Category: Sports

Motlow State sophomore Jaylen Barford(Photo by Jeff Reed Photography)

Jaylen Barford calmly sank a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds showing on the clock and the No. 2 seed Motlow Bucks narrowly avoided the upset by No. 7 seed Jackson State 77-75 Tuesday night at the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament in Gallatin.

The Bucks (24-6) will now face Columbia State in the semifinals at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Chargers, who are the two-time defending league champions, knocked off Cleveland State to advance to the semifinals. Southwest Tennessee and Chattanooga State will play in the other men’s semifinal game at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Motlow held a seemingly comfortable 49-34 lead at halftime against the Generals, who the Bucks had beaten by 35 points at Copperweld Arena just 10 days ago. Jackson State, despite having only seven available players on the roster, mounted an impressive comeback and took the lead multiple times in the final minutes.

The Generals shot the ball well, connecting on 54 percent from the field including 9-23 three-pointers. The Bucks shot 46 percent from the field and made 8-20 from behind the arc. Motlow uncharacteristically had more turnovers than assists, 13-10, and narrowly won the rebounding battle 33-27.

Barford, who was named the TCCAA Player of the Year before the game, led all scorers with 27 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jared Pearson scored 15 with seven rebounds, JaQualis Matlock added 11 points and seven rebounds, Alex Magnuson had 11 points, and Stephaun Adams scored 10 points with four rebounds and two assists.

Marcus Lytle, a first team all-conference player, led Jackson State with 25 points.

Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.

Motlow first baseman Peyton Meeker holds a runner close during a recent game at the Driver Baseball Complex. Meeker has had an explosive start to the season at the plate for the Bucks, including hitting three home runs in one game last weekend. Motlow opens conference play this weekend at Jackson State. (Photo provided by Motlow State)

The Motlow Bucks swept a pair of doubleheaders this past weekend, setting them up to enter Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) play on a four-game winning streak.

The Bucks (8-10, 0-0) beat visiting Morton College 13-5, 7-5 on Sunday, Feb. 28, then turned around and swept Bryan College JV 8-3, 12-2 on Monday. The Bucks will open TCCAA action when they travel to Jackson St. (12-5, 0-0) this weekend for a three-game series. Friday’s single game begins at 2 p.m. and Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for a noon start.

Motlow jumped out in front of game one against Morton with a run in the first inning and five more in the second. The visitors pulled within 6-5 in the top of the fifth, but the Bucks responded with two more runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth.

Charter Helton (2-2) got the win, going six innings and allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six. Only two of the five runs he allowed were earned. Connor Boyd pitched the final inning and allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout.

Peyton Meeker, who leads the Bucks with five home runs and 16 runs batted in on the season, drove in the first run for Motlow when he grounded out in the first inning and Spencer Mossburg, who had opened the inning with a single, scored.

Aaron Hobbs, who is batting .333 with four homers and 12 RBI, homered in the second inning after Connor Greene had opened the inning with a single. Dylan Stark drove in two runs with a single, and Casey Wehrhahn drove in the final run of the inning with a two-out single. Hobbs was 4-4 on the day with three runs scored and four RBI.

Game two against Morton was a bit closer as the lead swapped back and forth in the early innings. Motlow regained the lead for the final time at 5-4 with two runs in the third, then added single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.

Meeker had a memorable day at the plate for the Bucks, slamming three home runs and driving in five. Meeker, who played his prep baseball at Coffee County, hit a three-run blast in the first inning and solo shots in the third and fifth innings. Hunter Nance also hit a solo homer in the third inning for the Bucks.

Nate Newman (1-3) got the win on the mound in relief of starter Jeremy Thurman, who pitched the first three innings and allowed only three hits and one run. Newman went the final four, giving up only one hit and striking out seven.

Motlow took control early in game one against visiting Bryan College JV Monday, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second. That was plenty of support for Matt Westberry (3-0), who went the full seven innings and allowed six hits with 11 strikeouts.

Nance, who leads the Bucks with a .392 batting average, slammed a two-run homer in the second inning and drove in three runs. Meeker was 2-3 and Stark drove in two runs and had two stolen bases.

The Bucks continued their hot hitting in the nightcap against Bryan, ending the game in five innings after scoring three in the second, four in the third, and five in the fourth inning. Mossburg was the first of four pitchers and got the win. Shaq Thompson, J.R. Reese and Zach Hopkins all took their turn on the hill for the Bucks and combined to allow only five hits, five walks and two earned runs.

Mossburg, Stark, Nance and Hobbs combined for 10 hits and nine RBI. Motlow achieved a rare feat with two triples in the third inning, one by Camron Harper and the other by Hobbs, who added his fourth homer of the season in the fourth inning.

Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.

Westwood’s Felix Salinas(file photo)

A driving rain could not slow down the Westwood Soccer team and Felix Salinas as the Rockets notched a 5 to 0 win on Tuesday night in their home opener. Salinas and Andres Cavalie each notched 1st half goals to give Westwood a 2 to 0 halftime lead. Salinas added a pair of 2nd half goals to finish with a hat trick. St. Andrews mishandled a Leo Suarez corner kick as they punched it into their own goal in the 45th minute to close out the scoring. Coach Jonathan Graf was pleased with his team’s defense as they limited the visiting Mountain Lions offensive opportunities. With the win, Westwood improves to 4 & 0 on the season and 2 & 0 in conference play. The Rockets will be back at home on Tuesday, March 8 when they host conference rival Fayetteville. That match is set to get underway at 6 PM at Dyer-Bouldin Field.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber

Shea Weber said he was a little nervous coming back from a three-game absence. It didn’t show on the ice.

Weber had a goal and two assists and the Nashville Predators beat the Dallas Stars 5-3 Tuesday night.

Weber has 12 power-play goals this season. He had been out with a lower-body injury.

”He was terrific,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”We were being safe in making sure that Shea was ready. We didn’t want to force the issue. We didn’t want to go backwards. We got to a point where he felt good.”

Craig Smith and James Neal each had a goal and an assist, and Calle Jarnkrok and Mattias Ekholm also scored for Nashville, which has won a season-high five straight. Pekka Rinne made 35 saves.

”The way the guys were playing while I was out, I was a little nervous to come back,” Weber said. ”I didn’t want to be the reason we lost the game, so it was a big win. I thought the guys did a good job. That’s a very good team over there.”

Antoine Roussel had a goal and an assist and Jason Spezza and Vernon Fiddler also scored for Dallas, which has lost its last four games.

Antti Niemi stopped 14 of 18 shots for the Stars before being relieved by Kari Lehtonen midway through the second.

Smith scored the game’s first goal at 12:38 of the opening period.

From behind the Dallas net, Mike Ribeiro found Smith stationed just outside of the crease on the right side, where he beat Niemi with a quick snap shot.

Just 10 seconds later, Roussel beat Nashville defenseman Anthony Bitetto on the right side and was able to cut toward the net and slip the puck between Rinne’s left skate and the post.

”My focus is to keep the puck out of the net and I got beat tonight on a tough goal,” Bitetto said. ”You’ve got to put everything behind you.”

Early in the second, Bitetto carried the puck into the Dallas zone and left a drop pass for Neal, who sent a shot toward the net. Skating through the slot, Jarnkrok bunted the puck like a baseball batter, sending it off of the knob of Niemi’s stick and into the net.

”We gave up a big rush chance right at the start of the second, which I thought got them a little bit fired up,” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said.

Weber made it 3-1 at 9:17 of the second on a power play with a one-timer from above the left circle off a pass from Roman Josi.

Ekholm followed 31 seconds later with a backhand from the right circle, spelling the end of the night for Niemi.

”You just want to do the basic stuff, see the puck, make the stops, but sometimes it’s hard,” Niemi said.

Dallas made it 4-2 at 16:28 of the second. With the Stars on a two-man advantage, Spezza poked in a loose puck in the crease.

Neal made it 5-2 at 5:37, but Fiddler, a former Predator, cut Nashville’s lead back to two goals at 10:30 with his ninth goal of the season.

The Predators will welcome the New Jersey Devils to the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night with the faceoff scheduled for 7 PM.  Thunder Radio will bring you every minute of the action on the Fifth Third Bank/Nashville Predators Radio Network.

A pair of goals by Elliot Sain lifted the Westwood Rockets soccer team to an impressive 4 to 2 win over Tullahoma on Monday night in a non-conference friendly in Tullahoma. Tied at the half at 2, the Rockets scored twice in the last 11 minutes to improve to 3 and 0 on the young season.
Tullahoma got on the board first with a goal in the 10th minute, but Sain answered back a minute later with the first half of his brace. Leo Basurto laced a long through pass ahead to Andres Cavalie who banged the shot home in the 18th minute. The Wildcats were able to tie the match in the 26th on a penalty kick. Sain notched the game winner in the 49th minute and Eric Randolph feathered a shot over the keeper’s head for the insurance goal in the 58th minute to seal the win.
The JV team fought Tullahoma to a 2 to 2 draw. Jalen Shelton and Renaldo Ramirez scored the goals for Westwood in the JV game. The Rockets will host their 1st home match of the season on Tuesday night as they welcome St. Andrews-Sewanee to Dyer-Bouldin Field. That conference match will kick off at 4:30 PM.

Banging out 10 hits, and taking advantage of 5 free passes due to walks and hit batters, the Coffee County Middle School softball team opened the season with a 15 to 0, win over White County on Monday night in 3 innings.  Sarah West banged out 3 hits to lead the Lady Raider attack as she had 2 singles and a double.  Kyla Craig was 2 for 2 on the night with a triple and a single.  Maci Head got the shutout win in the circle and added a double at the plate for Coffee County.  The JV team also blanked White County 15 to 0 as well.  The Lady Raiders travel to Sparta on Tuesday afternoon for a rematch with White County.  The varsity game gets underway at 5 PM.

The Red Raider baseball team plated 6 runs in the last 2 innings in a 10 to 6 opening game win over White County on Monday night at CCMS. The Raiders’ patience at the plate paid off as they drew 7 walks in the game. Blanton Brown led the Raiders in hitting as he had a single, a double and a triple in 4 plate appearances while scoring 2 runs. Jalen Morris and Hayden Skipper each had a pair of walks and as each scored twice. Skipper started the game on the bump and earned the win with 10 strikeouts.  Griffin Meeker came on in relief in the 5th inning for Coffee County. The JV Raiders won their contest 4 to 0.  The Raiders travel to Sparta on Tuesday afternoon for the 2nd game in the series with White County. The varsity game gets underway at 5 PM.

Jacob Barlow(4th from the left) stands atop the medal stand on Saturday(Photo Provided)

Jacob Barlow captured the Tennessee AAU state championship in the midget 85 pound class on Saturday. Barlow, a member of the Coffee County Youth Wrestling team, is the 10 year old son of Roger and Mary Beth Barlow and is the first state wrestling champion from Manchester. Jacob is a 4th grader at Deerfield Elementary. Jacob is coached by CHS wrestling coaches Roger Barlow and Randall Jennings who run the Coffee County Youth Wrestling program. For more information about getting your boy or girl involved in youth wrestling in Coffee County, you can visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ccyouthwrestling

The Coffee County Middle School softball team wrapped up their preseason scrimmage action on Sunday taking on a spilt Tullahoma squad in preseason tournament action in Lynchburg. The Lady Raiders defeated a Tullahoma split squad 8 to 3. Coach Lana Creek used the weekend tournament to try some lineup combinations. “The girls got the nerves worked out and we were able to string some hits together on Sunday and I think that will help us (Monday).” The Lady Raider varsity players were 1 and 1 on the weekend while the JV squad took a loss in their only game on Saturday.
Coffee County opens the regular season at home on Monday night when they host White County beginning at 5 PM. The JV game will take place following the varsity contest.

The Steve Wilder era as head coach of the CHS Softball team got underway on Saturday with 4 scrimmage games at Shelbyville. The Lady Raider varsity team had an even record at 1 win, 1 loss and a tie on the day. The JV team got a 5 to 4 win over Community to complete the first scrimmage action of the spring for Coffee County. Coach Wilder was pleased with the performance of his pitching staff. “(The pitchers) threw all pitches for strikes” said Wilder. Offensively, the highlight of the day was a mammoth homerun from Tori Bell against Moore County. Coach Wilder also wants to see improvement offensively with his team on timing and getting some defensive repetition for is young outfielders this week prior to next weekend’s scrimmages.
The Lady Raiders travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday for 3 more scrimmage games as part of the Rutherford County Playday. The Lady Raiders have games scheduled for 8 AM, 12:30 PM and 2 PM at Riverdale High School.

Beautiful weather and big crowds bolstered a good performance from the CHS Soccer teams on Saturday as they hosted the Red Raider Jam at the Raider Academy. The varsity squad finished 2 and 2 on the day while the JV squad was unbeaten on the day. Coach Robert Harper was pleased with the efforts “I am very happy with how both teams played.  John Parigger played well in goal for us as he had some good saves and handled the goal kicks well.” Coach Harper also got some good performances from some of his younger players in his sophomore class. The Red Raiders will complete their preseason games this week with a pair of trips to Rutherford County. On Thursday the Raiders travel to Smyrna to take on the Bulldogs in a 5 PM match and follow that up with a Saturday varsity/JV doubleheader at Stewarts Creek.