After a tough beginning to the 2021 football season that saw the Coffee County Red Raiders with a 1-4 record after 5 games finished with 4 wins in their last 5 regular season games. The Raiders at 5-5 made the TSSAA playoffs and had its best overall mark since 2007.
Friday night Coffee County traveled up I-24 to Murfreesboro to take on the 9-1 Riverdale Warriors.
Coach Doug Greene’s Raiders fell behind 7-0 halftime. The Warriors had 114 yards in penalties in the 1st half alone.
Coffee County would fight back and tie the game at 7 in the third after a five play, 70-yard scoring drive. QB Connor Shemwell connected with WR Kelby Walker on a 32-yard TD pass to tie the game.
Later, following a Raider fumbled a punt Riverdale to up their lead to 15-7. The Warriors would finish off the night’s scoring with one more touchdown to make the final 22-7.
Senior QB finished off an excellent high school career with a nice night throwing the football as he went 17-of-31 through the air for 211 yards and the TD toss to the Sir Pizza Player of the Game Kelby Walker. Shemwell wrapped up the year with 1,775 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Other receivers that got into the action were Junior Travis Martin who had 6 catches 100 yards and Junior Jahlin Osbourne had five receptions for 48 yards. Junior Konor Heaton finished with over 1,400 yards on the season carried the ball 16 times for 65 yards.
The 2022 season looks very promising as Coffee County will return all but its 7 seniors.
Photo: Connor Shemwell throws the ball down the field in a game earlier this season. Picture by Hunter Hobbs with the Manchester Times
