The Central High School Cross Country team competed in their biggest meet of the year on Saturday as they took part in the Mid State Cross Country Association Championships on Saturday in Dickson. Facing some of the best teams in middle Tennessee, Coffee County fared well against their region rivals but did suffer a few injuries.
James Lynn was the high finisher for Coffee County as he finished in 75th place with a time of 18:34.23. Bradley Kishpaugh was 89th, Andrew Godwin came in at 115, Andres Cavalie was 148th, Neil Slone crossed the tape at 172 and Larson Melltzer at 176. The Red Raiders finished in 20th place ahead of region foes Shelbyville, Columbia and Tullahoma.
For the Lady Raiders, Emily St. John was 79th with a time of 24:22.01. Makenzie Webb was 107th. For the JV runners, Moises Ramirez finished with a time of 24:46.6 and Jacob Melton had a time of 25:53.3
Next up for the thinclads is the TSSAA Regional Championship on Thursday, October 27.
Category: Sports
CHS Cross Country Races Hard on Saturday
Seven CHS Soccer Players Named to All-District Team
CHS Goalkeeper Holli Smithson
Seven members of the CHS soccer team were honored with District 8AAA superlatives on Thursday night following the District 8AAA finals. Senior goalkeeper Holli Smithson was named the District Goalkeeper of the Year. Named to the 1st team All District team were Karson Young, Caitlyn Moore and ALiie Amado. Named to the District 8AAA 2nd team were Jenna Garretson, MaKenzie Anderson and Samantha Ellison. The Lady Raiders will play in the Region 4AAA tournament semifinals on Tuesday night at 7 PM at Siegel.
Six Raider Golfers Named to All-District Team
Members of the 2016 CHS Golf teams following a preseason tournament. Front Row(left to right) Savannah Quick, Sophie Vinson and coach Mike Ray. Back Row(left to right) Austin Farris, John Parigger, Samuel Prater, Matthew Hale and Matthew Wright
Six Coffee County golfers were named to the 2016 District 8AAA team this weekend. Named to the 1st team were seniors Savannah Quick and John Parigger while sophomores Ashley Gilliam and Austin Farris were also tabbed for first team honors. Senior Sophie Vinson and sophomore Samuel Prater were named to the 2nd team for Coffee County.
Westwood Rockets Named to All Conference Football Team
![Westwood Rockets (left to right) Reynaldo Ramirez, Trenton Thompson and Jalen Williams. [Photo by Rachelle Long]](http://www.thunder1320.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WMS-Football-All-Conference.jpg)
Westwood Rockets (left to right) Reynaldo Ramirez, Trenton Thompson and Jalen Williams. [Photo by Rachelle Long]
Marcus Mariota Throws Three TDs in Win Over Browns
Marcus Mariota came out running.
On the first offensive play of Sunday’s game against the Browns, the Titans quarterback took off, and ran for 41 yards.
In his team’s 28-26 win, however, the Titans took flight — in more ways than one.
Mariota completed 17-of-24 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns, and receivers Kendall Wright and Rishard Matthews made a pair of spectacular diving grabs.
“The object of the game is to help your quarterback out, right?,’’ tight end Delanie Walker said afterward. “When we play good, Marcus plays good, that’s just how it goes.”
Mariota’s passer rating of 132.6 on Sunday was his best of the season. In a win last week against the Dolphins, Mariota posted a passer rating of 117.5.
Mariota has now accounted for seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) in the last two weeks. The 132.6 rating on Sunday was Mariota’s sixth career game with a passer rating of 100 or better. It was his third-highest passer rating and his highest since Nov. 8, 2015 at New Orleans (135.7).
The Titans improved to 6-0 when Mariota’s passer rating is 100 or better.
Mariota was happy with the win, which improved the Titans to 3-3.
“It feels great, feels great,’’ Mariota said. “I’m proud of those guys in the locker room and they deserve all the credit. Just glad we were able to get another win under our belt and get ready for next week.”
Titans coach Mike Mularkey said Mariota benefited from nice plays from Wright, and Matthews.
Wright’s diving 48-yard touchdown catch gave the Titans a 14-6 lead in the second quarter. Matthews stretched out for a 43-yard catch in the third quarter which set up a touchdown run by DeMarco Murray.
Matthews caught an 11-yard touchdown in the game, and in addition to Wright, tight end Anthony Fasano scored on a 15-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
“I’m telling you, he doesn’t pay any attention to any of the noise,’’ Titans coach Mike Mularkey said of Mariota, who struggled with inconsistency and turnovers earlier in the season. “It doesn’t matter where he’s going to play or who it’s against, he is locked in to what his role is and what his job is, and that stuff doesn’t bother him.”
Mariota turned the ball over once on Sunday, when he threw an interception.
But he was effective throughout as the Titans never trailed. The Titans ran the ball for 137 yards on Sunday, with Murray’s 65 yards leading the way, but they won on Sunday because of their passing game and swarming defense, which produced six sacks for the second game in a row.
Mariota’s 284 yards through the air ranked third in his career. With his 64 yards on the ground, Mariota’s 348 combined passing and rushing yards set a season high through six games and ranked fourth in his career.
“I just try to do my best to come in and play and execute and put our offense and our team in the best situation,’’ Mariota said. “It’s nice to get a win at home. It’s nice to get two in a row but we’re going to come back here tomorrow and get ready for the Colts.
“We just got to continue to grind and focus on what we can do each and every single day to get better.”
Preds Comeback Falls Short, Lose to Blackhawks on Saturday
Down three goals in the opening 11 minutes, the Nashville Predators pulled back to within a single score twice, but ultimately dropped their first game of the season by a 5-3 final to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago used a strong opening 20 minutes to force a split of the teams’ home-and-home series, with the Hawks’ Scott Darling notching 33 saves to record the win over fellow backup goalie Marek Mazanec.
“There were a couple of fortunate bounces for them, and it makes the period look worse than it was,” Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought our guys played hard, out-shot them, out-chanced them and did a lot of good things. We had a big goal at the end of the [first] period but you’re sitting on a 3-1 deficit, against a good hockey team, that’s hard to come back from.”
The Blackhawks struck first for the second-straight game against the Preds (and third overall), when center Nick Schmaltz netted his first NHL goal high over Manezec’s glove.
Two goals in a 120-second span upped the home team’s lead to 3-0 with markers off the sticks of Brent Seabrook and Richard Panik.
“Our start [could have been better], I thought we played well in the first and there were a couple bounces… they scored three quick ones, and I don’t think it was as bad as the score was,” Preds blueliner Roman Josi said. “Then in the second, we had a lot of chances and just couldn’t come back in the end.”
Mazanec, making his first NHL start since Jan. 30, 2015, was critical of his 22-save performance, but his teammates said the Czech netminder gave them more than enough to win. Goals by Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson pulled the Predators to within one at 3-2 and 4-3, respectively.
“I thought he was great the whole game, there’s nothing he can do on those goals, and I thought he played a really solid game,” Josi said of Mazanec. “It’s hard if you get scored on three times in the first, and he did an amazing job of staying calm and kept us in the game the whole time.”
“We’ve proven ourselves to be a team that can come back in the third, but we want to be a team that can come back from deficits,” winger Filip Forsberg said.
Nashville found life in the closing moments of the first frame, cutting the deficit to 3-1. James Neal forced the puck through neutral ice and fired a low shot on net that rebounded to the side of the cage for Colin Wilson to sweep into the net. Smith’s tally came with less than two minutes to play in middle frame, and gave Nashville its fourth man-advantage goal of the season.
A hat trick from Richard Panik ensured the home team would remain ahead, however.
“I liked our game, I thought we ran out of steam a bit in the third period, but we still had some chances to score,” Laviolette said. “But for two periods, I thought we played with pretty good energy and did a lot of good things out there. The goal at the end of the first, that gave us a little life, we had a goal in the second, gave us a little more life, it’s just hard to dig out of those holes, that’s all.”
The Predators will now have a two days before they face another Central Division rival, the Dallas Stars, at home on Tuesday night (7 p.m. CT on FS-TN).
“It’s going to be a big game, the division is probably going to turn out as to who’s in the playoffs and who isn’t,” Forsberg said. “If you can win your division games, that can help you out a lot and coming home and playing in front of our fans again will be a big extra boost, for sure.”
Notes:
Forward Miikka Salomaki left Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Salomaki blocked a shot off of his hand in the second period.
Anthony Bitetto missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. He will be re-evaluated on Monday in Nashville. Yannick Weber made his season debut, taking Bitetto’s place on the third defensive pairing.
Nashville went 1-for-2 on the power play, keeping their 50-percent conversion rate through the first two games of the season. The Preds have four goals on eight power-play opportunities.
The Predators return home on Tuesday night to host the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena. The club will round out the week with another back-to-back situation when they face the Red Wings in Detroit on Friday (their final visit to Joe Louis Arena) before hosting Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Pete Weber’s Pregame Report
Power Play Shines as Preds Top Blackhawks in Friday Opener
There are still 81 games to go, but early indications say it may be wise to stay out of the penalty box when facing the Nashville Predators this season.
P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Mike Fisher all tallied with Nashville on the man advantage, as the Preds topped the Chicago Blackhawks by a 3-2 final on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.
The Opening Night victory gives Nashville a 4-1-1 record in their last six openers and points in eight of their last nine.
“There is so much talent in this locker room,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “Any given night, there’s different guys who can step up and be the guy that night. It was an interesting start, pucks were bouncing and somehow found a way to our net, but we stuck with it. I thought especially the second goal was huge, and then Fish stepped in with the game winner. It was a great win, and we had to work for it until the end. It was a great team win, and what a great way to start a season, and for our fans, too.”
Subban’s debut marker came less than 10 minutes into the contest, as he fired home a shot from the center point and then capped it off with his signature celebration for good measure.
Josi and Fisher joined the party, with all three shots coming from the top of the zone with traffic in front.
“That was awesome,” center Ryan Johansen, who had three assists, said. “Josi and P.K. did a great job there at the point getting pucks through and created some opportunities for us… overall, special teams were great.”
Rinne then shut the door in the third period as Chicago pushed down the stretch, with Nashville logging one final penalty kill to seal the victory.
“I thought he was the best player on the ice,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of his goaltender.
The Preds should get another chance to work with the extra skater tomorrow night in Chicago when the two clubs get together at the United Center, a building that is never easy to find success in, and a perfect opportunity for Nashville to see exactly what they’re made of in the early going.
“We’ll take the next hour and feel good about ourselves, and then it’s back to work,” Johansen said. “There’s 81 more.”
The Preds are now 4-1-1 in their last five openers and have at least one point in eight of their last nine home openers at Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators and Blackhawks are right back at it on Saturday in Chicago with puck drop set for 7:30 (CT) at United Center. Thnunder Radio will bring you coverage beginning at 7 on the Fifth Third Bank/Nashville Predators Radio Network.
CHS Soccer Falls in District Finals
Caitlyn Moore of CHS soccer(file photo)
Coffee County could not shut down the Lincoln County set piece offense on Thursday night as the Lady Falcons converted 3 goals off of corner kicks to beat the Lady Raiders 5 to 2 in the District 8AAA soccer finals. The Lady Raiders out shot Lincoln County 17 to 9 but the loss will force the Lady Raiders to travel on Tuesday night for the Region 4AAA semifinals.
Lincoln County got a pair of 1st half goals in the 25th and 30th minutes to take a 2 to 0 lead into the intermission. The back breaker was in the 44th minute as Lincoln County notched their 3rd goal to put Coffee County in an insurmountable hole. Caitlyn Moore added Coffee County’s first goal in the 53rd minute on a feed by Eliza Masters, but Lincoln County scored less than a minute later to shut down any potential rally. Moore added her second goal in the final minute off an assist from Jenna Garretson.
Coffee County will travel to Murfreesboro on Tuesday to take on the District 7AAA champion Lady Stars of Siegel. Siegel defeated Stewarts Creek 2 to 1 in the District 7AAA finals to advance to the region semifinals as a host. That match is tentatively scheduled for a 7 PM kickoff at Ken Nolan Stadium at Siegel.
CCMS 6th Grade Basketball Splits at North Franklin
Hayden Garr of CCMS Basketball
The 6th grade basketball teams of Coffee County Middle School traveled to North Franklin on Thursday night and came home with a split. The Lady Raiders dropped a 34 to 24 decision while the boys won handily 27 to 8.
The Red Raiders held the Gators scoreless in the 2nd and 4th periods as they roared out to a 21 to 3 halftime lead. The Red Raiders defense held North to 2 field goals on the night in the win. Dayne Crosslin led the Raiders in scoring as he had 10 points. Hayden Garr added 6 and Isaiah Campbell added 4 points for the Raiders as they ran their record to 2 and 0 on the young season.
Alivia Reel of CCMS basketball
A cold shooting touch in the second half doomed the Lady Raiders as they fell 34 to 24 to North Franklin in the girls’ game. Tied at 16 at the half, North outscored the Coffee County 18 to 8 in the 2nd half including a 10 to 3 advantage in the 4th quarter. Alivia Reel led Coffee County in scoring with 11 points while Nikki Graham added 9 points. The loss evens the Lady Raiders record at 1.
The Coffee County 6th grade teams will travel to Shelbyville on Monday to take on Harris. The girls’ game is set to begin at 6 PM.
CHS Lady Raider Golfers Capture 2nd at State; Red Raiders Make History
Members of the CHS Golf team with their 2nd place trophy. Left to Right: coach Mike Ray, Sophie Vinson, Savannah Quick, Ashley Gilliam and coach Marshall Gilliam[Photo by DeMarco Moore – Manchester Times]
The Lady Raiders got top 18 finishes from all 3 team members to earn the Lady Raiders a 2nd place team title. Ashley Gilliam shot an even par round on Wednesday to finish in 9th place. Savannah Quick was 3 over on Wednesday to finish at 155 for 11th place and Sophie Vinson had a 2 day total of 160 to finish in 18th place. Ray had this to say about his Lady Raider senior golfers Savannah Quick and Sophie Vinson:
CHS senior John Parigger signs his scorecard following Wednesday’s match
For the Red Raiders, Samuel Prater became the youngest golfer to ever compete for the Red Raiders at state as the sophomore finished with a 2 day total of 162. Prater shot identical 1 over par scores of 37 on the front nine this week at Willowbrook. John Parigger rebounded from a tough first 9 holes on Tuesday to finish the tournament with a two day total of 157. Parigger shot a 2 over par 74 on Wednesday and is the first Red Raider golfer to qualify for the state tournament for a 2nd year after competing last year as well. “My putting let me down this week, but I am honored to have had this opportunity said the senior Parigger. Ray had this to say about his 2 Red Raider golfers:
Parigger also added some praise for his head coach: .
Members of the Red Raider and Lady Raider golf teams will be guests on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday morning. The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each Saturday from 10 to 11 AM from the NEW showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln and is heard here on Thunder Radio.