The CCCHS Red Raiders won their first two games of the Smoky Mountain Cup with a 6-0 win over LaFayette on Thursday, and a 3-0 win over DeKalb County on Friday.
CCCHS Red Raiders: 6, LaFayette Ramblers: 0
In their first game of the Smoky Mountain Cup, the Red Raiders were pitted against the LaFayette Ramblers from LaFayette, Georgia in a Thursday evening tilt.
The Red Raiders made quick work of the Ramblers, scoring five goals in the first half.
Peyton Pobanz scored the first goal of the match on a corner kick from Manny Gonzales, then Gonzales scored his fifth goal of the season to make the score 2-0.
Ethan Sloan would score the third goal for Coffee County, Joel Barrera scored to make it 4-0 and Joan Jaimes would score with an assist from Sloan as the Red Raiders took a 5-0 lead into the halftime break.
Sloan would pot another goal in the second half to bring his season total to five, and the Red Raiders went on to win, 6-0.
Brayden Trail and Hunter Crosslin both played in net for Coffee County.
In their second game of the tournament, the Red Raiders played DeKalb County on Friday night.
Coffee County quickly went to work as Ethan Sloan scored three minutes into the match with an assist by Manny Gonzales to give the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead, which they kept at the halftime break.
Sloan would score yet again at the 46 minute mark for his seventh goal of the season, and his fifth goal in the last three games.
Patrick Brown made it 3-0 with his second goal of the season at the 79 minute mark, with Emmanuel Gonzales getting the assist.
Coffee County’s stout defense and Hunter Crosslin’s play in net kept the Tigers scoreless and the Red Raiders held on for their fourth shutout win of the season.
The Red Raiders remain undefeated on the season at 4-0-2 and have only conceded one goal in six matches played.Â
Coffee County will face Franklin Road Academy in their final game of the Smoky Mountain Cup on Saturday, Apr. 6.
Former Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo has transferred to Arkansas. Aidoo entered the transfer portal on April 11 and declared for the NBA draft. He maintained his college eligibility while going through the draft process. The 6-foot-11 Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 36 games this past season while earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors. He also had 66 blocked shots and was a first-team All-SEC defensive team selection. Aidoo's performance was a big upgrade from his first two college seasons. He averaged 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 2021-22 and 5.1 points and 4.9 boards the following season as a sophomore. The former four-star prospect blocked 120 shots in 90 games (45 starts) with the Volunteers. He has career averages of 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. --Field Level Media
Wide receiver Michael Gallup signed a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not announced by the Raiders, however multiple media outlets reported it was a one-year, $3 million contract. Gallup was released by the Dallas Cowboys last month, clearing $9.5 million in salary cap space, ending his six-year stint with the team. With Las Vegas, Gallup likely would serve as the third receiver on the depth chart behind All-Pro Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. Gallup, 28, had 34 catches for a career-low 418 yards and two touchdowns last season. He had big seasons in 2019 and 2020 when he combined for 125 receptions, 1,950 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has totaled 266 catches for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns since being selected by Dallas in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. --Field Level Media
The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with former Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen, the player's agents posted Tuesday on social media. AMDG Sports did not provide financial details for the 28-year-old veteran, who started 32 of his 50 games over five seasons with the Rams. Allen was drafted in the fourth round in 2018. In 2021, he made 16 starts in the regular season and four more in the playoffs as Los Angeles marched to a Super Bowl LVI championship. Allen then missed 22 of the Rams' 34 games over the past two seasons. He dealt with knee and thumb injuries in 2022 and lost his starting job to Coleman Shelton last season. The Browns have centers Ethan Pocic and Luke Wypler on the roster. Pocic made 15 starts last season for Cleveland, while Wypler played in five games (one start) as a 2023 rookie. --Field Level Media
The Baltimore Ravens exercised the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Odafe Oweh on Tuesday. Drafted with the 31st pick of the first round in 2021, Oweh will earn a guaranteed $13.251 million for the 2025 season. "We are happy to announce that the Ravens will be picking up Odafe Oweh's fifth-year option," general manager Eric DeCosta said. "We look forward to watching him play great football for us this year." Oweh, 25, has recorded 13 sacks, 38 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles and 99 tackles in 45 games (13 starts). He made five starts in 13 games last season, contributing five sacks, 12 QB hits and two forced fumbles. He missed four games with an ankle injury. --Field Level Media
The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran wide receiver Zay Jones and kicker Joey Slye on Tuesday. Per Spotrac, the moves freed up $5.22 million of cap space for the Jaguars in 2024. Jones' job with Jacksonville appeared to be in jeopardy after the team signed Gabe Davis in free agency and selected fellow wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Jones, 29, had 34 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns in nine games (seven starts) last season. He totaled 287 receptions for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns in 104 career games (67 starts) with the Buffalo Bills, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and Jaguars. Slye's time in Jacksonville lasted all of approximately six weeks. The then-free agent signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars on March 18. Jacksonville has Riley Patterson on the roster. The team also selected fellow kicker Cam Little in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Slye, 28, converted 19 of 24 field goals and 32 of 35 extra points in 17 games for the Washington Commanders last season. He has made 82.3 percent of his field goals and just 88.5 percent of his PATs across five seasons with four teams. --Field Level Media
The Cleveland Browns picked up cornerback Greg Newsome's fifth-year option on his rookie contract, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday. Newsome will earn $13.37 million guaranteed during the 2025 season. He recorded 49 tackles, 14 passes defensed, two interceptions and a half-sack in 14 games (13 starts) last season. Newsome, 23, has 128 tackles, 29 passes defensed, two picks and one sack in 41 career games (39 starts) with the Browns. Cleveland selected Newsome with the No. 26 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. --Field Level Media
The antitrust class action lawsuit levied against the NCAA may not go to trial as college sports leaders are in talks to settle, per an ESPN report on Monday. The plaintiffs in the case, House vs. NCAA, have accused the NCAA and its power conferences of breaking federal law by limiting how athletes can benefit from selling their name, image or likeness. If the case were to go to trial - set for January 2025 -- and the plaintiffs win, the NCAA and its schools could have to shell out more than $4 billion in damages. NCAA president Charlie Baker, NCAA lawyers, the plaintiffs' attorneys have been meeting with the power conference commissioners and their general counsels in the Dallas area, with talks ramping up of late, per the report. Per the report, more information regarding a possible settlement is expected to be released soon, though no deal is close to completion. The settlement - which could cost the NCAA billions in back pay for former athletes -- could be the foundation for the NCAA sharing revenue with athletes in the future. Although it has not been settled, the top-end revenue share amount per school would be around $20 million every year. Another issue the NCAA faces is college athletes aiming to be viewed as employees and allowing them to unionize, with the National Labor Relations Board reviewing a pair of cases. While NCAA leaders are against athletes becoming employees, Baker has looked into methods to provide more revenue to athletes at some schools. In December, he proposed a subdivision of the richest programs to pay $30,000 per year to half their athletes or more. The NCAA wants Congress to enact a clause specifying that college athletes aren't employees, but there hasn't been much progress on that front. A multi-billion settlement toward revenue sharing with athletes may lead Congress to help govern college sports. --Field Level Media
The CCCHS Lady Raiders dropped their final game of the regular season in a 13-3 blowout loss to the defending Division 1A State Champion Gordonsville Tigers.