It was senior night for Coffee County Friday. But it was big plays from every class that made the Raiders go from down 14-7 early in the third quarter to up 35-14 and hanging on for a 35-28 win at Carden-Jarrell Field – a game you heard live on Thunder Radio.
“I just couldn’t be more proud for these guys and the good things that are happening,” said CHS head coach Doug Greene. “They’ve paid the price, put in the work all winter long and we are seeing it come to fruition right in front of our eyes.”
The win marks the fourth straight win in a row for the Raiders to improve them to 5-4 overall after a 1-4 start. It is the first four-game winning stream for the CHS football program since 2003. It marks the most wins in a season for the Raiders since 2007, when they won 6.
Friday night was an absolute thriller in Manchester. Tied 7-7 at halftime, Rockvale took a 14-7 when DJ Thornton returned the opening kickoff of the second half 86 yards for a touchdown. After a quick Raider three-and-out, it looked like Rockvale was about to seize control when freshman Cole Pippenger intercepted a Rocket pass in the end zone.
From that point the Raiders dominated the third quarter. The Raiders went down the field and scored on 13-yard touchdown pass from Connor Shemwell to Jahlin Osbourne to tie the game at 14-14. Shemwell and Osbourne were dialed in all night. Shemwell was 18-of-26 for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns – all 3 to Osbourne from 10, 13 and 22 yards.
After two penalties by Rockale allowed the Raiders to pin the Rockets deep, freshman Jayden Carter picked off a pass at the 5-yard line and scampered into the end zone to put CHS up 21-14. Sophomore Blayne Myers forced a Rockvale fumble on the 3rd play of the next possession that was recovered by Jacob Barlow, setting up a 4-yard Shemwell touchdown run. After the Raiders forced a 3-and-out and snuffed out a fake punt on the next Rockvale possession, Shemwell connected again with Osbourne -this time on third down – to put CHS up 35-14 to end the third quarter.
From there the Raiders hung on for dear life.
The Rockets used special teams mishaps from the Raiders and short fields to cut the deficit to 35-28 with 6:34 to play. The Rockets had two chances to tie the game, but the Raider defense held firm each time.
Jacob Barlow made a tackle at the 5 yard line to force a turnover on downs. Then after a Raider fumble, the Raider defense held strong again and forced another turnover on downs inside their own 20.
Unofficially, both teams finished with 335 total yards. Junior running back Konor Heaton rushed 24 times for 96 yards. On top of Osbourne’s 3 touchdowns, he caught 13 passes for 151 yards.
Travis Martin had a 28 yard catch, Heaton caught 3 passes for 10 yards, Ian Welden had a catch for 11 yards and Connor Shemwell caught a pass – an 18-yard reception from Cole Pippenger on a trick play.
Osborne and Shemwell were named Mid Tenn Turf Co-Players of the Game by Thunder Radio.
The Raiders will at Rhea County next week – Oct. 29. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. Central Time in the final regular season game of the year. The Raiders will be in the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 5.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FIRST HALF REPLAY.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE 2ND HALF REPLAY.
Jacob Barlow with a big 3rd down sack. 
Jahlin Osbourne 
Jayden Carter bulls into the end zone after an interception 
Jacob Barlow gets the Rockvale quarterback on the ground 
Travis Martin and Jackson Shemwell with a hit 
Konor Heaton 
Brendan Sheppard had big hits on defense Friday. 
Jayden Carter celebrates a interception return for a TD.
Thunder Radio photos by Holly Peterson
FOOTBALL: Raiders host Rockvale in final home game Friday
After stringing together three straight wins – two of those being key region contests – the Coffee County Red Raider football team looks to stay hot Friday (Oct. 22) as the Raiders welcome the red hot Rockvale Rockets (7-1 overall) to Carden-Jarrell Field.
The Raiders (4-4) have beaten the Rockets in each of the past two seasons. With a win, the Raiders could guarantee a .500 season for the first time since 2007 and move a step closer to a winning season – one of their team goals entering the season. The Raiders have always guaranteed a playoff berth.
Friday will be senior night as it is the last home game of the season. The Raiders will be celebrating 7 seniors: Connor Shemwell, Michael DeLong, Xavier Garcia, Kelby Walker, Derrick Scott, Kurt Jesch and Tyler Myrick. Senior cheerleaders, dance team members and band will also be honored.
WANT TO GO TO THE ROCKVALE GAME? CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS ONLINE.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. – Friday Night Thunder pregame show starts at 6 p.m. on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com
BASKETBALL: Lady Rockets blow past Liberty, move to championship of season-opening tournament
Westwood’s Lady Rocket basketball team is off to a 2-0 start after a blowout of Liberty Thursday night at the World Tournament at Forrest Middle School.
Three different Lady Rockets got into double-figures and WMS cruised to a 53-26 win.
Eighth grader Audri Patton paced Westwood with 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Jules Ferrell added 13 – all coming in the first half — and Anna Reed scored 10 for Westwood.
The Lady Rockets will advance to the championship game of the tournament at 5:40 p.m. Saturday at Forrest.
BASKETBALL: Lincoln County cancels opener with CHS Lady Raiders
The Coffee County Central Lady Raider basketball team will have to wait a few more days to open its 2021-22 basketball season.
With less than a month before the season opener, Lincoln County has cancelled its trip to Manchester to play the Lady Raiders that was scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. Coffee County Lady Raider head coach Joe Pat Cope has quickly added a game for Nov. 19 – Moore County will now come to Manchester.
Originally, the Red Raider boys were scheduled to most Moore County on Friday, Nov. 19 in a single game. Now that will be a double header, starting at 6 p.m. Thunder Radio will broadcast both of those games: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com. Red Raider and Lady Raider basketball coverage is driven on Thunder Radio by Al White Ford-Lincoln.
Braves blow lead in 8th inning; still lead NLCS 2-1
Instead of finding themselves one win away from the World Series, the Braves were reminded they should never assume anything when playing at what has been their house of horrors.
Cody Bellinger’s game-tying three-run homer off Luke Jackson highlighted a four-run eighth inning that sunk the Braves in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
After Bellinger electrified the home crowd, Mookie Betts delivered a go-ahead RBI double against Jesse Chavez. The four-run eighth prevented the Braves from taking what would have been a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
In series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have lost Games 1 and 2 on the road but then won Game 3 at home have rallied to win the series nine of 34 times (26%). This excludes 2020, when the LCS and World Series were held at neutral sites.
First pitch of game 4 is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Thunder Radio’s coverage begins at 8 p.m. after The Coach Doug Greene Show, live from 7-8 pm at Praters BBQ.
Ferrell piles up 32 as Lady Rockets get blowout win in opener; boys fall
Westwood Lady Rocket basketball ushered in the Shala Ferrell era with a bang Tuesday night.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Shala Ferrell, the Lady Rockets went to the world tournament at Forrest and put a beating on Eagleville, winning 58-8. WMS led 20-1 after one quarter to end all doubt early.
The Lady Rockets were paced by 7th grader Jules Ferrell, who piled up 32 points in the win. She was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Audri Patton, Zia Dillard and Anna Reed all pitched in six points in the win. Reece Finch added 4 and Bailey Barsenas 2.
Rockets 19, Eagleville 43
The Westwood boys fell behind 21-12 at halftime – but a scoreless third quarter proved costly for the Rockets in a loss to Eagleville.
Kaysen Lowery paced the Rockets with six points, followed by Blake Cummings with 4 and Lane Fann with 3. Caleb McCall, Davis McKenzie and Neyland Grant all pitched in 2 points.
Braves take 2-game lead to LA in NLCS; series continues Tuesday on Thunder Radio
Throughout his young career, Walker Buehler has delivered with big postseason performances when the Dodgers have needed him the most. In order for Los Angeles to avoid a daunting 3-0 series deficit, its ace will need to come through with another one of his signature outings.
Buehler, who pitched on short rest for the first time in his career in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Giants, will take the mound on an extra day of rest on Tuesday in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series against the Braves.
Atlanta will counter with right-hander Charlie Morton, who also pitched on short rest in Game 4 of the NLDS. Morton, like Buehler, also has plenty of experience and success in the postseason.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know leading up to Tuesday’s crucial Game 3…..
Click here to continue reading this story.
Game 3 Tuesday can be heard on Thunder Radio, beginning with pregame at 2:50 p.m. – 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM.
WINTER HOMETOWN SPORTS SERIES SCHEDULE, CHS BASKETBALL BROADCAST SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
Thunder Radio – Manchester’s only locally owned media and leader in sports coverage- will continue to expand our coverage of winter sports this year.
Of course Thunder Radio will continue our broadcasts of Coffee County Central basketball, with over 30 game broadcasts lined up this winter.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Radio Hometown Sports Series broadcasts (Westwood and Coffee Middle basketball) will be expanding from 12 broadcasts to approximately 20 broadcasts this winter.
Join broadcasters Josh Peterson and Court Steere, as well as student broadcasters Elizabeth Brown, Jaxon Vaughn and Luke Beachboard all winter long for broadcasts at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM and worldwide you can listen by downloading the Manchester Go smartphone app and at thunder1320.com. Our winter broadcast schedule is below. Dates and broadcasts subject to change based on schedule changes, weather and broadcaster availability. Games marked with * could be online only stream at thunder1320.com.
Games shaded in blue indicate Westwood broadcasts, light red indicate Coffee Middle and dark red indicate Central High School broadcasts (tournament games subject to availability, depending on exact dates and times of games).
PLAYOFFS LOCKED: Raiders beat Cookeville for third straight win, clinch postseason
Friday night was full of firsts for Coffee County.
The CHS Red Raiders leaned on their offensive line and junior tailback Konor Heaton, who bulled his way to 239 yards and 3 touchdowns on 31 carries to lead the Red Raiders to a 27-7 win over Cookeville at Carden-Jarrell Field in Manchester.
The win sealed a playoff bid for the Raiders – their first since 2017. It also marked their 4th win this season, which guarantees the Raiders four or more wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The win makes three in a row for CHS, the Raiders’ first three game win streak since 2007.
“I’m so happy for these boys,” said third year CHS head coach Doug Greene. “[Getting to the playoffs] was a big goal when I first got here. And that’s not about me. I wanted these young men to experience what winning football is like.”
Friday night against Cookeville, the Raiders (4-4 overall, 2-2 Region) got a break early when the Cavaliers fumbled the opening kickoff. The Raiders punched it in three plays later when Konor Heaton rumbled in from 4-yards out. Heaton quickly moved the Raiders down the field with runs of 13, 7 and 4 to put CHS on the board.
The Cavaliers took a 7-6 lead later in the half but that would be the end of the highlights for Cookeville after the Raider defense tightened down.
Cookeville was harassed by the Raider defense in the backfield all night. CHS got a sack from Derrick Scott and three from Jacob Barlow – bringing his state-leading sack total to 10 (unofficial stats).
Blayne Myers also had what would have been a sack but a flag was thrown in the backfield for a facemask.
Coffee County pulled ahead 20-7 by halftime and added to the lead with 7-seconds to play in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Heaton, who also scored from 7-yards out.
The other Raider touchdown came on a 12-yard connection from quarterback Connor Shemwell to Travis Martin. Shemwell was incredibly efficient, picking up 95 yards through the air on 7-of-12 passing and the one score. Kelby Walker had 3 catches for 44 yards and Jahlin Osbourne 3 for 41.
The Raiders outgained the Cavaliers 360-325.
Coffee County returns home next Friday (Oct. 22) for senior night when Rockvale (7-1 overall) comes to town. It is the Raiders’ final home game of the season. CHS beat Rockvale last season 20-14.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SECOND HALF.
Derrick Scott 
Connor Shemwell 
Tristan Galy 
Blayne Myers 
Tristan Galy 
Ashton Ferrell 
Cole Pippenger 
Kelby Walker 
Jacob Barlow 
Ian Welden 
Konor Heaton and Connor Shemwell
Raiders return to action Friday; look to guarantee playoff spot
After a 1-4 start, things have turned around nicely for the Coffee County Central Red Raider football team.
The Raiders pieced together back to back wins over Spring Hill and Warren County (the latter being a region win) to improve to 3-4, and after a week off to rest and recover from a physical 7 weeks of football, the Raiders have a chance to finish strong.
Coffee County welcomes region opponent Cookeville to town on Friday. A win would make 3 in a row for CHS – something the Raider football program has not done since 2007. A win would also even the Raiders’ record at 4-4 with two games remaining, tie last season’s win total and guarantee CHS a spot in the playoffs.
FRIDAY INFORMATION
The Raiders and Cavs kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday at Carden-Jarrell Field. Cookeville beat the Raiders last season by just one point in Putnam County. Tickets will be sold digitally through gofan.co.
You can hear the game on Thunder Radio beginning with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame show at 6 p.m. – 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, thunder1320.com and on the Manchester Go smartphone app. Postgame show will provide listener call-in opportunities, audio highlights from the broadcast and a scoreboard of area teams of interest.
LOOKING FORWARD
The Raiders will play their final home game of the season on Friday, Oct. 22 when Rockvale comes to Manchester for a non-region tilt.