Category: Sports

The 50th Annual Semmes-McKenzie Lions Bowl freshmen football game will be played on Thursday October 29th, 2015 at Wilkins Stadium in Tullahoma. This will be a doubleheader featuring four of the top freshmen football teams in the mid-state area. The first game will start at 6:00 pm when the Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions (Nashville) will play the Oakland Patriots (Murfreesboro). The second game will begin at 8:00 pm and feature the Columbia Lions and the Tullahoma Wildcats. Both Tullahoma and Christ Presbyterian Academy are undefeated at 8 wins and no losses, Oakland has 7 wins and 1 loss, and Columbia has 4 wins and 2 losses.
The Lions Bowl originated in 1965 and was sponsored by the Tullahoma Civic and Service Council. Sleepy McKenzie was one of the bowl’s originators and continued leading the bowl team through 2006. Bill Comer has been the bowl chairman from 2006 to the present. During the early years, there were no TSSAA playoffs and the bowls were the only post-season rewards for teams with outstanding records. The Tullahoma Lions Club became the sole sponsor of the game in 1970. After the playoff system was implemented, the bowls continued to operate successfully since only the top teams in a district participate in the playoffs, leaving ample teams with 7 or more wins (the TSSAA requirement at that time) to fill the bowl slots. Eventually, the TSSAA increased participation in the playoffs to the point that only a few teams across the state were available for the bowls. Clester Winningham, Tullahoma freshmen football coach at the time, suggested that the Lions Bowl format be changed to a doubleheader featuring freshmen teams. This was done in 1997 and was highly successful. Today, the bowl is widely recognized across the mid-state area as an effective and meaningful reward for high school freshmen football teams.
In June of 2011, The Tullahoma Lions Bowl was renamed the Semmes-McKenzie Lions Bowl. This was done in memory of Dr. Frank Semmes who almost single-handily produced the Lions Bowl printed program from the time the Lions Club assumed sponsorship until his death in early 2011, and James “Sleepy” McKenzie who was one of the original founders of the bowl and chaired the bowl from its inception until 2006.
Proceeds from the game received by the Tullahoma Lions Club will be used to support the club’s Sight Conservation Program which purchases eyeglasses and provides surgery for needy citizens of the local area. The participating schools keep funds from their sale of advanced tickets.
Members of the bowl committee for 2015 are: Bill Comer, Chairman, Bill Cox and Justin Duckworth team selection and facilities coordination; Sally Hoehl program; Don Jones and Russ Gier, concessions; J. Ray Joellenbeck, tickets; Bob Johnson, press box; Jim Brewer, awards; Richard Kulp, DVD sales; and Jasper Smith and John Brandon, gates. Justin Duckworth is the current president of the Tullahoma Lions Club.
The primary sponsor of this year’s bowl will be Lakeway Publishers, Inc. The Tullahoma Lions Club is pleased to have Lakeway and The Tullahoma News participate in the bowl sponsorship along with all the other area businesses that have bought ads in the game program.

CCMS 6th grade coach Jamie Morgan talking to Hayley Horton on Tuesday night

The Coffee County Middle School 6th grade basketball teams opened their home season on Tuesday night with a pair of hard fought wins over White County. The Lady Raiders scored the first 8 points of the game on their way to a 27 to 17 win. The Lady Raiders controlled the first half storming out to a 21 to 7 lead at intermission. Coach Jamie Morgan emptied her bench in the 2nd half but White County could never get the deficit below the 10 point final margin. The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Kiya Ferrell who scored 16 points. Leigha Insell added 6 points for Coffee County who is now 2 and 0 on the year.

Conner Shemwell of CCMS basketball

The Red Raiders trailed twice in the last 30 seconds before clawing out a 34 to 33 win in the boys’ game. Conner Shemwell scored on an offensive rebound and put back as time expired to close out a frantic 3 minute stretch and give the Raiders the win. Coffee County led 28 to 23 entering the 4th quarter but cold shooting allowed White County to take a 31 to 28 lead on a 3 pointer with 2:07 left in the game. Joseph Duncan got a steal and was fouled hitting the tying basket with 28 seconds left. Duncan drained the free throw to give the Raiders a 1 point lead, only to see White County hit a 12 footer with 8 seconds remaining. After calling a timeout, Raider coach Bryan Morgan designed a play which Coffee County executed well enough to get a layup shot. After the miss, Shemwell powered up the put back to lift the Raiders to 2 and 0 on the year. Duncan led Coffee County is scoring with 22 points. Aiden Abellana added 7 points and Shemwell finished with 5. Coffee County travels to Tullahoma on Thursday night for a 6 PM doubleheader with West Middle School.

Rod Brinkley of Westwood basketball

Coming off a solid performance on Monday, the Westwood Rockets got their first win of the year as they crushed Moore County on Tuesday night. Westwood used a stifling defense to hold the Raiders scoreless in the 2nd and 3rd quarters on their way to a 37 to 13 win. Nine different Rockets scored on the evening led by Collin Ward who had 7 points. Shawn Anderson and Rod Brinkley each netted 6 points for Westwood. The win improves the Rockets to 1 and 3 on the year.

Westwood Lady Rocket Ashley Starks

The Lady Rockets improved to 4 and 0 with a 37 to 10 win over the Raiderettes. Aftrer holding Moore County to 2 points in the first half, Westwood took a 33 to 2 lead into the locker room at intermission. Coach Angela Houck rested 4 of her 5 starters the entire 2nd half. Morgan Jones led Westwood in scoring with 11 points while not entering the game after halftime. Clarissa Barrera added 6 points while Ashley Starks and Karen Medina finished with 5 points apiece. Westwood will be back at home on Monday night as they play host to Huntland. Tipoff is set for 6 PM.

Filip Forsberg

Click here for Pete Weber’s Game winning call

Filip Forsberg scored the only goal of the shootout to lead the Nashville Predators to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
James Neal scored twice and Mike Fisher and Shea Weber also scored for the Predators, winners of five of six. Nashville’s last two wins have come via a shootout.
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne allowed four goals on 29 shots through overtime, but he was sharp in the shootout, denying all three Lightning shooters.
Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Ryan Callahan and Erik Condra scored for the Lightning, who have dropped three of four.
In the tiebreaker, Forsberg skated to the right and beat Lightning goalie Ben Bishop with a quick wrist shot.

The Predators will be back on the ice on Thursday night as they  welcome the Anaheim Ducks to the Bridgestone Arena,  Face off is set for 7 PM and you can hear that game here on Thunder Radio.

Morgan Jones of Westwood basketball

The Lady Rockets basketball team of Westwood Middle School continued the strong start to their season on Monday night as they dropped Cascade 30 to 19 at the Joel Vinson Gym.  Westwood, who has started the season at 3 and 0, got off to a strong start holding Cascade to 5 points in the first half.  The visiting Lady Champions had no answer for the speed and quickness of the Westwood defense as Westwood forced turnovers and bad shots throughout the first half.   Westwood was led in scoring by Morgan Jones who finished with 12 points, 8 of those coming in the second half.  Beatris Barrera finished with 9 points and Ashley Starks poured in 6 points.

Two furious rallies for the Westwood Rockets were not enough to claim a victory in the boys game as the Rockets fell 28 to 26 to the Champions.  The Rockets played their best 4 quarters of basketball as they battled back from a 9 to 2 deficit in the first 3 minutes of the game to grab a 15 to 13 halftime lead.  A Jake Hollandsworth 3 pointer at the 2:50 mark of the 2^nd period gave Westwood their first lead of the night.

Augie Burch of Westwood basketball

Foul trouble and turnovers plagued Westwood in the 2^nd half as they trailed by 4 points with 99 seconds remaining.  Westwood cut it to 1 point, but Cascade hit their free throws down the stretch to claim the win.   Westwood was led in scoring by Hollandsworth who finished with 9 points.  Collin Ward finished with 6 points and Augie Burch added 4 points for the Rockets. Westwood travels to Lynchburg on Tuesday night for a 6 PM doubleheader with Moore County.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

Andrew Mahaffey (#14 in black) steps in to intercept a Warren County pass on Friday night (Photo by John StClair – JohnStClairPhoto.com)

Coffee County got a big night from Vanderbilt commitment Alontae Taylor who finished with 342 yards of total offense as they manhandled Warren County on Friday night 46 to 7.  The Red Raider defense continued their sterling play as they forced 4 turnovers on the night.  The Raiders opened the scoring with 9:09 left in the first quarter as Tyrese McGee hauled in a 42 yard touchdown pass from Taylor.  Freshman Andrew Mahaffey stalled the ensuing Warren County drive as he intercepted a pass at the goal line to save a touchdown.  The lone Warren County score came in the 2^nd quarter tying the contest at 7.  From there, the Red Raiders 4 touchdowns before the half as Taylor rushed for 3 scores and Mill Harner returned an interception for a score.

Warren County fumbled the first snap of the second half and Coffee County pushed the ball down the field to score on a Boone Riddle run from the Wildcat Formation to make the score 40 to 7.  At that point, Coach Ryan Sulkowski emptied the bench.  Justice Benitez closed out the scoring with a 40 yard TD run in the 4^th quarter.

2015 CHS homecoming court (Photo by John StClair – JohnStClairPhoto.com)

Taylor finished the night going 8 for 12 passing for 143 yards and a TD thru the air while rushing 20 times for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns.   Riddle rushed 4 times for 34 yards and a TD while catching 4  passes for 67 yards.  McGee had 4 receptions for 66 yards and a TD.  During the homecoming halftime festivities, Ali Shelton was named the homecoming queen for the football team and Izzy Huddlestone was crowned the student body homecoming queen.  Harry Hosea was crowned the homecoming king.

The Raiders hit the road for the final 2 games of the regular season.  Coffee County travels to Blackman on Friday night to take on the state’s 5^th ranked team.  Kickoff will be at 7 PM and Lucky Knott and Dustin Murray will bring you the call of the game on Thunder Radio.

The top 3 Red Raider cross country runners each shaved about 90 seconds off their previous best times at Sharp Springs in Saturday’s MSCCA Midstate High School Championship Meet in Smyrna.  James Lynn led the Raider harriers as he finished in 35th place with a time of 5:52.7.  Edgar Marceleno finished in 82nd place with a time of 6:11.1.  Neil Slone finished in 97th place with a time of 6:19.2 while Bradley Kishbaugh was a step behind at 6:20.0.  Andy Rosson finished with a time of 6:31.5 to give Coffee County a 14th place out of 36 silver division teams.

For the Lady Raiders, Makenzie Morgan finished in 97th place with a time of 8:18.1.  Katie Folke came in at 8:37.2 and Jasmine Farrar had a time of 9:06.9.  The Raider Cross Country teams will be back in action on Thursday, October 29th at Smyrna for the Regional Meet.

Click to hear Pete Weber’s Post Game Report

James Neal of the Nashville Predators

James Neal scored twice in regulation, then tallied the winner in the shootout, and the Nashville Predators finished off their three-game road trip with a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

The Preds are now 4-1-0 on the season and head home after capturing four out of a possible six points on the East Coast trip.

“It was a good road trip,” Neal said. “We talked about it going into the third period, you can have one win and two losses going home and it was a huge third period for us. We had a good win in New Jersey, and I thought we played our best game of the year on Long Island and didn’t get a win, so coming in here and pulling one out was good.”

Nashville struck first on Saturday, a constant through five contests this season, as Neal tallied his second goal in as many games to give the Preds a 1-0 advantage. The man-advantage goal came as Roman Josi fed Neal with a pass on the goal line before the Preds forward walked to the net and drove the puck far side to beat Craig Anderson.

Mark Stone tied the contest for Ottawa just 15 seconds into the middle frame before Mike Hoffmann gave the Senators a 2-1 lead. The Preds got it back though, as Craig Smith took a Mike Ribeiro pass in the slot and sniped it past the blocker of Anderson for a 2-2 tie headed into the second intermission.

“[Smith’s] goal was a real big goal because it puts you into the third period at an even score and you can sell a different message as you head out to the third period,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “You talk about winning 20 minutes and having a great road trip and the guys really played hard for that 20 minutes.”

Neal then replicated his goal from the first period, enacting the same move from the same spot on the ice to put the Preds up 3-2 with another power-play goal. With time winding down in regulation, Hoffman recorded his second of the night to send the game into overtime.

The Predators faced their first 3-on-3 overtime session in franchise history, with neither team capitalizing on the open ice.

After Bobby Ryan scored for Ottawa in the second round of the shootout, Filip Forsberg answered for the Preds before Neal finished the deal, beating Anderson on the forehand for the victory.

Preds netminder Carter Hutton recorded the victory for Nashville, turning aside 38 shots in regulation, plus two more in the shootout, for his first win in his initial start of the season.

“At some points we were back on our heels but we stuck with it,” Hutton said. “At this point, just getting the win and going home 2-1 instead of 1-2 is a big difference.”

The Predators will now head home to host Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Pittsburgh this week at Bridgestone Arena and the success on the first road trip of the season only provides confidence with three challenging opponents on the docket.

“It’s early in the season, but we’ve got a real good group of guys in there; they play hard for each other and I think that’s evident in the third period tonight with a good road win,” Laviolette said. “You’re going home with four out of six points and you like the way the team played in the loss [against the Islanders], you just didn’t like the result, so it’s good we’re going back in a good spot and we’ve got to win some home games now.”

THe Predators open a 3 game home stand on Tuesday night against Tampa Bay.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast beginning at 7 PM

CHS Cheerleaders at Homecoming on the Square (Photo provided)

The Coffee County Red Raider football team looks to gain their first region win of the year tonight as they play host Warren County in the final home game of the year. Tonight will also be celebrated as Homecoming and Senior Night. The team and community gathered on the square on Thursday night for the 2nd Annual Homecoming on the Square, including a homecoming parade and pep rally. Tonight, the seniors will be honored in the pregame beginning at 6:30 PM with homecoming activities slated to occur at halftime. Thunder Radio will bring you all the action beginning at 6 PM with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame Show. Lucky Knott and Dustin Murray will bring you the call of the game which kicks off at 7 PM.