Raider Retrospective Countdown: The Honorable Mentions

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For the last four weeks, we have taken a look back at four of the greatest CCCHS sporting events and stories of the 2024-25 school year.

Before revealing the top story on this countdown list next week, let’s visit the cutting room floor and take a look at three entries that just missed out on our top five.

Red Raider golf sweeps District Tourney

On Monday, Sept. 23, the CCCHS golf team made a clean sweep of the AA District 8 Tournament, placing first as a team in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions at Lawrenceburg Golf and Country Club.

Jack Stowe led the Red Raiders and all other golfers with a score of 68, Noah Costello carded the fourth best score of the tournament with a 72, Jaxon Phillips scored an 83 and Levi Rossman turned in an 86 to give Coffee County a team score of 309. Landon Collins managed an 89 in individual scoring for Coffee County.

The Red Raiders beat host Lawrence County by one stroke as the Wildcats put up a team score of 310 with their best individual efforts coming from Hud Mattox, who had the second best score of the tournament with a 70, and Dalton McCawley, who carded the third best individual score of 71. Tullahoma placed third as a team in the tournament with a team score of 323.

In the girls’ competition, Leah Kate Sullivan scored an 83 and Karsyn Riddle turned in a 124 to give the Lady Raiders a team score of 207, which was good enough to place first. Lincoln County came in second with a team score of 259.

Sullivan’s 83 was the second best individual mark of the tournament, as Marshall County’s Nellie Neece put up a score of 81 to place first.

Following the District Tournament, the Red Raider boys placed second as a team in the AA Region 4 Tournament, with Jack Stowe and Noah Costello each earning a trip to the State Tournament. Stowe placed in a tie for 10th at State while Costello finished 52nd.

Coffee County’s girls finished the season with a fourth place run in the Region Tournament.

“Never in doubt”: Raiders edge Wildcats for Coffee Cup

The CCCHS soccer team won their sixth game of the 2025 campaign after a hard-fought 1-0 road victory over Tullahoma in the latest edition of the Coffee Cup on Saturday night, April 26.

For the first 40 minutes, the game was a tight defensive battle with the Red Raiders creating several scoring chances.

Five minutes into the second half, senior Cayden Trail broke the scoreless tie with a long-range shot from outside the 18-yard box on the left wing side which sailed through the top right corner to give Coffee County a 1-0 lead.

As the clock ticked away in the second half, the Wildcats pulled together a handful of prime scoring chances.

With over seven minutes remaining in regulation, Brayden Trail went to make a save on a frantic Wildcat offense, only to be taken down on a collision with a Wildcat forward. The ball was unable to be secured by the senior goalkeeper, but a rebound chance by the Wildcats sailed over the goal post. Trail was slow to get up after the collision but appeared to be okay and continued playing in goal.

Tullahoma had three more chances to even the score in the final two minutes of regulation with two corner kicks and free kick, but the Red Raiders held on for the 1-0 victory.

“It was never in doubt,” Red Raider coach Briggs Haithcock said after the victory. “The boys came out here, they wanted it, they showed the energy, it was never a doubt in my mind they wanted this more.”

It is the second consecutive year that the Red Raiders have won the Coffee Cup.

The Red Raiders went on to finish the season with a 7-5-3 record, ending the campaign with a 2-0 loss to Shelbyville Central in the District Semifinals.

Abiose places eighth at State Meet

Coffee County Central freshman Naomi Abiose had the best showing for the Red Raider track team at the TSSAA Class AAA Championships in Murfreesboro on May 22, taking the final spot of the podium in the girls’ high jump event.

Abiose had no trouble clearing heights of 4-6, 4-8, 4-10 and 5-0, but failed to clear the 5-2 bar after three attempts.

Abiose and Aalveyah Torrance of Bartlett each finished with 0.5 points, but after all tie breakers had been exhausted, both got to share the eighth and final spot on the podium.

Khari Webb of Collierville placed first in the event, clearing a best height of 5-feet, 8 inches. McKenzie Eisenberg of West (5-4) and Savannah Darnell of William Blount (5-2) rounded out the top three spots.

Morgen Spears also represented Coffee County in the girls’ high jump event, clearing a height of 5-0 on her third attempt, but like her teammate, the 5-2 bar proved to be the limit. Spears finished tied for 13th.

The only other representative for Coffee County in the State Meet was junior Presley Rooker, who finished 15th in the boys’ pole vault event after clearing a best height of 10-6.

Cadence Dolgin of Wilson Central placed first in the event with a mark of 15-0. Gavin Bailey of Bearden and Brody Foster of Knoxville Halls rounded out the top three steps of the podium, each reaching a best height of 14-6.

Next Week

We will finish our 2024-25 Raider Retrospective Countdown by revealing our No. 1 sports story of the 2024-25 school year.