COOKEVILLE, TN || THE ORACLE || Page 6
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
TECH ATHLETICS Football season starting on a down note By TEX ARMSTREET
tackles. “The defense prides itself on stopping the The Tennessee run. We pride ourselves Tech Golden Eagle on getting turnovers, football team opened which we did not do. their season with a We have a lot of things crushing 41-14 loss at we need to figure out. the hands of the Western We have a good team, Illinois Leathernecks. a good defensive line, All off-season, we just have to get the Golden Eagles talked them in long yardage,” business. Many of their Normandy said. players were fixated The Golden Eagles on one goal: win a also had young talent championship. While who had minimal inthis loss does not game experience. The eliminate that goal, it is biggest example is a learning experience starting quarterback and a wakeup call for Andre Sale, who is a the Golden Eagles. redshirt freshman, went The 11-for-22 with 223 Leathernecks were passing yards. ranked No. 25 in the The Golden Eagles Football Championship ended up lost again TTU vs. WIU- The Golden Eagles lined up against Western Illinois in their season opener. TTU lost Subdivision, so the Saturday to Kennessaw 41-14. Golden Eagles knew State in Georgia with got destroyed tonight. They are a a Cookeville native and former they were going to have to a final score of 27-14, failing very well coached football team,” All-State high school running execute their playbook and to complete a fourth quarter back, scored on his return to Marcus Satterfield, Tech head minimize mistakes made on the comeback. town with a 16 yard touchdown coach, said. field. Tech will continue its road run. The Leathernecks had “They are a really good trip at 0-2 with their next game Senior linebacker Elliot 343 total yards of offense, 298 football team. I do not like to on the road against Ball State in Normand put together a career of which were rushing yards. lose, and we did not just lose, we WIU running back Vic Johnson, Indiana on Sept. 16. best on defense with 18 total Emmerson Meurett| The Oracle
Beat Reporter
Golden Eagle’s placekicker on awards watch list By J.K. MCMILLEN
Nick Madonia is 0-1 on feild goals and 4-4 on extra-points after the first two games of the 2017 football season
Beat Reporter Tennessee Tech junior kicker Nick Madonia begins the new football season on the watch-list for the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award. The Mitchell Award is given to the top kicker from more than 750 universities in the Football Championship Subdivision, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II, NCAA Division III, the National Association of Madonia Intercollegiate Athletics, and the National Junior College Athletic Association, according to fredmitchellaward.com. Madonia is one of 36 kickers named by the award’s selection
committee to be on the pre-season watchlist. Ten of these 36 kickers will be named finalists and the winner is expected to be presented with the award in February. Madonia is coming off a record-setting 2016 season. He converted 13 of 16 field goal attempts and 33 of 35 extra points. He also set the school record for longest field goal with a 57-yard conversion against Tennessee State, according to the Tennessee Tech Sports Information Office. Madonia’s 2016 effort resulted in him being named as a finalist for the 2016 vote. University of North Carolina-Pembroke kicker Matt Davis ultimately received the award.