Sports – Page 52 – Thunder Radio

Coffee County’s volleyball season came to a close in Cleveland Tuesday.

The Lady Raiders fell 0-3 in the Region 3-AAA semi-finals against Bradley Central, losing 12-25, 17-25 and 19-25.

Bradley Central (29-5 overall) gave CHS fits in serve-receive. The Lady Raiders were rarely able to get into a good offensive attack, and when they did the Bearettes were able to get digs. CHS only had 14 kills in the entire match – led by Gialejandra Perez with 5. Kiya Ferrell and Laurent Brandt each had four. Ferrell led CHS in digs with 14.

The loss ends the season for Coffee County with a 20-11 overall record. It also ends the high school volleyball careers of Ferrell, Brandt and Maddy Sussen.

Sussen and Ferrell were named Region 3-AAA all-tournament.

THIS MATCH WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. LISTEN TO THE REPLAY HERE.

Thunder Radio photos by Holly Peterson

Riley makes history in MVP like year for Braves

hen the Braves returned from their 10-game West Coast road trip last week, Chipper Jones proudly approached Austin Riley and congratulated the young third baseman on securing his first 30-homer, 100-RBI season.

“I just walked up to him down in the tunnel and said, ‘Man, I heard you did something no third baseman has done around here for quite some time,’” Jones said. “I just wanted to congratulate him. I’m proud of him.”

During the first full season of his big league career, Riley distanced himself from past struggles and became a legitimate National League MVP Award candidate. He stands as a primary reason why the Braves will confidently enter their NL Division Series against the Brewers.

“I’m really proud of him, very much so,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You love that kid. Just to see where he has come from and how he has hung in there and how he has given himself a chance is great. You look at his numbers this year; he’s been really good, big time.”…

Continue reading this story by clicking here.

Hear the Atlanta Braves all season long on Thunder Radio! 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.

Titans add two players to practice squad

The Titans are bringing back a familiar face to the team’s practice squad in veteran edge rusher John Simon.

An eight-year veteran who has spent time with the Patriots, Colts, Texans and Ravens in his NFL career, Simon signed with the Titans back in July, and he went through training camp with team.

Simon was released when the team trimmed its roster to 53 players in August.

The Titans also added veteran defensive lineman Caraun Reid to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday.

Reid (6-2, 292) has played in 54 games in his NFL career, spending time with the Lions, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Cardinals and Jaguars. He’s tallied 50 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. Reid, drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, played in seven games with the Jaguars in 2020.

Simon arrives at a time when the team is short on depth at outside linebacker because of injuries to Bud Dupree and Derick Roberson. Last week, the Titans signed outside linebacker Sharif Finch to the practice squad before promoting him to the active roster later in the week.

A fourth-round pick of the Ravens in the 2013 NFL Draft, Simon spent the past three seasons with the Patriots, where he played in 47 games, with 30 starts, from 2018-2020.

Simon recorded 46 tackles and two sacks for the Patriots in 2020, when he played in 16 games, with two starts. Simon played 702 of a possible 1,017 defensive snaps (69%) for the Patriots last season. In the last three years with the Patriots, he tallied 30 starts, eight sacks, and nine tackles for a loss.

Simon has worked under Titans head coach Mike Vrabel in the past, first in college at Ohio State, and later in the NFL when they were together with the Texans.

In his NFL career, Simon has played in 97 career games, with 52 starts. He’s recorded 277 career tackles, and 21 career sacks, 25 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles, along with 11 passes defensed and two interceptions.

After playing in 2013 for the Ravens, Simon played three seasons with the Texans (2014-2016) before joining the Colts for one season (2017). He then signed with the Patriots, and he was part of a Super Bowl-winning team in 2018.

Simon (6-2, 260) played in 50 career games with 37 starts at Ohio State, totaling 154 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 10 passes defensed. Simon was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 following his senior season, and he became just the eighth player in school history to be named a two-time captain.

You can catch the Titans all season long on Thunder Radio – presented by realtor Charlie Gonzales, Weichert Realtors, Joe Orr & Associates. 107.9 F M, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.

FOOTBALL: Freshman Raiders put beating on Warren County

The Central High School varsity Red Raider football team has the week off – but the JV and Freshman combined to put a beating on Warren County.

The Red Raiders racked up a ton of points in a 44-6 blowout Monday night at Carden-Jarrell Field.

Coffee County took its opening drive and quickly marched down the field, capping the drive with an 8-yard scoring run up the middle by quarterback Colter Neel, who scored again on the Raiders’ very next possession, this time from 18 yards out.

The Raiders went up by 3 scores on a rumble up the middle by Jayden Carter, and the rout was on. It completes the season sweep over Warren County after last week’s varsity win over the Pioneers, and last month’s freshman win in McMinnville.

District volleyball tournament is Thursday

While many students and athletes are enjoying fall break off at various destinations across the country or simply resting, the CHS Lady Raider volleyball team is focused on other things.

The Lady Raiders are set to put their undefeated district record on the line Thursday in the District volleyball tournament at Franklin County High School.

CHS will play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against the winner of Shelbyville and Warren County. A win in that match would put the Lady Raiders in the district championship at 7:30 p.m. and guarantee a region tournament trip. Hear all the action on Thunder Radio.

A look at how the Braves NLDS roster could shake out

Since winning a fourth consecutive National League East title, the Braves have been evaluating how to best fill the 26-man roster they will use during their NL Division Series against the Brewers.

“I think the biggest thing is: how many pitchers do you carry?” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Would you rather have the extra bench player or maybe a defender? If we’re going to go with a bullpen game or use an opener, you might want to have another pinch-hitter.”

Because the Braves won’t be playing more than two days in a row after the best-of-five NLDS begins Friday, they have some flexibility as they decide how many pitchers to place on their roster. Carrying 14 pitchers would seemingly be too many (some might argue there’s also no reason to carry 13 pitchers).

But when weighing whether it’s best to carry a 13th pitcher, one should also assess whether anybody within Atlanta’s organization could provide more value as a 14th position player.

Here’s a look at what the Braves will evaluate while making their roster decisions: CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

Hear the Atlanta Braves all season long on Thunder Radio! 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.

TITANS: 6 things that stood out in Titans loss to Jets

The Titans lost to the New York Jets 27-24 in overtime on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Here’s a look at six things that stood out from the contest:

Missed Opportunities

Look at the stat sheet, and it’s hard to understand how the Titans lost. The Titans outgained the Jets (430-355), had almost twice as many first downs (30 to 16), and they dominated time of possession (40:42 to 29:03). Here’s how the Titans lost – they settled for too many field goals, they were 5-of-19 on third down (26.3 percent) and they were just 2-of-5 in red zone efficiency. They allowed the Jets to gain some confidence, and they fought back. Plus, the Titans defense gave up way too many big plays, including a 53-yard touchdown pass from Zach Wilson to Corey Davis and a 54-yard-pass to receiver Keelan Cole. The Titans lost because they didn’t make plays when they needed to most, and as a result they ended up losing to a team they had no business losing to, and it puts an early stain on the season….

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY BY CLICKING HERE.

You can catch the Titans all season long on Thunder Radio – presented by realtor Charlie Gonzales, Weichert Realtors, Joe Orr & Associates. 107.9 F M, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM.

FOOTBALL: Coffee Middle Raiders win 2nd straight CTC title

For the second time in two years, Coffee County’s Middle School Red Raider football team is CTC champions.

The Raiders won a back-and-forth thriller Saturday, using a 234 yard, 6 touchdown performance from Caiden Martin to beat Harris Middle School 38-28 in Shelbyville.

THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.

Harris’ Eagles were able to hit on some big plays – including early when Robert Lentz rumbled in from 21 yards out to put the Eagles up 6-0 just a few minutes into the game.

But the Raiders answered, eating nearly 8 minutes off the clock and capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown from from Martin to tie the game at 6-6. Raider Jayden Eckles forced a fumble on the next Harris possession that was recovered by Tristan VanMeter. Martin scored 3 plays later and the Raiders never trailed again.

Martin went on to score four more times – from 15, 28, 6 and 6. His final touchdown put the Raiders up 38-20 with 7:54 to play in the fourth quarter.

Harris was led by Robert Lentz, who had 189 yards on 14 touches and 3 scores, he also threw for a 71 yard touchdown.

The win caps an unbeaten season for CMS and the Raiders’ second consecutive CTC Championship. It is the third straight year the Raiders have played for the title.

Lady Rocket soccer falls in DRVC title match

The Lady Rocket soccer team at Westwood put up a valiant effort Friday, but fell short in a 3-0 loss to Cascade in the DRVC championship match.

The Lady Rockets managed to get 8 shots on goal, including 4 from Bailey Barsenas, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. Meanwhile, WMS goalkeeper Anna Rutowski was harassed all game long by the Champions and racked up 13 saves on the day.

The loss ends the season for WMS.

Raiders rack up 2nd win in a row, cruise past Pioneers

The Coffee County Red Raiders make their way onto the field Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. — Thunder Radio photo by Holly Peterson

Coffee County led early, controlled the clock and cruised to a comfortable 33-14 win Friday night, Oct. 1 over visiting Warren County.

Coffee County gave the Pioneers a steady dose of Konor Heaton and he ripped them apart behind his offensive line. Heaton piled up 162 yards on 24 carries, including big chunks of 23 and 17. Heaton also caught a pass for 12 yards – giving him 174 all-purpose yards on the night and three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 10, 2 and 4.

THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY OF THE FIRST HALF.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY OF THE SECOND HALF.

Coffee County’s other touchdown came late from Cole Pippenger in a 6-yard outside run. The Raiders also got 3 points on a 29-yard field goal by sophomore Elijah McCoy and a safety courtesy of a bad snap on a Pioneer punt.

After the Raiders took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, the Pioneers answered with a 13 play drive that was capped on a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. But CHS pushed back head on a 95 yard drive on just 8 plays – capped on a 2-yard Heaton run.

CHS went ahead to force a safety and scored again to take a 23-7 halftime lead and cruised in the second half. The Raiders led 33-7 in the waning minutes before the Pioneers hit a 40-yard touchdown with a minute to play.

Raider senior quarterback Connor Shemwell was solid – completing 7-of-10 passes for 99 yards. Travis Martin caught two passes for 39 yards and Jahlin Osbourne had 2 catches for 40. CHS outgained Warren County 343 to 188 as the Raider defense stifled the Pioneers all night.

The Raiders improve to 3-4 with the win – their second win in two weeks. It also gives Coffee County its first region win of the season.

The Raiders have next week off to rest before returning home on Oct. 15 to host Cookeville in a region game. That game will be broadcast LIVE on Thunder Radio.