Category: Sports

Temple Rallies for Thursday Win over Faith

Cody Swayze of the Temple Baptist Christian School basketball team

The Temple Baptist Christian School welcomed Faith Christian Academy to the E.C. Bailey Gym on Thursday.  The home standing Eagles played host to the Crusaders from Jamestown.  A record breaking performance from Cody Swayze helped lift the Eagles to the 73 to 51 win.

Trailing by 5 at the half, Temple opened the 2nd half on a 14 to 2 run in the first 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter.  In the fourth quarter, Temple outscored Faith 21 to 12 led by Swayze who had 13 points in the final frame.

Swayze finished with 54 points on the night to break the single game record for Temple for the 3rd time this season.  Alex Gloden added 12 points and Trace Woodard chipped in 4 points.

Temple is back in action on Friday, February 9th at home when they welcome Philadelphia Christian School of Calhoun, GA.  The Eagles will host the varsity/JV doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM.

CHS Freshmen Raiders Drop Tullahoma on Thursday

Jaxon Vaughn of CHS basketball

The CHS freshman basketball team traveled to Tullahoma on Thursday night to take on the freshmen Wildcats.  The Red Raiders raced out to a huge lead in the 1st three periods and held off a late Wildcat rally.  Coffee County won by a final score of 61 to 48.

Coffee County scored double digits in each quarter as they built a 29 to 10 lead at the half.  Coffee County stretched the lead to 24 entering the 4th quarter as Coach Chris Rudolph was able to empty his bench.   Tullahoma made a late run but could not catch the Raiders who improved to 6 and 0 on the year.

Ten different Red Raiders scored on the night led by Jaxon Vaughn and Tyler Taylor who each netted 11 points.  Kyle Farless added 10 points for Coffee County.  The trio of C.J. Anthony, Andrew Hite and Brady Vaughn each scored 6 points.

The freshmen Raiders will be back in action on Thursday when they play host to Warren County.  The boys only contest will begin at 6 PM at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.

Forsberg Returns to Help Healthy Preds Shut Out Kings

Filip Forsberg

Filip Forsberg scored in his return and Pekka Rinne posted his fifth shutout as the Nashville Predators defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-0 on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds a clean sweep of the Kings in the three-game season series. Tonight’s contest saw Forsberg post two points as he returned from a month-long injury hiatus.

Icing a completely healthy lineup for the first time this season, Nashville dominated from start to finish, racing out to a 3-0 lead before the first period was over and holding the Kings to just 19 shots overall for their League-leading eighth blanking of an opponent this season.

“Tonight was a great game; it was one of our best 60-minute efforts in a while,” Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “It certainly is nice to have everybody back in there, having Filip [Forsberg] back it gives balance to the lines. Having Ryan [Ellis] back on defense it gives balance to the defense, you know, it’s just nice to have everybody back. It’s one game, you’ve got to move forward and get ready for the next one.”

From the opening drop of the puck, Nashville was all over Los Angeles, and halfway through the period, Craig Smith deposited a rebound on the power play for his 16th of the season and a 1-0 lead. Forsberg got his 16th six minutes later with a power-play marker of his own before Calle Jarnkrok jammed home a loose puck to put the Predators up by three after 20 minutes.

A Colton Sissons tally made it 4-0 after two periods and Viktor Arvidsson added his 16th in the final frame for Nashville’s fifth of the night – accented by a three-assist outing for Ryan Johansen – more than enough for cushion for Rinne, who only needed one anyway.

“I think we all have a lot of confidence in each other and we know the potential and skill that we have in this locker room,” Rinne said. “I think that our level of play has been up and down, but it’s a good sign that we’re still winning games. Tonight was the total opposite. We were dominating all 60 minutes and played a really solid game. I think this is obviously a step to the right direction and hopefully we can continue from here. I really liked the way we played.”

Filbruary:

Around these parts, it’s known as Filbruary.

After missing 11 games due to injury, Filip Forsberg didn’t waste much time getting on the scoresheet. First, he set up Ryan Johansen for a goal that was eventually overturned due to goaltender interference, but minutes later, he got one of his own on the man advantage and then assisted on Arvidsson’s tally.

Just another night at the office.

“It was a big win for the team, and I was more than happy to help in that way,” Forsberg said of his offensive output. “I think I’ve been fortunate enough to skate throughout the whole injury. Obviously it was a little different in the game; I had to catch my breath a couple times, but everything else felt pretty good.”

The Swede’s marker was his 24th goal in the month of February over the past three years, and if history has shown anything, it’s only going to get better.

Forsberg’s impact has been well documented over the past few seasons, but after a month away from the ice, the ability to have a positive affect almost immediately is nothing to overlook.

“We could talk for days about him,” Johansen said of Forsberg. “It was really nice having him back. He makes me and Arvidsson a lot deadlier with him on our side. We had a lot of fun out there tonight supporting each other, outworking our opponents, getting some results, too, and finding the back of the net. It was a fun night.”

Full Strength:

It’s just one game, but if this is what a healthy Predators lineup is capable of, the rest of the League should take note.

Skating with a full complement of players for the first time since the 2017 postseason, the Predators posted five goals on offense, while keeping their opponent off the scoresheet to boot, making for an impressive effort with their top 12 forwards and six defensemen of choice participating.

“When we’re all playing on the same page like we were tonight, playing within our system and going out there and executing our game plan really well, we’re a dangerous club,” Johansen said. “It’s exciting for us, because we’re super anxious to hopefully let these couple of months fly by as fast as possible and play for that Cup again. We understand, though, that we have to take it day by day and keep approaching every game and practice the way we approached the game tonight and we’ll be successful for sure.”

Notes:

Pekka Rinne has posted consecutive shutouts in the regular season for the third time in his NHL career (also March 18-20, 2010 and Feb. 12-14, 2013).

Colton Sissons’s goal was his first in 29 games.

Nashville concludes their three-game home stand on Saturday night when the New York Rangers come to town before embarking on a four-game trip next week that will take them to Brooklyn and Eastern Canada.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Jack Beachboard Named to All Region Swim Team

Jack Beachboard of CHS swimming [Photo provided]

Coffee County swimmer Jack Beachboard became the first swimmer in CHS history to be named to the Middle Tennessee High School Swim Association(MTHSSA) All-Region team on Wednesday.  Beachboard, a junior for the Coffee County swim team, was named to the All-Region team by the coaches for all the scholastic swim teams in middle Tennessee.  Beachboard, who qualified for all 8 races in the region championship this past weekend.

At the region meet on Friday, Beachboard set a new school for the highest ever regional finish as he finished in 3rd place in the 100 yard breaststroke with a new personal best time of 1:01.62.  Beachboard also had a 4th place finish in the 200 yard IM with a time of 2:01.27 which was 1.90 seconds better than his personal best.  Both finishes are the highest ever for a Raider swimmer at the region meet.

Beachboard has posted qualifying times in 7 of the 8 possible races at the state meet.  Beachboad will compete in the maximum of two races at the meet which will be held on February 16th and 17th at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  Beachboard will compete in the 200IM and the 100M breaststroke.

CHS Wrestlers Close Out Regular Season at Warren County

The CHS wrestling team squared off against Warren County on Tuesday night in their final duals match of the season. Despite scoring 4 wins, the Red Raiders could not capture the duals victory. Coffee County fell to Warren County 48 to 21.

Dakota Chalker(wrestling at 160 pounds) claimed the lone pinfall win for Coffee County. Evan Jaynes(145) and Josh Fournier(152) captured forfeits wins for the Raiders. Andrew Lawson(170) also won an 11 to 5 decision.

Next up for Coffee County will be the Region 5 Individual tournament. The region tournament will be held at Blackman High School on February 9th and 10th. Coffee County’s wrestlers will be competing to earn a berth in the state individual tournament scheduled for February 16th and 17th at Franklin’s Williamson County Ag and Expo Center.

Transfer-heavy Motlow Bucks Open Baseball Season Friday in Alabama

There will be a lot of new faces on the field when the Motlow Bucks open the 2018 baseball season as veteran Head Coach Dan McShea welcomes back only six players from last year’s squad. McShea has brought in a wealth of transfers in hopes of building the Bucks back into a contender in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA).

The Bucks will open the season Friday, Feb. 2, with a trip to play Wallace State in Hanceville, Ala., in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The following day Motlow goes to Birmingham to face Birmingham Southern in a noon doubleheader. The first home game is Saturday, Feb. 10, when Vincennes, Ind., visits for a noon doubleheader at the Driver Baseball Complex on Motlow’s Moore County campus. Admission is free for all Motlow home athletic contests.

The Bucks only return four players who saw game action last year. Outfielder Paul Rahman, from Charlotte, Tenn., had 70 at-bats and hit .243 with three doubles and eight runs batted in. Catcher Kirby Smith, from Fayetteville, hit .207 in 58 at-bats with a double, triple, home run and eight RBI.

On the mound the Bucks return Lawrenceburg’s Jase Carvell, who started eight games and went 2-2 with a 5.65 earned run average. Chandler Hardiman, from Fayetteville, started seven games and finished with a 3-2 record and a 6.75 ERA.

Also back are a pair of redshirt-freshmen left-handed pitchers in Darin Keller from Tullahoma and Jordan Burdette from Lawrenceburg.

Among the transfers, and the school they previously played at or attended, are sophomores De’Andre Pitts, East Mississippi Community College; Michael Bruhin, Spartanburg Methodist; Dallas Bryan, Lee University; Jake Chaney, Lawson State; Colin Smith, Florida Southwestern; and Troy Weatherly, Chattanooga State.

Also transferring to Motlow to play their freshman seasons are Logan Walters, Tennessee Tech; Kobe Foster, Tennessee Wesleyan; Patrick Music, Lincoln Memorial; Carson Pack, Tennessee Tech; and Micah McClellan, Lee University.

Incoming freshmen, and the high school they attended, are Tre Bailliez, Stewarts Creek; John Mangini and Tyler Harmon, Grissom in Huntsville; Matthew Garmendia, homeschool; Dayton and Nathan Sanders, Smyrna; Brayden Gentry, Marshall County; Paul McIntosh, Dade Christian in Miami; Matt Young, Maryville; Justin Parker, Buckhorn; and Chase Dixon from Tullahoma.

Entering his twelfth season as head coach, McShea’s Bucks are coming off a 22-30 season last year that included an early exit in the TCCAA postseason tournament. Motlow’s last winning season in baseball was 2014 when they finished 40-24 and advanced to the NJCAA East/Central district tournament.

McShea will be assisted by Cody Gaskill for the third consecutive season.

The Bucks will open conference play the first weekend in March when they travel to Chattanooga State for a three-game series. Each conference series consists of three games, with a single nine-inning contest on Friday and a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday. The first home conference series is the following weekend with Cleveland State as the visitor.

 

Titans Name Dean Pees DC, Matt LaFleur OC

New Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has made two big hires on his first coaching staff.

The Titans have reached a deal with veteran coach Dean Pees to be their defensive coordinator, while also striking a deal with Matt LaFleur to be offensive coordinator under Vrabel, who was introduced as head coach last Monday.

Pees has 10 years of experience as a defensive coordinator, with the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots. In six of those years, his units finished in the NFL’s top 10.

LaFleur, who interviewed for the head coaching job before Vrabel was hired earlier this month, joins the Titans after spending one year as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, who ranked first in the NFL in scoring and 10th in total offense in 2017.

“I am excited to add both of these guys to our staff,” Vrabel said. “Dean brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to our staff. I have seen first-hand how he teaches and develops from our time together and I wanted to bring that same experience to our players here.”

“Matt brings an energy and an offensive diversity to our team. He is going to develop an offense that puts our players in position to have success. Matt has worked with some great offensive minds, helped game plan on those staffs and I am looking forward to seeing him take that next step as a play-caller.”

Pees, who announced his retirement last month, returned to the game for a chance to coach with Vrabel, who won three Super Bowl rings as a player with the Patriots. Pees, who has 45 years of coaching experience, including 14 years in the NFL, spent the last eight seasons (2010-17) with the Ravens, including the last six years (2012-17) as the defensive coordinator. He initially joined Ravens in 2010, as the linebackers coach.

Under Pees in 2017, the Ravens had a league-best three shutouts and 33 takeaways. The Ravens also ranked sixth in points allowed per game (18.9).

The 2012 Ravens team won Super Bowl XLVII and Pees became just the eighth defensive coordinator in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with two different teams. Three (2014,’15,’16) of his six years as defensive coordinator for the Ravens resulted in top 10 rankings for the defense. Over his six-year tenure as Ravens defensive coordinator, the team ranked ninth in points/game (21.1), 10th in sacks (236), 8th in rushing yards allowed (103.4/game), fourth is rushing average allowed (3.88/attempt), 13th in third-down defense (36.9%) and 13th in interceptions (86).

Before joining the Ravens, Pees spent six seasons (2004-09) coaching for the Patriots. He originally joined the Patriots as linebackers coach, and his final four years he served as the defensive coordinator. In three of his four years (2007,’08,’09) as the defensive coordinator, the Patriots ranked in the top 11 in total defense. Over the four-year period, New England ranked second in the NFL in points allowed (17.3/game).

Before joining the NFL coaching ranks, Pees spent 25 years coaching in college. Among his stops was at Michigan State, where he served as defensive coordinator under head coach Nick Saban (1995-97).

LaFleur has a great track record with quarterbacks, and he’s been involved with some potent offenses. He’s expected to make a positive impact on Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The Rams led the NFL in scoring in 2017, averaging 29.9 points per game. The Rams finished 10th in the NFL in total offense in 2017 – 8th in rushing, 10th in passing.

In his first season with the Rams, LaFleur was instrumental in the development of quarterback Jared Goff, who threw for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2017 en route to reaching the Pro Bowl. Running back Todd Gurley led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,093) in 2017, was second in rushing yards (1,305).

Prior to joining the Rams, LaFleur served as quarterback Matt Ryan’s QBs coach for two seasons with the Falcons. Ryan was named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns for a 117.1 quarterback rating in 2016. In LaFleur’s first season with Atlanta, Ryan was also third in the NFL in completions (407), fifth in yards (4,591), and sixth in completion percentage (66.3).

LaFleur coached quarterbacks for the Redskins from 2010-2013, and he worked in Washington with QB Robert Griffin III, who became the first Redskins rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl and led the team to its first NFC East title in 13 years. Under LaFleur, Griffin established Redskins rookie records in pass completions (258), passing yards (3,200), passing touchdowns (20) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815).

LaFleur has experience working with some of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL as he spent time with Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

LaFleur spent one season (2014) coaching quarterbacks at Notre Dame after his four years with the Redskins. He started his NFL coaching career with the Houston Texans as an offensive assistant (2008-09). Prior to joining the NFL coaching ranks, he spent time six years in the collegiate ranked at Ashland University (2007-08), Northern Michigan (2006), Central Michigan (2004-05) and Saginaw Valley State (2003).

CHS Basketball Splits Road Doubleheader with Lincoln County

Abby Morgan of CHS basketball

Kicking off the final 2 weeks of the high school basketball regular season, Coffee County traveled to Fayetteville on Tuesday night to tangle with Lincoln County. The Lady Raiders kept their hot streak alive as they won 55 to 17. The Red Raiders struggled offensively as they fell 36 to 35.

After a slow start in the 1st quarter, the Lady Raiders’ defense held the Lady Falcons to 2 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters to stretch the lead to 28 points entering the 4th period. The win improves the Lady Raiders’ record to 20 and 2 on the year and 7 and 1 in district play.

The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Abby Morgan who finished with 20 points earning the title of the Crazy Daisies’ player of the game. Jacey Vaughn added 13 points while Bella Vinson chipped in 8.  Ashley Starks added 5 4th quarter points for Coffee County.

The boys’ game was tight throughout as neither team could open up a lead greater than 4 points. The Red Raiders were 0 of 5 at the free throw line in the 4th quarter as the Falcons got their game winning points on a pair of free throws after a technical foul called during a loose ball battle on the floor with 58 seconds remaining in the game.  Coffee County turned the ball over in their final possession.

The Raiders were led in scoring by Darius Rozier who fouldd out late with 11 points. Grey Riddle finished with 8 points as he was named the Crazy Daisies’ player of the game. A.J. Rollman and Garrett Booth each added 4 points.

Coffee County travels to West Coffee on Friday for a district doubleheader with their old rival Tullahoma. The girls’ game is set to tip off at 6 PM. Thunder Radio begins live coverage with the Powers Storage Pregame Show at 5:50.

Download the game broadcasts at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

Alicean Stottlemyer Qualifies for State Wrestling Tournament

Alicean Stottlemyer of Coffee County wrestling

Coffee County senior wrestler Alicean Stottlemyer punched her ticket to the TSSAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championship tournament on Saturday. Stottlemyer claimed the state tournament berth after fighting to a 4th place finish at the TSSAA West Region Individual Tournament held at Nolensville High School. With the win, Stottlemyer becomes the first Lady Raider wrestler to compete at the girls’
state tournament.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Alicean got a pinfall win over Jasmine Chandler of Sycamore in the quarterfinals. Stottlemyer was pinned by Gabrille Neal of Cane Ridge in the semifinals. Needing a win in the consolation semifinals to advance to the state tournament, Stottlemyer got a 2nd round pin of Tullahoma’s Jessica Vazquez. In the 3rd place match, Alicean was pinned by Rylei Bohannon of Stewarts Creek.
The girls’ state individual tournament will held on Friday and Saturday, February 16th and 17th. The state wrestling tournament is held at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center in Franklin.

CHS Wrestling Sweeps Home Tri-Match on Monday

The CHS wrestling team hosted a tri-match on Monday night at “The Dojo.” Playing host to Livingston Academy and Cascade, the Raiders captured a pair of dual wins. Coffee County held off Cascade 48 to 24 and dumped Livingston Academy 54 to 18.

Against Cascade, Coffee County got pinfall wins from Evan Jaynes(145 pounds), Josh Fourier(152) and Dakota Chalker(160). The Raiders also claimed forfeit wins from Andrew Lawson(170), Christopher Speegle(220), Hunter Massey(106), Mary Wolfrum(113) and Mary Anne Walker(120)

Against Liviningston Academy, the Raiders got pinfall wins from Evan Jaynes(145 pounds), Josh Fourier(152), Dakota Chalker(160), Andrew Lawson(170) and Reynaldo Reyes(195). Coffee County also got forfeit wins by Nicolas Martinez(182), Tyler Loren(285), Hunter Massey(106) and Mary
Wolfrun(113).