Posted 8:30 p.m. August 28, 2007 Oak Ridge football: 2007 season prospectus By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Region 2 5-A has never been tougher at the top. William Blount and Farragut appear to have their best teams in recent memory. Defending region champion Ooltewah made it all the way to the state semifinals last season -- and the Owls look as strong as ever. Traditional power Oak Ridge is coming off a lackluster 5-5 season, but the Wildcats have the horses to make a run at the region title if things fall into place. Toss in wildcard McMinn County and competition figures to be fierce for the four playoff spots in the region. “We’ve got an extremely strong region,” said OR coach Stanton Stevens, who begins his third season as coach of the Wildcats Friday night against Fulton. “Five teams in our region will be really good -- It’ll be a dogfight. If we play well and we stay away from injuries, I like our chances. If we’re up and down … ?” Here’s a position-by-position look at the 2007 Wildcats: Offense Quarterback … Junior David Irby (6-2, 255), junior Tyler Clark (6-2,193) and senior Jared Stephens (5-9, 160) will all see playing time behind center. All have limited experience. “Right now, we’ve got David Irby starting and Tyler Clark is really close on his heels. Then, Jared Stephens will give us a totally different look with a great athlete playing that position. Jared may end up being the ‘Stephens Package,’ which we may go with more often than not.” Running back … Stephens will start at tailback with Kevin Summers (6-0, 233 sr.) getting the nod at fullback when healthy. Stevens said senior Andrew Kirkpatrick will start Friday against Fulton with Summers still sidelined due to an injury. Jaraious Sykes (5-8, 155 sr.) is a backup at tailback. Receivers … Juniors Demarcus Rogers (6-0, 160) and Ralpheal Coffey (6-2, 183) give OR as dangerous a pair of wideouts as you’ll find in East Tennessee. “That’s a pretty good 1-2 -- or 1-1 punch -- laughed Stevens. They do different things: Ralpheal adjusts better on the ball while Demarcus is more dangerous.” Top backups include Clark and Zach Zulliger (5-10, 165 soph.). Tight end … Senior Joe Daniels-Mulholland (6-2, 200) has shown good hands and a penchant for going over the middle in preseason scrimmages. He’ll get the starting nod over big Josh Gregory (6-7, 240 sr.) “Both have good size and good physical ability. Joe is probably a little ahead of Josh right now.” Line … One of the strengths of the Ridgers, with 6-4, 295-pound senior Alex Stuart leading the way. “We’ve got a chance to be pretty good here with three seniors on the line. Stuart is our anchor at right tackle. Then we’ve got Tony Carson (6-3, 264 jr.) at right guard, James Normand (6-1, 235 soph.) at center, Chris Weller (6-3, 225 sr.) at left guard and Chris Capshaw (6-0, 275 sr.) at left tackle. We’re pleased with our up-front guys.” The first guys off the bench on the offensive line are Charles Bailey (6-4, 324 jr.), Corey Verner (6-3, 276 jr.), Jacob Miller (6-0, 252 jr.) and John Bogusz (6-0, 215 jr.). Defense Ends … Weller and Vaughan give Oak Ridge a solid pair of bookends here. Weller has put on significant bulk since last season and is the Wildcats’ most underrated lineman. “Weller is the most athletic lineman on our team,” said Stevens. “He’s an exceptional athlete who runs like a tight end.” Top reserves are Daniels-Mulholland and Gregory. Tackles … The Wildcats have a good blend of youth and experience here in Stuart and Normand. Both are also terrific players. “Normand is such a good technician and his motor runs all the time. Alex is physical and can be dominating.” Backups include Capshaw, Bailey and Carson. Linebackers … Pencil in Summers and Kirkpatrick on the inside with Clark and Stefone Gibson (5-9, 145 sr.) on the flanks. Other linebackers include DeVonte Hawkins (5-10, 210 soph.), Marcus Underwood (6-1, 188 jr.), Nathaniel Johnson (5-11, 165 jr.) and Johnny Vann (5-9, 131 soph.). Secondary … Rogers, Coffey and Stephens give Oak Ridge three guys who have seen lots of action in the defensive backfield. Help will also come from Zulliger and Sykes. Kicking game Senior Will Hudson (6-0, 208) is one of the top all-around kickers in the state. “Will is one of the best punters around. He can flip the field when a drive stalls out -- and -- about 80 percent of his kickoffs go into the end zone. We feel good about Will Hudson.” The Ridgers should also feel good about their kick-return game. Rogers is one of the most dangerous return men to be found. He’ll return both kickoffs and punts, along with Coffey and Stephens. |
