-25, 26-24 and 15-9.  The Lady Raiders lost in the 2^nd round in straight sets to Lawrence County.  Coffee County fell 9-25 and 13-25 to the Lady Cats.  In the loser’s bracket, Coffee County got a 3 set win over defending state tournament participant Summertown.  The Lady Raiders won 15-25, 26-24 and 15-13.  The Lady Raiders were eliminated in the semifinals by Columbia Academy in straight sets 20-25 and 16-25.

The Lady Raiders will be back in action on Thursday.  Coffee County will host a varsity play day at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.

The Nashville Sounds upended the Oklahoma City Dodgers 8-5 Sunday night in front of 10,697 fans at First Tennessee Park to salvage a series split. Sheldon Neuse drove in four runs on two extra-base hits in the victory.

The Nashville Sounds handed Oklahoma City’s Manny Bañuelos his worst outing of the year as they tagged the All-Star for a season-high seven runs, all earned. The runs came in bunches as the Sounds scored multiple runs in three different innings against Bañuelos. Nashville’s James Naile logged his ninth quality start of the season as he went 6 1/3 innings and gave up five runs but just three were earned.

Nashville used a three-run second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Jorge Mateo lined a run-scoring double to open the scoring. Two batters later J.P. Sportman came through in a big way for his first hit at the Triple-A level. Sportman looped a double into shallow left field to drive in a pair of runs.

The Sounds made more noise in the third inning. With two outs Anthony Garcia worked a walk to prolong the inning. Neuse stepped up to the plate and launched a two-run blast beyond the left field fence. The home run was Neuse’s fourth of the season and extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Oklahoma City began to chip away at the 5-0 deficit in the fourth inning. Catcher Kyle Farmer belted a solo home run in the fourth and then the Dodgers posted two unearned runs in the fifth. The Sounds responded with two runs of their own in the fifth inning. Neuse ripped a two-run double down the left field line to restore the four-run lead for the Sounds.

The Dodgers tacked on runs in the sixth and seventh innings while Nashville also added a run in the seventh inning.

Without the services of Bobby Wahl the Sounds turned to Josh Lucas to get the final three outs. Lucas walked the leadoff batter but retired the next three in succession for his fourth save of the season.

The Sounds are off on Monday before beginning a three-game series in Las Vegas against the 51’s Tuesday night at Cashman Field. Right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-4, 5.36) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Cody Martin (2-3, 7.21) for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

• With tonight’s 8-5 win, the Sounds improved to 49-51 on the season.
• Tonight’s crowd of 10,697 fans was the 14^th sellout of the season and 69^th all-time at First Tennessee Park.
• Third baseman Sheldon Neuse had two hits for the Sounds and is now on an eight-game hitting streak. His longest of the season is nine games. His four-RBI were a season-high.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41^st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Nashville SC looked poised to bag all three points in Ottawa, but the final 10 minutes went all wrong as two stoppage time goals by Ottawa Fury FC sealed a deflating 2-0 loss for Nashville.

90’ in a Nutshell

Two of the best defenses in the USL showed why through the first 80 minutes of the match, locking it down on both ends of the pitch. Both Nashville keeper Matt Pickens and Ottawa netminder Maxime Crepeau were outstanding the few times each was tested.

In the 81’ minute, Nashville was awarded just its second penalty of the season, on an Ottawa handball, and it seemed the visitors would have the chance they needed to grab the win. It was not to be as Alan Winn’s penalty kick hit the underside of the crossbar and popped out.

It went from bad to worse in the final ten minutes as Nashville SC, who had already used three subs, lost defender Bradley Bourgeois to injury, had defender London Woodberry sent off with a second yellow card, and had Pickens tough out the final few minutes after taking a knee to the back. The losses mounted and Ottawa took advantage, scoring twice in stoppage time to grab all three points.

Goals

90’+1 – Tony Taylor (assisted by Jimmy-Shammar Sanon)

90’+6 – Kevin Oliveira (assisted by Jimmy-Shammar Sanon)

Quotable

Head Coach Gary Smith

“It’s a fine line. Looked like we were going to score, and then they score. I think the first goal was very avoidable. The second was well-taken. It’s just a fine line between winning and losing and we saw that tonight.”

Standings Update

With its second consecutive loss, Nashville SC drops to the eighth and final playoff spot in the USL Eastern Conference, stuck on 27 pts.

Up Next

Nashville will have a quick turnaround as it returns home to First Tennessee Park to take on Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Nashville Sounds and Oklahoma City Dodgers split a doubleheader in front of a sellout crowd 11,130 fans at First Tennessee Park Saturday night.

After falling 6-1 in game one, the Sounds returned the favor with a 4-0 win in game two. Liam Hendriks, Dean Kiekhefer, Ryan Dull and Josh Lucas combined to shut out the Dodgers on five hits.

Hendriks started for the first time this year and tossed two innings before being relieved by Kiekhefer. The southpaw tossed three scoreless innings and picked up his sixth win of the season. Dull struck out the side in the sixth before handing it over to Lucas who finished the win.

Brett Vertigan started the scoring for the Sounds in the third inning when he doubled off the right-field wall to score J.P. Sportman from first base.

In the fourth, Bruce Maxwell came through with a two-run single to give the Sounds a 3-0 lead. Maxwell plated BJ Boyd who walked, and Sheldon Neuse who reached on an infield single.

Anthony Garcia capped the scoring for Nashville with a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth. It was his team-leading 18^th homer of the season.

The Dodgers used a five-run top of the second to help win game one. They got home runs from Edwin Rios and Henry Ramos.

The fourth and final game of the series is scheduled for Sunday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander James Naile (5-9, 4.18) starts for the Sounds against left-hander Manny Banuelos (8-4, 3.40) for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

• With tonight’s 6-1 loss and 4-0 win, the Sounds are 48-51 on the season.
• Tonight’s crowd of 11,130 fans was the 13^th sellout of the season and 68^th all-time at First Tennessee Park.
• Nashville is now 4-4 in doubleheader games in 2018.
• The shutout the Sounds threw in game two was their eighth of the season. Only Omaha with nine has thrown more.
• Sounds reliever Dean Kiekhefer extended his winning streak to six games with his game two win.
• Anthony Garcia hit his team-leading 18^th home run of the season in game two. He has the seventh-most in the Pacific Coast League.
• Third baseman Sheldon Neuse had hits in both games for the Sounds and is now on a seven-game hitting streak. His longest of the season is nine games.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41^st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.