Category: Sports

The Coffee County CHS wrestling team traveled to Smyrna on Saturday to compete in the Red Hawk Rampage. The tournament, hosted by Stewarts Creek, was an individual format as each wrestler could earn team points. Coffee County finished 14th in the team standings on the day out of a field of 17 teams and did not have an individual medalist.

Individual Results (with weight class):
Hunter Massey(106) – Record of 1 win and 2 losses – 3 team points
Mary Wolfrum(113) – Record of 1 win and 2 losses – 6 team points
Mary Anne Walker(120) – Record of 0 win and 2 losses – 0 team points
Braeden Massicote(132) – Record of 0 win and 2 losses – 0 team points
Evan Jaynes(138) – Record of 1 win and 2 losses – 4 team points
Noah O’Shields(160) – Record of 0 win and 2 losses – 0 team points
Andrew Lawson(170) – Record of 1 win and 2 losses – 2 team points
Reynaldo Reyes(182) – Record of 1 win and 2 losses – 3 team points
Nicolas Martinez(195) – Record of 0 win and 2 losses – 0 team points
Christopher Speegle(220) – Record of 2 wins and 2 losses – 4 team points
Tyler Loren(285) – Record of 0 win and 2 losses – 0 team points

The Raider grapplers return to the Raider Academy on Tuesday night home a tri-match. Coffee County will welcome Blackman and Lawrence County to “The Dojo” with the matches getting underway at 6 PM.

by Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

OK, it was no Music City Miracle.

But after Saturday’s emotional comeback win over the Chiefs, the Titans at least partied like it was 1999.

“This is probably the happiest I’ve been,” Titans tight end Delanie Walker said after the team’s 22-21 win. “It’s us against the world here – no one believes in us, and they always count us out. They didn’t think we could get the job done, and look what happened.

“Don’t count the Titans out, man. We have been grinding all year. This just shows we can play anybody.”

It was a heck of an ending on Saturday for the Titans, who rallied for an improbable victory here against the Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card round.

The Titans scored 19 straight points to end it, shocking fans at Arrowhead Stadium. And, perhaps, across the NFL.

It was the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2003 season – a January 2004 win at Baltimore.

“This is the biggest game my NFL career, winning a playoff game being down 18 with the season on the line,” linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know about magic and all that other stuff, but we just don’t quit. We have a lot of grit.

“We are a bunch of underrated savages.”

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 19-of-31 passes for 205 yards in the contest, with two touchdowns and an interception. He made a key block, and he even caught a touchdown.

Yes, he caught a touchdown – but more on that later.

“I just said that he can pass, he can run, and he can block. He can do it all,” Titans running back Derrick Henry said. “He caught the ball, too. It was a great job by him and I appreciate him. The whole offense is clicking. Everybody being where they’re supposed to be, everybody just doing extra stuff like Marcus making that block to seal the game. I just wanted to get a first down so we could get out of here with a win.”

Henry, of course, had a huge day himself. He ran for 156 yards on 23 carries, and he scored a big fourth quarter touchdown.

And on this day, the defense stiffened up with the game on the line, even when things didn’t look good early.

“Guys didn’t blink an eye,” Mariota said. “I think through this entire season, the ups, the downs, the energy it doesn’t change. You have to give a lot of credit to the guys. Got to give a lot of credit to the locker room for just continuing to believe. These situations are going to continue to prepare us for what’s ahead and again, it’s a fun locker room and a special place to play.”

The Titans trailed 21-3 at halftime before rallying.

The Tians cut the lead to 21-10 midway through the third quarter on a bizarre play – a six-yard touchdown pass from Mariota, to Mariota. It came on third-and-goal, when Mariota, rolling to his left, threw a ball that was batted back in his direction by Chiefs cornerback Darrelle Revis. Mariota caught the pass, and then dove into the end zone for a touchdown.

After Titans return man Adoree’ Jackson muffed a punt, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a 48-yard field goal, and the game remained 21-10 with 2:25 left in the third quarter.

The Titans trimmed the lead to 21-16 on the 35-yard touchdown run by Henry, who took a handoff from Mariota and busted up the middle and raced into the end zone with 14:08 left. The ensuing two-point try failed, however.

The Titans then took 22-21 the lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to receiver Eric Decker with 6:06 left.

In the end, the defense got a stop on a big fourth down break up by safety Johnathan Cyprien, and the Titans were able to run out the clock with Henry, who picked up a crucial block from Mariota on third-and-10 in the final minutes. The play went for 22 yards, and the celebration began.

“That is the team we have. That does not surprise me and I don’t think you guys believe me when I say that they come in the locker room and there is a look that we are going to come back and win the game,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “But there is. It is on the sideline and it has been. It always has. It is this team. I wish you guys would give them a little credit for it. They stick together and they got each other’s backs and they always have and came through today when we really needed it.”

The Titans will face either the Patriots or the Steelers next week.

There’s work to be done in the playoffs, of course, but these Titans have turned things up a few notches.

“After this weekend, to be one of eight teams left,” tackle Taylor Lewan said. “Four years ago in my rookie year we were 2-14, and after that we were 3-13. It is pretty awesome.”

Austin Watson scored two goals, P.K. Subban added two assists and the Nashville Predators sent the Los Angeles Kings to their first regulation loss at home since mid-November, 4-3 Saturday night.

Roman Josi and Scott Hartnell scored early goals and Pekka Rinne made 26 saves for the Predators, who wrapped up a three-game West Coast road trip with their first win.

Adrian Kempe, Trevor Lewis and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Kings, who lost their second straight. Los Angeles is 5-5-2 over the last month, falling out of first place in the Pacific Division.

Watson beat Jonathan Quick late in the second period for his first goal since Nov. 28, and he followed it up with the eventual game-winner early in the third.

The grinding forward recorded his first multi-goal game since last May in the Western Conference finals clincher against Anaheim. Watson has already matched his career high for a season with five goals in 39 games — the same number that he scored in 77 games last season.

Quick stopped 16 shots.

Nashville scored four goals in a game for the first time since Dec. 19. The defending Western Conference champions played their third straight game without leading scorer Filip Forsberg, who could be out for six weeks with an upper-body injury.

Subban produced his latest strong game while playing more than 26 minutes. He has 13 points in the Predators’ last 12 games.

Los Angeles hadn’t lost in regulation at home since Nov. 22 against Winnipeg, the day before Thanksgiving. The Kings produced a strong third period and repeatedly threatened Rinne, but failed to score after Toffoli’s power-play goal with 11:36 to play.

NOTES: One night earlier, Subban attended the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against Charlotte at Staples Center as a guest of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. … Before the game, Los Angeles activated D Christian Folin from injured reserve and put D Jake Muzzin on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 4. Folin played for the first time since Dec. 18. … Nashville’s Ryan Johansen won nine of his 12 faceoffs.

UP NEXT

Predators: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Pete Weber’s Post Game Report

As 2017 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the Coffee County Claybusters.  Fielding some of the most successful youth teams in this area this decade, the Claybusters added a pair of state titles, a national title and a pair of Top 3 national finishes to their long list of accomplishments in 2017.  Additionally, a pair of Claybusters were crowned national runners-up as individuals.

Thunder Radio reported on the Claybusters success at the AIM Grand Championships in a story we published on August 4^th.

2017 AIM/ATA Grand American A Class Sub Junior Champions(left to right) Hayden Jacobs, Logan Meadows, Tucker Carlson, Victoria Majors and Lexi Stacey [Photo by Scott Dickson]

The Sub Junior(ages 12 thru 14) team(Class A) of Hayden Jacobs, Logan Meadows, Tucker Carlton, Victoria Majors and Lexi Stacey capped off a Tennessee state AIM title with a national championship.  The team shot a 2 day total of 957 clays out of a possible 200.  Carlton led the way for the CCMS squad as he shot a 198 including his first “100” in Monday’s round.   Jacobs had a 2 day total of 197 including a round of 99 on Tuesday.  Majors broke 191 clays with a high round of 96 on Monday.  Meadows shot a 187 with a high round on Monday of 95 and Stacey brought down 184 targets with a high round of 94 on Tuesday.

2017 AIM/ATA Grand American Class D Junior runner up squad(left to right) Aubrey Payne, Kendall Seay, Neil Slone, Hope Richardson and Lindsey Dickson [Photo by Scott Dickson]

2017 AIM/ATA Grand American A Class Junior 3rd place team(left to right) Austin Schaller, Zach Bonee, Garrett Bradford, Coleton Tabor and Tanner Carlton [Photo by Scott Dickson]

For individual honors, Emma Mathews captured the Class C Sub Junior national runner-up trophy.  Mathews shot a 2 day total of 190 as she had a high day of 96 on Tuesday.   Tucker Carlton won the Class A Sub Junior national runner-up title with his 198. Carlton tied for the national title but settled for 2nd place after the tie-breaker.

As 2017 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the Coffee County Youth Bass Club.  After completing their first full year as a club last spring, a pair of Raider anglers qualified for, and competed, in the national tournament held on Kentucky Lake.

Thunder Radio reported on the performance of brother tandem of Colby and Braeden Thurmond in a story we published on June 25^th.

Braeden(left) and Colby(right) Thurmond show off their scholarship winnings on April 13th at Kentucky Lake.

The Coffee County Youth Bass Club team of Braeden and Colby Thurmond battled 230 teams and some lousy weather in this weekend’s Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.  After a good start in Thursday’s opening round, the risk of severe weather on Friday forced the postponement of the 2nd round,  The full field competed on Saturday as the brother tandem captured a 134th place with a total of 8 fish weighing in at 17 pounds and 12 ounces.

On Thursday, the Thurmonds got off to a good start catching 4 fish that tipped the scales at an even 11 pounds.  That finish gave them a placement of 127th after the first day of competition.  After sitting out Friday’s weather delay, Braeden and Colby netted 4 more fish on Friday but they were weighed in at 6 pounds and 12 ounces.

Team Thurmond is the first Coffee County Youth Bass Club team to compete at the national tournament.  The Thurmonds qualified for the national championship by finishing the year in 21st place in the 2016-2017 TN Bass Nation Points Championship.  Braeden and Colby captured a 54th place finish in the Tennessee State Championship held in May on Tims Ford.

Christian Fischer scored in overtime as the Nashville Predators fell to the Arizona Coyotes by a 3-2 final on Thursday night at Gila River Arena. It’s the second loss in as many games for the Preds on their current road trip, giving Arizona just their 10th win of the season.

After owning a 2-1 lead late in regulation, the Preds let the Coyotes tie it on the power play with less than three minutes to play. Fischer’s OT goal – a play that was reviewed twice, once to see if the net was knocked off, the other for goaltender interference – was ultimately upheld.

“We put ourselves in a position where we took a penalty and then played a really poor overtime,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We didn’t think at all during the overtime, so the ending sticks out.”

“It doesn’t matter [who the opponent is], every team is good,” Nashville Captain Roman Josi said. “There are no easy games in this League, and it’s a point we lost. It doesn’t matter which team it is, we go out there to win every game and whenever you don’t do that, you’re disappointed.”

The Predators put 17 shots on net in the first period, but didn’t have anything to show for it on the scoreboard, and then in the middle frame, it was Anthony Duclair who drove to the net and beat Juuse Saros to give Arizona a 1-0 lead.

Compared to the opening stanza, Nashville had trouble generating much in the later portions of the second, but with just nine ticks remaining, Ryan Ellis potted his first of the season in just his second game of the campaign to even things at one.

Then, just eight seconds into the third period, Craig Smith stole the puck from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Antti Raanta to give the Preds their first lead of the night. But Smith’s 14th of the season was the last of the night for the Preds, as Arizona added two goals more to only give Nashville a single point in the standings.

Instead of forgetting about this one and moving on, the Preds say they’d like to use it as motivation as they conclude their road trip on Saturday night in Los Angeles against one of the best in the West, a chance for Nashville to begin to break out of their current 2-4-2 stretch.

“You never want these stints to happen, but we have a lot of tremendous players in here and we’ll find a way to get our game where we want it to be,” Predators center Ryan Johansen said. “We just have to do that on Saturday and get back to our game as soon as possible.”

“I think we’ll let it burn a little bit for tonight,” Josi said. “We have to come back tomorrow morning, look at a couple things, but after that we have to focus on L.A. and make sure we’re ready for that game.”

Notes:

Craig Smith’s goal eight seconds into the third period set a record for the fastest goal from the start of the third period on the road in franchise history. The tally is also just two seconds off the franchise record for fastest goal from the start of a period.

The Predators conclude their three-game trip on Saturday night in Los Angeles (at 9:30 p.m. CT) before returning home to host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

Pete Weber’s Post Game Report

The Coffee County Elementary Basketball League will begin their postseason tournament on Saturday, January 13^th.  Originally scheduled to begin on January 6^th, the closing of the Manchester City Schools forced the postponement of the tournament’s opening date until the 13^th.

The New Union girls and the College Street boys each finished the regular season with perfect 6 and 0 records and will have a first round bye in the tournament.  The other 12 teams will be in action beginning at 9 AM on Saturday morning at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym at Coffee County Central High School.

The tournament semifinals will be held on Saturday, January 20^th with the finals and the consolation games held on Saturday, January 27^th.

The complete schedule for January 13th is as follows:

As 2017 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the Westwood Lady Rockets basketball team.  The Lady Rockets won 4 out of their last 5 regular season games heading into the post season tournament, beginning with a strong second half performance in a home win over Eagleville.

Thunder Radio reported on that win in a story we published on November 16^th

Haidyn Campbell of Westwood basketball

The Westwood basketball teams welcomed Eagleville to the Joel Vinson Gym on Thursday night.  In a pair of games brought to you on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series, both Westwood teams had great defensive efforts to grab the doubleheader sweep.  The Lady Rockets won 37 to 20 and the Rockets won 55 to 24.

After being tied at 15 at the half, the Lady Rockets went on a 17 to 0 run in the 3rd quarter to grab the conference win.  Westwood was led in scoring by Alex Nelson who had 11 points.  Elizabeth Brown and Haidyn Campbell added 8 points as the Lady Rockets improved to 6 and 3 on the year.

The Rockets used a strong 2nd quarter to break open a close game and get their 6th win on the year.  Westwood outscored Eagleville 14 to 6 in the second quarter and 30 to 8 in the second half to grab the win.  The Rockets were led in scoring by John Dobson who had 18 points. Trent Thompson added 12 points and Will Partin chipped in 10.

Westwood will now take off a week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The Rockets and Lady Rockets return to action on Monday, November 27th when they play host to Liberty.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

You can download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

As 2017 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the Westwood Rockets basketball team.  The Rockets enjoyed a 4 game winning streak early in the season to begin the year 4 and 1.  Westwood’s final win in that streak was at Liberty.

Thunder Radio reported on the Rockets win in a story we published on November 2^nd

John Dobson of Westwood basketball

The Westwood Rockets and Lady Rockets hit the road on Thursday night for a trip to Liberty.  Both teams were looking to build off their road success on Monday at Huntland.  The Lady Rockets were 7 of 8 from the free throw line in a 28 to 20 win.  The Rockets completed the sweep with a 39 to 29 win.

In the girls’ game, Westwood scored only 8 points in the 2nd half, but held Liberty to 6 points as they got their 2nd straight conference win.  Elizabeth Brown led Westwood in scoring as she finished with 6 points on a pair of 3 point baskets.  Kasen Holt, Haidyn Campbell and Kennedy Young each finished the game with 5 points.

In the boys’ game, the Rockets raced out to a 25 to 11 halftime lead on their way to their 4th straight win.  Trent Thompson led the Rockets in scoring with 13 points.  Will Partin added 12 points and John Dobson chipped in 10.  The win improves the Rockets’ record to 4 and 1 on the season.

The Rockets are back in action on Monday when they travel to Chapel Hill to take on Forrest.  Action begins at 6 PM as the girls’ game is set to tip off first.  Westwood is back at home on Thursday when they play host to Middle Tennessee Christian.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you that 6 PM doubleheader as part of the First national Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Lucky Knott will bring you all the action beginning with the pregame show at 5:50.

As 2017 has drawn to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the Temple Baptist Christian School Eagle basketball team.  The young Eagles have experienced some growing pains thus far this season, but the highlight came last month when the JV team got a dramatic buzzer beater to take down rival Victory Baptist out of Shelbyville.

Thunder Radio reported on that electrifying win in a story we published on December 5^th

The Temple Baptist Christian School varsity and junior varsity teams hit the road to Shelbyville on Tuesday night for a boys’ basketball doubleheader.  The Eagles took on their 2nd rival in 2 days as they tangled with Victory Baptist.  The JV team won their first game of the year in dramatic fashion  27 to 25 while the varsity team battled to the wire before falling  83 to 64.

Victory broke a tie with 10 seconds remaining on a made bucket to take a 25 to 24 lead in the JV game.  After an Eagles’ timeout with 5 seconds to go, Temple needed to go the length of the floor to tie or win the game.  Colton Summers nailed a shot from 50 feet away as the horn sounded to give Temple their first JV win in 2 seasons.  Alex Gloden finished with 15 points leading Temple in scoring.  Summers added 8 points with all of those coming in the 4th quarter.

Despite a school record 48 point performance from Cody Swayze, Temple could not dig out of a first quarter hole in the varsity game.    Temple trailed 27 to 12 after 1 period but cut the deficit to 5 at the half and entered the 4th quarter trailing by 6.  The depth of the Patriots from Shelbyville was too much in the final period as Victory pulled away for the win.  Swayze was 14 of 18 from the free throw line and had 16 field goals, including a pair of 3 pointers in the record breaking performance.

The Eagles will hit the road again next Tuesday night when they travel to Tunnel Hill, Georgia to take on Dogwood Christian Academy.  The JV game will tip off at 5:30 PM EST with the varsity game to follow.