The Coffee County CHS Red Raider soccer team has postponed their annual Red Raider Jam scrimmage play day that was scheduled for Saturday at the Raider Soccer Field and Carden-Jarrell Field. The event will move to NEXT Saturday, March 3rd. Eleven varsity squads and 6 JV teams will fill out a field that will feature 36 games. The action gets underway at 8 AM with the last game beginning at 5:55 PM.
The Coffee County Middle School softball team is scheduled to travel to Lynchburg on Friday, weather permitting, for the Moore County Playday. The Lady Raiders will play 3 games on Friday beginning at 5 PM. Coffee Middle will take on Moore County at 5, Community Middle at 6:16 and Eagleville at 7:30. All 3 games will be held at the Lynchburg Park.
The Coffee County CHS baseball team is scheduled to travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday for a scrimmage game with Central Magnet. The matchup is the 2nd scrimmage of the year for Coffee County following Monday’s trip to McMinnville. The game with Central Magnet will begin at 12 noon and will be held at StarPlex Park.
The Lady Raider softball team of Coffee County CHS hopes to travel to Shelbyville on Saturday for a scrimmage play day at Daisye Musgrave Hulan Park. The Lady Raiders will play 4 games on the day. Coffee County opens up at 9 AM as they take on Community. They will follow that up at 10:15 game against Cornersville. At 1:30, the Lady Raiders take on Forrest and close out the day with a 4:30 game against Giles County.
The Motlow Lady Bucks enjoyed their biggest offensive output of the young season when they beat the Martin Methodist College JV 14-2 in the second game of a doubleheader Monday afternoon in Pulaski. The Red Hawks won the opening game 1-0, scoring the lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Motlow (2-4, 0-0) will now embark on the season’s longest road trip, heading to Meridian, Miss. this weekend to take part in the Rush Invitational Tournament. The Lady Bucks will play two games Friday and three Saturday, facing Northwest Florida State, Wallace State-Hanceville, Wallace State-Dothan, Spoon River, and East Mississippi respectively.
Following that trip, Motlow will open Tennessee Community College Athletic Association play when they travel to Chattanooga State for a four-game series March 2 & 3. Game times are 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday central time.
Kendall Durard was outstanding for the Lady Bucks in the circle in the opener Monday afternoon, allowing only two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. However, MMC hurler Sydney Watson was equally impressive, allowing just three hits.
Neither team got a runner to third base until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the home team pieced together a leadoff double, a steal of third, and a sacrifice fly to get the win. Kylie Thackerson, Samantha King and Miranda Cooksey each had hits for the Lady Bucks.
Game two was a complete reversal. Motlow scored five runs in the first inning, one in the second, and six more in third. The Lady Bucks added a pair of runs in the fifth, as did the Red Hawks, and the game ended on the 10-run rule after five innings.
Six players had two hits each for Motlow; Ariel McAtee, Madison Hopkins, Breanna Owens, Durard, Ciera Dobbins and Caroline Sarris. Haley Hinshaw drove in three runs, while Dobbins, Chelbie Gannon and Ace Hanson each had two RBI.
Owens (1-0) got the win, pitching the first two innings and allowing two hits with two strikeouts. Samantha King pitched the next two innings and gave up just one hit, followed by Sarah Wilson who tossed the final inning and allowed four hits and the two runs.
Jennifer Corbitt currently leads the Lady Bucks with 10 or more at bats in hitting with a .545 batting average. McAtee leads in hits with seven, and Hinshaw is setting the pace in run production with nine runs batted in. The Lady Bucks have stolen 10 bases this season, with McAtee leading the way with four.
The Predators made sure Pekka Rinne’s 300th win wasn’t in doubt.
Seven different Preds found the back of the net and Rinne reached the significant milestone as Nashville defeated the San Jose Sharks by a 7-1 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. It’s Nashville’s third win in four nights, bumping them to 83 points and a continued first-place spot in the Central Division.
A 33-save performance turned into Rinne’s 300th NHL victory as the Finnish netminder became just the 34th goaltender in NHL history to reach the mark.
“It was something that the guys were focused on too,” Rinne said of the milestone. “San Jose didn’t have a lot of scoring chances tonight. [It was an] easy night for me. I kind of helped [San Jose] get on the board. That was a soft goal. But a win like that in a milestone game is nice.”
“I think everybody knew what was going on,” Laviolette said of Rinne. “It was a big night for him. One of many, one of 300, one of his whole career. He’s just been fantastic, not only tonight, not only this year, but his whole career he’s just been incredible for this organization. The way he’s back stopped it for so many years with so much consistency. What you see on the ice is incredible. The person that he is, is even better than that, so we’re fortunate to have a guy like that here.”
The Predators gave Rinne a 2-0 lead to work with in the first period as Nick Bonino scored less than two minutes into the contest, and later found Scott Hartnell who directed the puck past Aaron Dell with less than a minute to play in the frame.
Logan Couture broke the shutout bid midway through the second stanza, but Kevin Fiala’s flubbed deke worked out in his favor, as it fooled Dell and slid through the five hole to give Nashville a two-goal lead once more after 40 minutes.
That lead widened in the third with Viktor Arvidsson tallying his fourth goal in the last three games, and then the forward found Ryan Johansen in the slot for a 5-1 score. Mattias Ekholm and Calle Jarnkrok added two more before the night was over.
“[I am] very proud,” Rinne said. “I was 22 when I came here to this organization. I spent three years in Milwaukee and now 10 years here. It’s my second home. It’s where I’ve spent my adulthood and grown up as a man and as a person. I consider this my team. Hopefully, one day, I can end my playing days here.”
While Rinne’s accomplishment took precedent, the fact Nashville put up seven goals against one of the West’s top clubs is nothing to take lightly. After a bit of a rough patch over the past couple of weeks, the Predators are starting to show once more just what they’re capable of when they play to their potential.
And if Thursday night’s effort is any sign of things to come, the Predators could be starting to peak with the final 22 games of the season in sight.
“The last two weeks we’ve gotten points and we’ve gotten wins, but I think there has just been periods and certain areas in the game that we’ve been playing really well,” Ekholm said. “Tonight, we really showed what kind of damage this team can do and when everyone is playing like this. It could be a fun stretch.”
Mr. 300:
Only 33 others before him have done it.
And as the final horn sounded on Thursday night, shortly after Pekka Rinne had made his 33rd and final save of the night, the veteran puck stopper became the 34th goaltender in NHL history to record 300 wins, an elite club to say the least.
In addition to becoming the seventh active goaltender to attain the feat, Rinne is also just the third Finnish netminder to record NHL win No. 300. As he stepped to the microphone on the Preds bench after being named the game’s First Star, Rinne became emotional as he thought of his family and friends watching back home and of all he’s been through to make it to this point.
“Right after the game, I got a pretty cool reaction from the crowd,” Rinne said. “I really appreciate it. You don’t really set that kind of goal for yourself, how many wins you hope to win in your career. It’s a lot of wins. I’m proud of it. Being here for a long time, playing for really good teams and winning hockey; I think that’s the biggest factor in my success.
“I didn’t want to cry to be honest with you,” Rinne said. “[It was] the crowd’s reaction. In those moments, you take a look back. It’s a lot of things.”
Rinne didn’t have to have his best night, but he was solid nonetheless, just as he has been night after night throughout his career. And for a guy often referred to as “the backbone” of the club by his Predators teammates, Rinne held firm once more – the 300th occasion in the past decade.
“To work with a guy like Pekka on a daily basis, off the ice, in practice, to watch his work ethic, his character, to see the leadership that he has and sets the example for our team… that’s the reason why this team has been successful, at least in my time here and probably for his whole career,” Laviolette said. “Like a game, it can never always be perfect but to have somebody like that who leads every day by example and is as talented as he his, that’s the reason why this organization has experienced some success.”
Notes:
Viktor Arvidsson skated in his 200th NHL contest on Thursday night, all of them coming with Nashville.
In the last nine meetings between the Preds and Sharks at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville has limited San Jose to two or fewer goals eight times and scored at least five goals five times.
For the first time in franchise history, the Predators will be on NBC for a regular-season contest, an 11 a.m. CT start this Sunday at Bridgestone Arena as the St. Louis Blues come to town. Nashville will then embark for a four-game trip, beginning on Tuesday in Winnipeg.
The Manchester Police Department team receive the Mayors Cup from Manchester mayor Lonnie Norman. [Photo by Rob Clutter]
For the 3rd year in a row, the Manchester Police Department has claimed the Mayor’s Cup trophy. The men in blue got their 3rd straight sweep of the basketball triple-header on Wednesday night to retain the trophy. The police captured a pair of wins on the night over the teams from the Manchester Recreation Department and the Manchester City School System.
A good size crowd was on hand at the Manchester Recreation Center to watch the night’s action. In the opener, the Rec Department held off a late Teacher rally to claim a 30 to 24 win. In the second game, the police handcuffed the teachers 39 to 22. In the 3rd and deciding game, Police Chief Mark Yother and his team claimed the tile with a 31 to 28 victory over the Rec Department.
The proceeds from donations given on the night were presented to the Haven of Hope. The Haven of Hope is a domestic violence service, for Coffee and surrounding counties, providing help for people dealing with domestic abuse. The Haven of Hope provides crisis intervention, education and advocacy support to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties.
2018 Region 4 Basketball Tournament[Click to enlarge and print]
The schedule was released on Wednesday for the Region 4AAA Basketball Tournament. Both the Lady Raiders and Red Raiders of Coffee County Central High School qualified for this year’s tournament. Tournament play begins on Friday night at the home site of the 4 highest seeded girls’ teams in the tournament. The Lady Raiders will play host to Oakland on Friday night; tipoff is set for 7 PM.
The boys’ bracket play begins on Saturday night at the home site of the four highest seeded boys’ teams. The Red Raiders will travel to Riverdale to take on the Warriors on Saturday night beginning at 7 PM.
The semifinals and finals of the region tournament will take place on Monday through Thursday at Columbia Central High School. The girls’ semifinal round is Monday with the championship taking place on Wednesday night. The boys’ semifinal round is Tuesday with the championship taking place on Thursday night.
As always, Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast of all Coffee County basketball games. High school basketball on Thunder Radio is brought to you in part by LKQ of Manchester.
Sophomore Rashawn Fredericks prepares to drive to the basket during a game earlier this season at Copperweld Arena. Fredericks scored 36 points and added 10 rebounds Saturday as the Motlow Bucks dropped a 93-85 decision to Southwest Tennessee in Memphis. The Bucks will host Jackson State Wednesday and Columbia State Saturday to close out the home portion of the 2017-18 season. [Photo by Jeff Reed Photography]
Despite 36 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore Rashawn Fredericks, the Motlow Bucks fell out of first place in the TCCAA men’s basketball standings for the first time this season when they dropped a 93-85 decision to Southwest Tennessee Saturday afternoon in Memphis. Earlier in the week the Bucks blew out Dyersburg State 102-64 in Dyersburg.
The Bucks (17-5, 11-3) have now lost three of their past five games, relinquishing that top spot in the standings to Southwest Tennessee after Saturday’s result. The Saluqis (19-3, 12-2) now have the upper hand for the top seed in the upcoming TCCAA/Region VII Tournament, which begins March 2 at Chattanooga State.
Motlow will close out the home portion of their schedule with a visit from Columbia State at 2 p.m. Saturday. Motlow will hold a recognition ceremony for its sophomores between games on Saturday.
The Bucks were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game Saturday after the Saluqis went on a 19-2 run midway through the first half. The game was tied 21-21 with 11:45 left in the half, and by the time the clock reached 6:25, the Saluqis led 40-23. Motlow closed the gap to five points in the final five minutes, but the home team held on to get the win.
Fredericks continued what has been a spectacular sophomore season, hitting 11-17 shots from the field and 12-15 free throws. His 36 points is tied for the fourteenth most points ever scored by a Motlow men’s basketball player in a game.
The Bucks as a team were splendid at the free-throw line, connecting on 28-31 attempts. However, Motlow was only 7-32 from three-point range and shot only 34 percent from the field. Southwest, meanwhile, hit 57 percent of its shots, including 9-23 three pointers. The Saluqis won the rebounding battle 43-31 and Motlow had only 12 assists to 22 for Southwest.
Isaiah Hart scored 22 points and added eight assists and six steals for the Bucks, while Kevonte Corley scored eight with 10 rebounds, Leo Castillo had nine points, and David Fraser scored seven.
The Bucks enjoyed a much easier time of it Wednesday night in beating Dyersburg State, which has yet to win a conference game. The Bucks shot 44 percent from the field and hit 13 three-pointers. Motlow had 28 assists on 36 made baskets and turned the ball over only 10 times.
Dillon Smith led a balanced scoring attack with 20 points and added four assists and three steals. Hart, Fredericks and Fraser each had 16 points, with Fredericks adding eight rebounds and Hart contributing eight assists and six steals. Corley had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kin Webster scored eight points with eight rebounds.
Following Saturday’s final home game against Columbia State, the Bucks will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Roane State Monday and Walters State Tuesday. The games were originally scheduled for Jan. 12 and 13, but were postponed due to inclement weather.
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.
Darius Rozier with his All-District and All-District Tournament plaques on Tuesday night
Squaring off against their rivals from Tullahoma on Tuesday night, the Coffee County Red Raiders had a lot to play for in the District 8AAA consolation game. Trying to erase the sting of a heartbreaking loss to Lawrence County on Saturday, the Red Raiders also wanted to get the best possible matchup in the region tournament. Coffee County was able to lead the Wildcats from start to finish in a 46 to 28 win.
Despite a slow start, the Red Raiders held a 12 to 10 halftime lead. Coffee County outscored Tullahoma 15 to 4 in the 3rd quarter and stretched that lead in the 4th quarter to get the rivalry win. The Raiders led the Wildcats by double digits for the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Coffee County was led in scoring by Darius Rozier who had 24 points as he was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Grey Riddle added 9 points while Andrew Mahaffey and De’Aaron Rozier chipped in 4. The win lifts the Red Raiders record to 18 and 8 on the season.
After the game, Darius Rozier was selected for the regular season All-District 8AAA team. He earned that honor for the regular season by a vote of the district coaches. Rozier was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Red Raiders now advance to the Region 4AAA tournament on Saturday night. Coffee County will travel to take on Riverdale in Murfreesboro. Tipoff for that contest will be at 7 PM at Riverdale High School. Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action beginning with the Powers Storage Pregame Show at 6:50.
Chief Mark Yother hoists the 2017 Mayors Cup as presented by Mayor Lonnie Norman
The 3rd annual Mayor’s Cup is scheduled for TONIGHT [Wednesday, February 21st ] at 6:00 PM at the Manchester Recreation Center. Teams from the Manchester City School System, the Manchester Police Department and the Manchester Recreation Department will compete in the round robin basketball triple header to crown a champion. The winner of the tournament will be presented the prestigious Mayor’s Cup trophy.
Admission is free but donations are requested at the door and all proceeds will go to benefit the Haven of Hope. The Haven of Hope is a domestic violence service, for Coffee and surrounding counties, providing help for people dealing with domestic abuse. The Haven of Hope provides crisis intervention, education and advocacy support to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties.
Last season, the Manchester Police department was crowned the champion for the 2nd straight year as they swept the recreation department and school system teams. The night’s fun and festivities, along with a LOT of good-natured self-promotion, will get underway at 6:00 PM. Come on out to support this great cause as Thunder Radio will be on hand to broadcast all the action. Lucky Knott and Rob Clutter will bring you the call here on Thunder Radio.
Juuse Saros made 34 saves and the Nashville Predators earned their second win in as many nights with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The result gives Nashville points 80 and 81 on the season, keeping them in first place in the Central Division and giving the Preds a 5-1-1 record in each half of their back-to-back segments this season.
“I liked the first, I don’t think we were very good in the second and I thought we did what we needed to do in the third period in order to win,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of the effort.
Nashville’s start couldn’t have been much better and on their ninth shot of the period, Roman Josi flicked the puck toward the Wings’ cage where it banked off the skates of Scott Hartnell and gently bounced into the far side of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Moments later, and in one smooth motion, Kyle Turris brought the puck from in front of Jimmy Howard, reached it around the goalie’s pads and tucked it just inside the goal line to score his first goal in 10 games for a 2-0 advantage.
The territorial edge went to the home team in the middle frame, but Viktor Arvidsson still had a chance to put the Predators ahead 3-0 when he skated in all alone on Howard. But after the forward’s reach to the backhand failed, the Wings found Andreas Athanasiou uncovered at the far blue line and the winger cut the visitors’ lead in half with a one-on-one tally.
A chance for redemption dawned five minutes into the third period, however, as Arvidsson found himself again on a breakaway and this time he was not denied, rifling a shot to the blocker side for a 3-1 Predators lead and his third tally in two games.
“The back-to-backs are always tough with travel, but a huge goal at the time,” Nashville center Ryan Johansen said of the game-winning tally. “The kid made another huge play for us, so that’s what you need when you’re winning games. You need guys making plays and Arvi has been a big reason for our last two wins.”
A goal from Tomas Tatar pulled the Red Wings back to within a goal after a mad scramble in the blue paint, but Saros slammed the door the rest of the way to collect his sixth win of the campaign and send the Preds back to Nashville with two more points in the luggage.
“It was a big win for the team,” Saros said. “Of course it feels good to win, so it was a good road win for us.”
Back-to-Back Special:
When considering the amount of energy exerted over the course of one game in the NHL, one may surmise a team’s record in the second half of a back-to-back situation would be less than ideal.
The Predators aren’t most teams.
Less than 24 hours after collecting a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators at Bridgestone Arena, the Preds traveled to Little Caesars Arena and eked out a 3-2 victory over a Detroit team that defeated Nashville just three days earlier.
“We didn’t have a great second period today, but it was a back-to-back and we managed to win both games, so that’s huge,” Arvidsson said. “Now we have to go back and play two home games and make them count.”
The Preds now have five wins in seven tries when it comes to the backend of a two-night test, and much of that success can be attributed to goaltending, no matter who gets the call on the second night. It was Saros on this occasion, and just as he’s done in numerous outings already this season, he gave his team a chance to win, and that’s exactly what they did.
“He’s been really, really good,” Laviolette said of Saros. “Our guys have a tremendous amount of confidence in him and his numbers speak to that… He gives us an opportunity to win games.”
Notes:
The Predators return for two-straight home games, hosting the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (at 7 p.m. CT) and the St. Louis Blues on Sunday (at 11 a.m.).
Roman Josi’s assist on Scott Hartnell’s first-period goal was the 200th of his career and put the captain at fifth on the franchise’s all time list.
Pontus Aberg, Anthony Bitetto and Matt Irwin were scratched for Nashville.
2018 District 8AAA Runner-up Coffee County Lady Raiders
Attempting to win their first district title since 2011, the Coffee County Lady Raiders squared off against Shelbyville on Monday night in the District 8AAA Championship. With each of the previous 2 meetings being decided by 3 points or less, this matchup was expected to be a close affair. Foul trouble and a 2nd period cold streak derailed the Lady Raiders championship quest in a 43 to 40 loss.
After a strong start where the Lady Raiders built a 12 to 3 lead, Coffee County went ice cold for a stretch of 5:21 in the 2nd quarter to see Shelbyville seize the lead. The Lady Raiders tied the game briefly in the 3rd quarter before retaking the lead again with 4:52 left in the game. After trading the lead 5 times in the final 5 minutes, Shelbyville went ahead for good with 29 seconds left in the game.
Coffee County was led in scoring by Bella Vinson who had 26 points. With that performance, Vinson was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Jacey Vaughn finished with 5 points and Abby Morgan added 4 points. The loss drops the Lady Raiders record to 24 and 4 on the season.
After the game, 2 members of the Lady Raiders were selected for the regular season All-District 8AAA team. Bella Vinson and Abby Morgan were tabbed for the regular season team by the district coaches. Vinson and Morgan were also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Lady Raiders now advance to the Region 4AAA tournament which begins on Friday. Coffee County will play host to Oakland at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym. Tipoff for that contest will be at 7 PM and Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action. Live coverage will begin with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental Pregame Show at 6:50.
