October Archives
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
Knoxville. The Lady Wildcats scored a perfect team total of 15 points, taking the first five individual places and the 7th, 12th, 14th and 15th places. Senior Tara Tae led the way with a first-place time of 21 minutes and 52 seconds. Tae won by more than one minute. OR’s Stephanie Soldano was second in 22:57. Soldano turned in a strong final mile to hold off teammate Hilde Oliver (23:03) in third. Rounding out the top five for Oak Ridge were Erica Cinder in fourth (23:18) and Emily Oswald in fifth (23:40). Taking the No. 7 position was Lauren Irby (23:51). Other results for the Lady Wildcats were: 12. Ashley Stoetzel 24:30; 14. Hannah Fronzak (24:48); 15. Bernadette Riemer 24:50; 17. Lauren Lee 24:56; 18. Savannah Robertson 24:59; 22. Catherine Backus 25:20; 23. Laura Mitchell 25:22; 24. Betsy Hilliard 25:25; 29. Katherine Lewis 26:00; 31. Natalie Paul 26:24; 33. Lauren Nettles 26:32; 34. Abby Cox 26:32; 35. Alyssa McMurtry 26:34; 37. Rachel Howell 26:59; 39. Amelia Campbell 27:20; 42. Brenda Rizo 28:27; 43. Clare Freeman 28:53; 44. Claire Campbell 28:53; 45. Allie Bishop 29:06; 47. Chermantha Fosterr 29:41; 48. Danielle Johnson 30:36; 51. Ella Foster 38:33. Meanwhile, the Oak Ridge boys also dominated, but came up just shy of perfection as they took the first four slots and then Nos. 6, 10, 11 and 14. Cory O’Lear ran a strong, aggressive race to break the tape first in 17:49. Aaron Oswald was second in 18:13. Freshman James Miller had an outstanding race as he was third in 18:26. Miller went out with O’Lear and Oswald early and kept pace for most of the race. Christian Llewellyn (fourth, 18:43) and Zach Meyers (sixth, 18:49) rounded out the scoring for OR. Other results for the Wildcats included: 10. Rett Myer 19:13; 11. Jimmy Varnell 19:15; 14. John Black 19:28; 24. Scott Molony 20:01; 27. Sam Hendry 20:08; 33. David Drown 20:28; 37. Kevin Peek 20:34; 42. Liam Holland 20:47; 49. Nathan Livesey 21:35; 54. Evan Devallette 22:04; 65. Eric Peek 23:50; 69. Bob Smith 24:39. Varnell and Black each shaved about 40 seconds off their respective times last week at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Alabama. Also, Smith ran a personal-best time by a whopping two minutes. |
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Jody Waddell is a young guy, but he has some sage advice for his two Oak Ridge golfers as they head into Tuesday’s two-day state Class AAA individual golf tournament. Relax, learn from it and enjoy it. That’s the word from Waddell, the coach of the Oak Ridge High golf team, to Joe Marshall and Savanna Schubert. Marshall and Schubert will carry the ORHS banner in this week’s state tourney at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro. The tournament runs Tuesday and Wednesday with a pair of 18-hole rounds. Both team and individual champions will be crowned. For Marshall, a junior, and Schubert, a freshman, the tournament figures to offer a pair of eye-opening experiences. “It’s hard not to go into the state tournament nervous, but you want to enjoy it,” said Waddell. “You’re going in as an individual and not playing for anybody but yourself.” Obviously, Waddell said he wants both of his players to play up to their potentials. However, their best chances to make legitimate runs at individual titles might come down the road. But first, back to the present. Waddell said that Marshall has a good shot at cracking the top 10 in Murfreesboro. “That would be great. I think he can do it.” Waddell said Marshall has improved by leaps and bounds since last season. “He worked real hard this summer. It has really been a pleasant surprise to see how he has performed.” An improved swing and a rock-solid work ethic have carried Marshall to the state tournament, according to Waddell. “His golf swing has gotten a lot better. I know he works a lot with Louise Ball, who is the teaching pro at Centennial. His work ethic has also been great. He hit a lot of golf balls this summer. Just talking to him, (Marshall) really wants it.” For the precocious Schubert, just making it to the state tournament as a ninth grader is something, said Waddell. “She just needs to go, enjoy it and see what happens. What I want her to do is to just go out and play the best she can. Savanna has to treat this as a learning experience. There are a lot of older players in the tournament. “Savanna, without a doubt, will be there (at the state tournament) every year of her high school career. If she goes out and shoots a couple of rounds in the 70s that’s gonna be great for her.” Tee-off times Tuesday for Marshall and Schubert are 8:10 and 8:40 in the morning Tuesday, respectively, Central time. |
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com OK, try and follow this. In this weekend’s Dobyns-Bennett Fall Soccer Classic in Kingsport you had Oak Ridge losing to the host Lady Indians for the first time in coach O.J. Sheppard’s 11 seasons. On the other hand, the Lady Wildcats bounced back with a big win over longtime nemesis Farragut. The topsy-turvy tourney also saw Farragut (13-3) down D-B (12-3-1) 2-0 on Saturday. Go figure it. Based on the tournament’s points system, the Lady Admirals were crowned champions while Oak Ridge was second -- both finished 3-1 for the weekend. Meanwhile, Greeneville and Dobyns-Bennett each concluded tourney play 2-1-1. If all that’s confusing, such is the state of girls’ Class AAA soccer in the state of Tennessee this fall. The top of the pecking order is as crowded as ever with no prohibitive favorite on the horizon. Sheppard saw his Lady Wildcats (13-4) open play in the Kingsport tournament Friday night with an easy 4-1 victory at the expense of Greeneville. Oak Ridge played twice on Saturday, losing 1-0 to D-B before toying with Class AA power Sweetwater, 7-0. The Lady Wildcats capped tourney action on Sunday with a 2-1 decision over Farragut. Despite suffering his first loss ever to Dobyns-Bennett, Sheppard said the tournament was a positive experience. “Against Farragut, we went after every loose ball in the box, unlike about five we missed in the D-B loss,” said Sheppard. “That’s the lesson we learned in the D-B game.” After trailing 1-0 at the half against the Lady Admirals, Oak Ridge finally got on the board with a Thanh Lay goal (Courtney Brackins assist) at the 16 minutes, 3 seconds mark. Brianna Buckley then assisted Brackins for the game’s deciding goal at 29:21. Lauren Fritts had five big saves in goal for OR. The win over Farragut helped make up for the loss to the Lady Indians on Saturday. Oak Ridge out shot Dobyns-Bennett 23-18, but the Lady Tribe scored the only goal at the 17:20 mark of the second half. Rebekah Dotson had seven saves for the Lady Wildcats in that one. “That one was kind of disheartening,” said Sheppard. “We had a lot of good shots and opportunity after opportunity. Dotson made a couple of nice saves.” Oak Ridge had its way in the Friday opener against the Greeneville girls. Trenna Howell found net just 39 seconds into the contest to set the stage for her three-goal hat trick. Howell upped her season goal count to 20 on the season in the weekend tournament. “We jumped on them early. Scoring early really set the tempo -- it was a fast-paced game that we dominated. I thought if we could get them down it would be tough for them. It was an important way to start the tournament.” Howell was assisted on her goals by Brackins, Buckley and Jamie Grigsby. Brackins also marked courtesy of a Jessie Coile assist. All told, Oak Ridge out shot Greeneville 22-11. On Saturday, the No. 5-ranked Class AA Sweetwater team proved to be no match for Oak Ridge. Sheppard shook up his starting lineup for the game, benching six starters for the first 20 minutes or so following the D-B loss. It didn’t matter as six different Lady Wildcats scored in a 7-0 romp. Scoring and assisting for OR were: Rebecca Kocak (Kathryn Grabenstein), Danielle Young (Buckley), Shaina Riciputi (Brackins), Brackens (Howell), Lay twice (Brackens and Howell) and Chelsea Angelo (Young). Oak Ridge returns to action this week as the Lady Wildcats visit Karns on Tuesday (6 p.m.) and Bearden on Thursday (7 p.m.). |
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
better things to come. Such may be the cases for Oak Ridge golfers Joe Marshall and Savanna Schubert who struggled Tuesday in the first day of the state Class AAA tournament at the Old Fort Course in Murfreesboro. Marshall, a junior, carded a 79 on the par 72 course. Schubert, just a ninth grader, recorded an 84 with second-day play slated for Wednesday morning. Both Oak Ridge golfers are well back in the individual competition with one more 18-hole round on tap. Two holes proved decisive for Marshall, who shot 40-39. Marshall took seven shots on the Par 5 No. 2 hole and also recorded a six on the Par 3 12th hole. “He’s not happy,” said ORHS coach Jody Waddell about Marshall. “He told me his swing just didn’t feel right today. Joe was kind of having to scramble all day, but he was hitting it pretty solid. If he played like he normally does I could have seen him shooting a 72 or 74. I see him bouncing back (Wednesday).” Waddell said he expects Schubert to rebound on Day 2, also. “She didn’t hit it today as good as she normally does. It’s still not bad being her first time and being a freshman. Her dad said this was as bad as he had seen her hit it in the last year. Still, Savanna was upbeat as she finished. I think she’ll bounce back.” Schubert split her 84 round over the front and back nines with a pair of 42s. |
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
process of building a Frankenstein’s monster. Tennessee teams, watch out. Etheridge’s road warriors continued their out-of-state tour Saturday as Oak Ridge competed in the McDonald’s/Maymont Cross Country Festival in Richmond, Va. Read More Here |
| John Sharpe |
| Whitney Irby and Allison Miles |
Leslie Jenkins
Chris Cole
Autumn Gipson
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Just call it the prelude before the storm. As expected, Oak Ridge’s Lady Wildcats took care of their district soccer business Tuesday night at Karns, posting an easy 6-0 decision. That sets the stage for Thursday night’s showdown between coach O.J. Sheppard’s Ridgers (14-4) and Bearden (11-1-2) in Knoxville. Oak Ridge played like it had Bearden on its mind in the first half against Karns as the Lady Wildcats led just 1-0 at the half. But, OR erupted for five second-half goals to set the stage for Thursday’s 7 p.m. game at the Bearden High soccer field. “We played a horrible first half, but everybody is focused on the Bearden match,” said Sheppard. “The Bearden thing is big for them.” Sheppard intimated that it was almost like Oak Ridge decided it better step up the intensity at halftime against Karns with Bearden on deck. “We were so out of sync in the first half. The second half we changed some things up and had a real good half.” Oak Ridge had another real good year in the district also as the Lady Wildcats out shot the league opposition by a cumulative 38-1 count. Gwen Lawson got the only goal in the first half against Karns as she scored unassisted. Oak Ridge’s five second-half goals were scored by four different players as the Lady Wildcats came alive. Rachel Johnson delivered OR’s second score to start the second half off a Brianna Buckley assist. “Rachel Johnson played a good game for us,” applauded Sheppard. “She made a great run through the midfield to get that second goal from about 25 yards out.” Jennifer Lee added a pair of second-half goals. One of Lee’s scores was unassisted while the other came courtesy of a Jamie Grigsby feed. Grigsby also found net after the half with Shaina Riciputi assisting. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Wildcats was Rebecca Kocak (Alexis Franco assist). After Thursday’s Bearden game, Oak Ridge closes out regular season action at 6 p.m on Oct. 12 at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex against Girls Preparatory School. Senior Night festivities begin at 6. Also, Thursday’s JV match between Oak Ridge and Farragut has been moved to Oct. 9 at ORHS. |
OR Lady Wildcat soccer team defeated by Bearden after bad weather delays the game By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com KNOXVILLE--District 4’s Bearden rallied to beat District 3’s Oak Ridge 3-2 Thursday night in a matchup of two of the area’s best high school girls’ soccer teams. Round 2 of the rivalry might be just around the corner in the Region 2 tournament. Bearden overcame a 2-0 Oak Ridge lead and a 90-minute weather delay due to lightning to improve its record to 13-1-2. Coach O.J. Sheppard’s Lady Wildcats dropped to 14-5, but already can point to hopefully another game against Bearden in the near future in postseason play. “While this is a disheartening loss, I think it can only do us good (down the road),” said Sheppard. “I think we’ll be fine.” Oak Ridge looked fine and dandy early on as ninth-grader Shaina Riciputi scored at about the five- minute mark. Just seconds later, the players left the field due to weather concerns. The Lady Wildcats rebounded from the delay as Trenna Howell tallied unassisted at the 27-minute point. But back came Bearden as Amy Porter, Taylor Cravanas and Mary Alex Rochester produced second- half goals to give the Lady Bulldogs the comeback victory. “We came out flat in the second half,” said Sheppard. “I warned them that (Bearden coach Eric) Turner would send everything but the kitchen sink at us in the second half -- and he did. All three of their goals came off restarts on corner kicks. He had such great numbers in there we just didn’t defend it. Bearden wanted it, we didn’t and it showed.” Sheppard singled out the play of sophomore goal keeper Lauren Fritts, who learned just minutes before the match that she would be the surprise starter. “We put her in there against a big, tough team like Bearden and she stood up to it,” applauded Sheppard. “She made some great saves and played a great game.” Fritts totaled seven saves on the night, with many of those fitting into the high-difficulty department. All told, Bearden had 11 shots on the night to Oak Ridge’s 10. |
OR runners dominate local meet By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com KNOXVILLE--After squaring off against some of the top cross country teams in the southeast the first three weeks of the season, Saturday’s appearance by Oak Ridge in the Cherokee Boulevard All- Comer’s Meet was, well, little more than a run in the park for coach Allen Etheridge’s team. In the girls’ race, William Blount’s Kristen Tithof won in 19 minutes, 17 seconds, but Oak Ridge runners swept the next eight places as the Lady Wildcats easily won the team event. OR totaled 20 points to William Blount’s 61 and Maryville’s 66. Only six schools fielded complete team in the distaff division. Freshman Autumn Gipson took second in 19:23 for Oak Ridge. She was followed in order by Leslie Jenkins (19:45), Melanie Kulesz (19:45), Whitney Irby (20:10), Allison Miles (20:29), Corinne Lariviere (20:33), Tara Tae (20:34) and Meghan Hughes (20:52). “The girl that beat Autumn was region champion last year,” said Etheridge. “Autumn ran a real solid race. She’s still figuring out how to do the racing. Physically, she’s probably better than anyone in the area.” Etheridge said an encouraging sign was the bounce back of Kulesz, who had experienced some difficulties the last couple of times out. “One big thing is that Melanie is back. She ran right with Leslie and they both ran stinking-fast times. Melanie felt good (physically) and felt good about the race.” Another positive sign was the latest in a growing list of strong showings by Tae, a steadying force on the team with her senior leadership. “She ran No. 7 and that was huge for us. That was probably the best race Tara has had since she was a freshman. I love that; seeing a girl who was fast (as a freshman) getting it back.” Other finishes and times by Oak Ridge runners were: 11. Hilde Oliver 21:26; 13. Laurel O’Donnell 21: 48; 15. Stephanie Soldano 21:55; 18. Eric Cinder 22:14; 21. Emily Oswald 22:25; 22. Lauren Irby 22: 29; 27. Lauren Lee 23:23; 28. Savannah Robertson 23:26; 29. Laura Mitchell 23:31; 30. Hannah Fronzak 23:37; 33. Catherine Backus 23:53; 35. Lillian Ernst 23:59; 36. Bernadette Riemer 24:00; 37. Ashley Stoetzel 24:03; 40. Betsy Hilliard 24:10; 41. Lauren Nettles 24:15; 48. Katherine Lewis 24:45. 49. Natalie Paul 24:57; 54. Rachel Howell 25:41; 59. Abbey Cox 25:53; 63. Amelia Campbell 26:36; 64. Claire Freeman 26:40; 65. Claire Campbell 26:44; 70. Caitlin Clary 27:41; 71. Allie Bishop 27:56; 72. Chermantha Foster 28:14; 74. Danielle Jodoin 30:16; 76. Ella Foster 32:44. In the boys’ race, OR junior Chris Cole ran 16:16 to win by seven seconds over runnerup David Clabo of Gatlinburg-Pittman. Other Wildcats to finish in the top 10 were: 3. Maclean O’Donnell 16:26; 4. Ben Shassere 16:36; 5. Phil Riemer 16:45; 6. Cory O’Lear 16:45; 9. Emerson Peacock 16:55 and 10. Christian Lewellyn 16:56. “The exciting thing is if you look at the spread for us (between) our one to five runners that’s only 29 seconds. That’s 29 seconds on the front end of the race -- and (led by) a time like Chris ran that’s definitely a top 5-to-10 in the state.” Etheridge also lauded the run of Shassere. “We’ve been talking about him closing the gap between our guys and he went nuts. This may be the breakthrough run we’ve been hunting for Ben for the last three years.” Etheridge also applauded the efforts of O’Lear and Lewellyn, whose runs may have thrown a wrench into the starting lineup. Oak Ridge’s other finishers were: 12. Ethan McGroom 17:07; 14. John Sharpe 17:14; 16. Aaron Oswald 17:18; 17. James Miller 17:21; 23. Chris Ostrouchov 17:34; 27. Zach Myers 17:57; 29. Aron Beierschmitt 18:07; 34. Jimmy Varnell 18:28; 36. Rett Myer 18:31; 37. John Black 18:34; 42. Landon Smith 18:44; 50. Scott Molony 19:03; 52. Sam Hendry 19:05; 54. David Drown 19:15; 55. Liam Holland 19:20; 57. Ted Kocak 19:24; 66. Kevin Peek 19:48; 87. Evan Devallette 21:22; 94. Eric Peek 21:58; 108. Bob Smith 23:06; 109. Stephen Mandry 23:33. Cross country notebook: Etheridge was ecstatic with all of his junior varsity runners, who almost across the board ran personal-best times. … Oak Ridge has a couple of weeks off before the Region Meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville. That meet will be two weeks from Thursday. Starting times for the AAA girls will be 9 a.m. The AAA boys will follow at 9:45. … Oak Ridge’s boys continue to hold down the No. 1 ranking in the state of Tennessee. The Lady Wildcats are ranked No. 2 behind Morristown West. Click Here For Pictures |
Posted 8:30 p.m. October 9, 2006 Howell a goal-scoring machine for Lady Wildcats By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Just call her “Hat Trick Howell.” When Oak Ridge’s Trenna Howell scores goals on the soccer pitch, they usually come in bunches. Like, three at a time. Howell has already recorded four three-goal games for the 14-5 Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats this season. That’s impressive -- as are her 22 overall goals. However, as ORHS coach O.J. Sheppard points out, it’s not necessarily the quantity, but the quality of goals that’s remarkable. Howell and the Lady Wildcats have played one of the most arduous schedules in the state. Few, if any of Howell’s goals can be termed of the cheap variety. “All but about six of our games have come against top-10 teams,” said Sheppard, whose Lady Wildcats close out regular season play at 6 Thursday night against Girls Preparatory School at the ORHS Soccer Complex. “If we play a light schedule, Trenna has 50 or 60 goals this season. To me, that’s the true measure of a great player. You look at Howell and look at our schedule and say, ‘this is a player.’ ” Indeed. The junior midfielder said once she scores, she wants to feed the frenzy. “It’s like I just get caught up in the moment and get hungry for more goals,” said Howell, who has been a fixture for the Lady Wildcats since her freshman campaign. Sheppard said he realized that Howell was a talent early on. “We recognized her freshman year that Trenna was one of those special players that come through Oak Ridge High School.” That meant starting off Howell at the wing midfield slot her first two seasons. “We felt it necessary to play her there in order to really understand what to expect what forwards go through. We brought her along slowly and she responded well. We wanted her to understand what a midfielder does and how they play.” Sheppard said the 5-3 Howell has emerged as a dynamic forward. “Trenna has a great first step. She has good balance and combines that with great vision. She’s kind of a miniature (Brianna) Buckley. She plays the game hard. Trenna is probably the closest thing we’ve got to a German forward, with her creativity away from the ball, her anticipation, her quick shots and her quick finishes.” Speaking of finishes, Howell said the Lady Wildcats have the horses to get back to the state tournament after finishing second to Collierville a year ago. Make that get back, and this time win it all. Howell said she set the bar high, both individually and team-wise coming into the season. “Individually I wanted to score at least 30 goals for the season. My team goal was for us to win the state championship.” With postseason play looming around the corner next week, both goals are still attainable. “This has been a crazy year with a lot of (ranked) teams beating other teams. We’ve lost five games, but they’ve all been really big games and we’ve learned from our mistakes.” Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, Sheppard said Howell has already recorded a season for the ages. “It’s unbelievable that she has four hat tricks. I’ve never experienced that with a player in a season and I’ve coached some great ones.” Sheppard and the rest of the Lady Wildcats just hope old “Hat Trick Howell” has a couple of more three-goal games up her sleeve come playoff time. |
Posted 6:50 p.m. October 15, 2006 Lady Wildcats kick off postseason soccer play By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Oak Ridge begins its quest to get back to the state soccer tournament Tuesday when coach O.J. Sheppard’s Lady Wildcats host a District 3-AAA semifinal game at 7 p.m. at the ORHS Soccer Stadium. The pressing question for Sheppard’s Lady Wildcats is will they be at the top of their game this postseason? Oak Ridge has compiled a 14-5-1 record, playing arguably the state’s most difficult schedule. This postseason promises to be as demanding as ever, as several East Tennessee teams rank among the best soccer squads in the state. At times, the Lady Wildcats have looked to be one of the top teams in Tennessee. On the other hand … . “What I like about his team is -- if they’re on -- they can beat anybody,” said Sheppard, who has not lost a district tournament or regular season match at ORHS dating back to 1996. Sheppard said the last time Oak Ridge dropped a district tournament game was in 1995 against Karns. Oak Ridge’s semifinal match will see the Lady Wildcats host the winner of Monday’s Halls-Karns matchup. Tuesday’s other semifinal game will pit the winners of Monday’s matchups between West and Powell game vs. the Clinton-Central victor. Major upsets aside, all things point to a West at Oak Ridge contest on Thursday night in the district finals. Despite Oak Ridge’s unabashed success in the district over the years, Sheppard isn’t assuming anything as tournament time commences. “Obviously, you respect everybody,” said Sheppard. “It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve played all season. Starting Monday, everybody is 0-0-0. The kids know that Tuesday’s game is a make-it-or-break-it deal. You’ve got to win Tuesday to get two more games.” Heading into postseason play, Sheppard pointed to several factors as keys for success from here on out. These 2006 Lady Wildcats are on course to be one of the lowest-scoring teams during Sheppard’s tenure. Heading into district tournament action, Oak Ridge has scored just 69 goals. The Lady Wildcats’ lowest goal output under Sheppard came in 2002 (81). Oak Ridge’s top-scoring team under Sheppard was the 2000 bunch that recorded 125 goals. “This may turn out to be my lowest-scoring squad in 11 years. The flip side to that is this is also the toughest schedule we’ve ever played.” Sheppard said he’s looking for his midfield to pick it up starting Tuesday night. “Our midfield struggled against GPS (in a scoreless tie last week). They got out of whack and it threw us out of our scheme. Hopefully, we’ll get untracked.” Sheppard pointed to senior midfielders Angela Lee and Courtney Brackins as two of the keys for Oak Ridge in the postseason. “Angela Lee has to have a good district tourney for us. She has got all the potential in the word. Courtney Brackins has picked it up of late. They need to help take some of the pressure off (Trenna) Howell.” Another aspect of the team that looks to be in good hands entering tourney time is in goal. Freshman Lauren Fritts and senior Rebekah Dotson give Oak Ridge as good a 1-2 punch as you’ll find in the state. Dotson has started until recently with Fritts coming on strong. “I like our goal-keeping situation,” said Sheppard. “Fritts has really stepped it up. At this point, I could start either goal keeper. Defensively, we’re where we want to be.” If Oak Ridge passes its first-round test on Tuesday, the Lady Wildcats will host the district tournament finals at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $2 for students. |
Posted 8 p.m. October 16, 2006 Jefferson, Robertsville wrap up cross country seasons By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
with recent appearances in the Trailblazer Invitational in Gray. For Jefferson, coach Steve Reddick’s team placed seventh in the distaff division and eighth in the boys’ competition. Ross Robinson Middle School of Kingsport swept both team races. For the Jefferson girls, finishers were: 10. Becca Therrien, 25. Leah Oswald, 36. Carolina O’Donnell, 43. Natalie Catlett, 46. Addie Williams, 61. Alexis Burnham, 74. Kyoung-A Cho, 140. Lilia Brock. For the Jefferson boys: 14. Josh Broughton, 25. Ben Gavin, 28. James Halliwell, 52. Spencer Shoffner, 60. Tailen DiGregorio, 73. Reid Robertson, 83. Alex Hyatt, 92. David Laubach, 95. Tanner Hartman, 100. Gary Kennedy, 115. David Daugherty, 121. Daniel Thomas, 126. Sam Snodgrass, 147. Seth Capshaw, 169. Sam Scheffler, 206. Christopher Martin, 207. Eric Danford, 243. Orlando Vidal. “Becca Therrien and Josh Broughton were our leaders, as they’ve been all season,” said Reddick. “Leah Oswald and Ben Gavin have consistently run No. 2 for us. After that, our scorers have changed from meet to meet. Carolina O’Donnell, Natalie Catlett and Addie Williams have been pretty steady for the girls, and James Halliwell, Spencer Shoffner and Tailen DiGregorio for the boys. I am proud of all of my runners for their overall efforts.” Meanwhile, the Robertsville girls garnered a sixth-place finish in the 17-team competition. Lady Rams standout Adrian Etheridge turned in another strong showing as she took seventh place overall. Other top finishers for RMS were: 14. Emily Frame, 29. Hayley Hunt, 30. Jaanai Dickerson, 66. Ashley Kittrell. “The girls’ team ran well this meet,” said Lady Rams coach Bob O’Connor. “It was a cold, windy day which made the running tough.” Also for the Robertsville girls, it was: 69. Jennifer Hitchcock, 91. Allison Toth, 96. Laken Clark, 121. Hannah Storey, 124. Arianna Greenburg. The top finish by an Oak Ridge team went to the Robertsville boys, who took fourth overall in the 19- team field. Patrick Tae registered a 10th-place finish to lead the Rams. Other top-five RMS runners were: 12. Christian Grumbach, 13. Chris Ludtka, 26. Hal Hansen, 56. Thomas Potok. Other Robertsville results: 71. Evan Beierschmitt, 72. Ryan Byrd, 94. Collin Baughn, 98. Van Schlenker, 101. Clark Ward, 105. Sam Lariviere, 107. Neall Caughman, 140. Dylan Martin, 143. Drew Evans, 164. Peter Hagemeyer, 199. Sam Kelley, 210. Ben Clayton, 211. Jonah Scott, 212. Duncan Alcorn, 222. Woo Byun, 229. Luke Worthy, 245. Yajit Jain. “The Rams also ran well in this meet and handled the tough conditions.” |
Howell's five goals leads OR by Karns By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
Just maybe, we ought to take another look at that. Howell became just one of four Lady Wildcats in history to score five goals in a game Tuesday night as she helped Oak Ridge to a 7-0 blanking of Karns in the District 3-AAA semifinals. Lori Boren’s six-goal performance against Central in 1999 set the Lady Wildcats’ benchmark. Britta Byrne, Angela Lee and Jennifer Goff (twice) have also scored five goals in a game for OR. The Lady Wildcats’ win over Karns moves Oak Ridge into Thursday’s district title match at 7 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Soccer Stadium. Coach O.J. Sheppard’s team (15-5-1) will host West (12-4-1), a 2-1 winner over Central in Tuesday’s other semifinal contest. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Howell didn’t take long to dent the scoring column as she found net just 33 seconds into the game courtesy of a Rachel Johnson assist. Briana Buckley (Courtney Brackins assist) made it 2-0 about six minutes later. Howell and Brackins each added a goal and assist to close out the first half as Oak Ridge cruised into the break up 4-0. Howell, who played just 43 minutes, took care of all the scoring after intermission as she tallied off assists by Brackins, Buckley and Thanh Lay. Howell’s fifth goal pushed her season total to 26. District 4-AAA tourney: Some things never change, like Farragut and Bearden playing for the District 4- AAA soccer championship. Bearden knocked off Maryville 8-1 while Farragut downed Lenior City 7-0 in Tuesday’s semifinals in Knoxville. That sets up a Thursday night showdown between the 16-1-2 Lady Bulldogs and the 16-4 Lady Admirals. Farragut handed Bearden its only loss of the season (2-1) earlier this year. The two teams will join Oak Ridge and West in next week’s regional. |
OR's Tae returns to form for her senior cross country season By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Oak Ridge senior Tara Tae is an anomaly in the world of girls’ high school cross country. Tae had future high school star written all over her when she ran at Robertsville Middle School. Tae was the Lady Rams’ No. 1 runner in both the seventh and eighth grades. Tae was also in the process of having a solid freshman year at ORHS when injuries halted her progress. “I had shin splints since seventh grade,” recalled Tae. “Towards the end of my freshman year and into my sophomore year I had stress fractures.” As a result, Tae’s rising star suffered a flame-out. “Ever since my sophomore year I never felt like I could run as fast as I used to.” But all of a sudden, the injuries subsided and Tae got that spark back. “When summer practices started this year I felt like I had my speed back.” Lady Wildcats coach Allen Etheridge said there’s no doubt that Tae’s flame is burning brightly once again. But Etheridge said the fact that Tae had it, lost it and got it back again shouldn’t be undersold. “I can’t think of anybody I’ve coached, I’ve run with or I’ve known who has gone through the struggles that Tara has and come out of it that fast again,” said Etheridge. “A lot of it has to do with her attitude. The thing that sticks with me this year was that Tara wanted to run really well early on. I told her at one point that she was my wild card. She decided she didn’t want to be my wild card. She said, ‘coach, I want to do the best I can do and help the team.’ That’s a great attitude.” Tae’s running has helped the Lady Wildcats to a No. 2 ranking in the state behind Morristown West. That’s the physical part of it. Tae said also she enjoys her role as senior leader on a team stocked with young talent. “As a captain who is the only senior on the varsity, it’s kind of neat just to be able to run with the younger girls,” said Tae, who is also an outstanding student. “It has been a lot of fun this year because of the leadership experience.” Etheridge said Tae’s experience will serve the Lady Wildcats well the rest of the way as they prepare for next week’s Region 2 meet in Knoxville -- and hopefully a subsequent trip to the State meet in Nashville. “Tara has tried to impart some of her experiences on the other girls, and she has a wide range of experiences. She has gone from running on teams that were not very unified and motivated to being on teams that were very motivated and unified. She is trying to teach the younger kids the benefit of her experience.” Tae hopes she has a couple of more races to experience at the varsity level. Given the Lady Wildcats’ depth and talent, Tae knows that’s not a given. “My goal is to stay on the varsity for state and -- if I make it there -- to run a really fast time and help the team.” Regardless of what happens the next couple of weeks, Etheridge said it’s as if Tae has run a million miles since her darker days. “If you watch her run these days she runs very fluid and looks very comfortable. I remember times in the past when she looked very stiff. It’s nice to watch her this year enjoy her running. She’s just bouncy and smiling all the time.” |
West shocks OR 2-1 By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
their 12th-consecutive District 3-AAA soccer tournament title. READ MORE AND SEE VIDEO HERE. |
Venable leads charge for OR defense By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Oak Ridge has had its ups and downs as a football team this season. Not so with senior linebacker Troy Venable. While the Wildcats have hit several peaks and valleys through a 5-3 start, Venable has been at the top of his game for eight consecutive weeks. For a high school athlete these days, that’s remarkable. Venable may have been at his very best last week against Soddy-Daisy as the Oak Ridge defense was called on to overcome six turnovers by the offense in a 21-0 victory. Venable, as usual, led the defensive charge with 17 tackles (seven solo) against the Trojans. “Troy was everywhere and when he got there he was absolutely bringing it,” said an admiring Stanton Stevens. “He played like a linebacker should. I don‘t know if it was his best game of the year, but it was one of his best. Troy is a run-stopping machine.” But that’s nothing less than Stevens, the head coach of the Wildcats, would expect from the 5-11, 205- pound Venable, who has been a study in consistency. Venable easily leads the team in total tackles with 86 (40 solo, 46 assists). That’s a whopping 48 more stops than the team’s next-leading tackler, Ralpheal Coffey. But, as well as Venable and the Oak Ridge defense has played this season, the Wildcats know they’ve got to step it up even a notch or two starting Friday night (7:30) on Blankenship Field against unbeaten Ooltewah. When starting quarterback Connor Gulmire went down with a broken thumb a couple of weeks ago, Venable said that put even more pressure on the OR defense. “We (the defense) have definitely talked about that,” said Venable. “We lost a lot losing Connor (at quarterback). We realize if we want to get to the playoffs it’s gonna be on our defense.” Specifically this week, Venable and the Oak Ridge defense face a daunting task in slowing down Ooltewah tailback Brian Marshall, who has already gone over the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season. Stevens said Venable and the rest of Oak Ridge’s small, but speedy linebackers will be a huge key against the Owls. He said they’re more than up to the task. “When you’ve got Venable, Jeremy Vaughan, Connor Gulmire and Andrew Kirkpatrick you can stop some people. I like our chances of keeping him (Marshall) bottled up.” In addition to his on-the-field production, Stevens said that Venable has also emerged as the emotional leader on defense. “I’ve been singing the blues all year about the lack of leadership. Troy was the leader last week and the week before.” Venable said that’s a role he relishes. “I’ve been a leader throughout my football career. That kind of went away when I was on the bench as a sophomore. At the beginning of this year it was kind of hard to get back in that leadership role, but now it comes naturally.” Venable said a big key for Oak Ridge the rest of the way is for the Wildcats to get in the proper frame of mind. He’s doing his part to make sure that happens. “It’s all about the mental part of the game. Everyone on the team has got to believe we’re going to win. If we’ve got doubters on the team, that’s not gonna happen.” Venable said it’s time for Oak Ridge to put the three losses behind it and focus on the opportunity at hand. “If we play the kind of game I know we can, we’ll be just fine. I have a lot of faith in this team.” |
Fall Leagues underway at Oak Ridge Bowling Center Recent high scores from league play at the Oak Ridge Bowling Center.
Men High scores: Danny Bray 297, D.J. Taylor 289, Ace Kincer 279, Dave Stacy 278, Dick Wesline 278, Dick Lillie 277, Robert Sexton 268, Robert Copeland 268, John Simms 266, Kenton Woods 266. High series: Dave Stacy 774, Robert Copeland 762, Dick Wesline 751, Tommy Byrge 730, John Simms 711, Danny Bray 706, Robert Sexton 689, Rick Alderfer 684, D.J. Taylor 680, Lance Hunsinger 676. Senior high scores: Don Forrester 264, Bill McReynolds 245, Rick Alderfer 238, Tom Price 216, Manuel Thomas 212. Senior high series: Don Forrester 685, Bill McReynolds 662, Rick Alderfer 623, Willie Brooks 612, Manuel Thomas 602. Women High scores: Melonie Collins 252, Pat Duncan 222, Angela Wilson 221, Sharon Rose 215, Esther Raley 214, Jean Yarborough 214, Martha Lunsford 212, Ruann Woolum 212, Ramona Weaver 209, Angie Kendall 208. High series: Melonie Collins 673, Sharon Rose 631, Martha Lunsford 589, Angie Kendall 587, Betty Cooper 563, Angela Wilson 562, Sissy Whatley 561, Ruann Woolum 558, Laurie Renager 555, Joyce Yaste 552. Senior high scores: Betty Eason 190, Nora Crites 180, Yvonne Ingram 180, Kathleen Huff 178, Tillie Plaza 178. Senior high series: Yoshiko White 526, Shirley McConnell 497, Betty Eason 496, Joyce Owens 480, Melly Koons 470. Week of Oct. 1 Men High scores: Bobby Byrge 279, James Cruse 277, Jeff Birchfield 268, Glenn Ely 257, Danny Bray 256, Mark Fletcher 256, Cody Bailey 255, Rodney Nakandakare 253, Robert Sexton 249. High series: Jeff Birchfield 722, Rorey Faiola 715, Danny Bray 707, Rodney Nakandakare 703, Tim Fletcher 700, James Cruse 685, Robert Sexton 685, Bobby Byrge 674, Jess Rutledge 670, Darrell Beasley 662. Senior high scores: Rick Alderfer 259, Don Forrester 235, Carlos Brooks 216, Robert George 210, Ed Duncan 202. Senior high series: Don Forrester 650, Rick Alderfer 620, Maurice Love 601, Robert George 572, Bob Green 548. Women High scores: Angie Kendall 237, Snookie Womack 226, Sally Stockstill 222, Faye Barnes 214, Wilma Reynolds 214, Melonie Collins 213, Ruann Woolum 208, Daisy Bundy 204, Sharon Rose 204, Marilyn Darnell 203. High series: Angie Kendall 619, Snookie Womack 610, Peggy McCurry 599, Marilyn Darnell 594, Melonie Collins 583, Ruann Woolum 576, Wilma Reynolds 573, Daisy Bundy 571, Sally Stockstill 570, Faye Barnes 560, Denise Reynolds 560. Senior high scores: Dolores Thomas 187, Yoshiko White 184, Winnie Woody 182, Setuko Harris 176. Senior high series: Yoshiko White 495, Pat Hayes 483, Virginia Cottongim 477, Shirley McConnell 476. Pee-wee Division Bethany Devaney 74, Ashton Crabtree 105. Juniors Tanner Johnson 156-396, Mary Simms 148-336. Seniors Markis Tuffel 192-495 Tyler Johnson 169-434 |
OR runners heavy favorites in Thursday regional cross country meet By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
this ilk. Coach Allen Etheridge’s Oak Ridge girls and boys are overwhelming choices to pick up championship trophies Thursday at the Region 2 meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville. The Lady Wildcats and the rest of the Class AAA field go off at 9 Thursday morning, followed by the AAA boys at 9:45. The top three teams advance to the state meet a week from Saturday in Nashville. If the Oak Ridge boys and girls don’t get there … now that’s breaking news. “I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t say we were heavy favorites to win this,” said Etheridge. Running varsity for the Lady Wildcats Thursday will be Autumn Gipson, Melanie Kulesz, Leslie Jenkins, Whitney Irby, Allison Miles, Corinne Lariviere and Tara Tae. Etheridge penciled in Farragut and Maryville as the likely teams to fill out the top three and move on to the state meet. Individually, at least three Oak Ridge runners figure to be in the hunt for honors. “I’d say that Autumn, Leslie and Melanie will challenge for first. Whitney and the rest of our group will not be far back. I don’t see why we can’t put between four and seven of our runners in the top 10.” Also expected to challenge for individual honors are Kristen Tithof of William Blount and Alex Newby of Farragut. Tithof is the defending region champion while Newby is an outstanding freshman talent for the Lady Admirals. Meanwhile, if it’s possible, the Oak Ridge boys are even more of a prohibitive favorite than the Lady Wildcats. “I’d say the other schools don’t think they’re gonna challenge us,” said Etheridge. “We’ve run too many big races and run too well. We haven’t raced that much around here, and frankly we have kind of a mystique.” Running for the Wildcats’ varsity will be Chris Cole, Maclean O’Donnell, Ben Shassere, Phil Riemer, Cory O’Lear, Emerson Peacock and Ethan McGroom. “Matt Sonnenfeldt of West is probably the favorite to win the region, but he, Chris and Maclean can run about dead even with each other. Realistically, I look for Chris and Maclean to be in the front (of the race). Either one of them could win it. “Emerson, Phil and Ben could be in the top five, and Cory and Ethan could be in the top 10 if they have a good day.” Team wise, Etheridge said West, Maryville and Farragut will probably fight it out for the two other state berths. Oak Ridge will also have lots of runners in the junior varsity race, which starts at about 10:15. OR runners in middle school state meet: Three Oak Ridge middle school harriers competed in the first Tennessee Middle School State Meet, held Oct. 21 at Victor Ashe Park. Robertsville standout Adrian Etheridge took third place in the two-mile girls’ race. Etheridge was clocked in a time of 14 minutes, 37 seconds to finish 27 seconds off the winning pace of Kaylor Murray. Jefferson’s Becca Therrien was the No. 22 finisher in 15:52. Carolina O’Donnell, also of Jefferson, earned a No. 42 finish in 17:07. |
By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
Get used to seeing the name of the Oak Ridge High School golfer at the state tournament in coming years. Schubert fired a 79 Wednesday in Round 2 of the state Class AAA tournament at the Old Fort Course in Murfreesboro. While well back of the leader board, Schubert’s two-day total of 163 tied her with Natalie Mitchell of Germantown Houston for honors among the freshmen competitors. Only five ninth graders even qualified for the state tournament. ORHS coach Jody Waddell said that Schubert was on top of her game today as she carded a 41-38 for the front and back nines. “Savanna was a lot more like herself today,” said Waddell. “Getting that first round under her belt had to help. She hit it a lot better and her approach shots were a lot better.” Waddell said that Schubert will no doubt contend for state honors in the coming years. “Being only 14 years old, (Savanna) hasn’t even matured physically. How good can she be? It just depends on how hard she works. She loves playing golf and wants to be the best she can.” Meanwhile, Oak Ridge junior Joe Marshall shot an 81 (43-38) on the heels of his opening-day 79 to finish at 160 for the tournament. “His putter kind of let him down today,” said Waddell. “He bogeyed 7, 8 and 9. Like I told Joe, there are a ton of people in Knoxville who just wish they were here. I’m proud of both Savanna and Joe.” |
Posted 8:00 p.m. October 26, 2006 The latest high rollers from the Oak Ridge Bowling Center (week of Oct. 9- 14): Men high game: Robert Sexton 290, Bobby Byrge 289, Robert Copeland 280, Dick Wesline 278, Danny Bray 277, Tim Fletcher 269, Rodney Nakandakare 269, Darrell Beasley 266, Will Petty 264, Rick Alderfer 259. Men high series: Bobby Byrge 759, Tim Fletcher 754, Danny Bray 724, Dick Wesline 716, Robert Sexton 697, Glenn Ely 687, Rodney Nakandakare 685, Mike Marney 677, Jim Denton 674, Rorey Faiola 670, Tim Rose 670. Women high game: Angie Kendall 286, Susan Sneed 265, Sharon Rose 256, Melonie Collins 249, Railie Smith 244, Laurie Renager 216, Martha Lunsford 215, Betty Cooper 207, Denise Jenkins 203, Rachel Sherwood 203. Women high series: Angie Kendall 697, Melonie Collins 681, Laurie Renegar 616, Railie Smith 616, Martha Lunsford 591, Betty Cooper 582, Susan Sneed 578, Snookie Womack 570, Sharon Rose 569, Ruann Woolum 559. Senior men high game: Don Forrester 246, Walt Brown 224, Jim Fletcher 224, Brad Napier 222, Jim Croley 215. Senior men high series: Don Forrester 707, Walt Brown 594, Jim Fletcher 593, Maurice Love 574, Paul Cancillrie 569. Senior women high game: Dolores Thomas 193, Nora Crites 192, Doris Love 188, Joann DeZearn 181. Senior women high series: Dolores Thomas 556, Nora Crites 513, Joann DeZearn 495, Shirley McConnell 485, Doris Love 483. Youth Pee Wee: Boys--J.J. Wells 97, Ashton Crabtree 90. Girls--Bethany Devaney 94. Juniors: Boys--Tanner Johnson 132-366. Girls--Mary Simms 117-348. Seniors: Boys--Tyler Johnson 382. Girls--Jimmye Smith 212-523, Adrienne Jackman 178-507. |
O'Donnell sets pace for OR at regional cross country meet By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com Read The Story Here |
Farragut eliminates OR 1-0 By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com |
Brackins among OR players honored on district soccer team By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
contingent (13 players) on the All-District 3-AAA girls’ soccer team. It’s safe to say that no Lady Wildcat took as circuitous a route to get her name on that prestigious team as senior Courtney Brackins. A standout at forward for OR, Brackins played at Kingston during her sophomore sesaon. She even gave up the sport for a few months after her 10th-grade year before transferring to Oak Ridge. Coming to Oak Ridge turned out to be a shot in the arm for Brackins, but it wasn’t an automatic transition. “It wasn’t an easy adjustment for Courtney, coming from Kingston where she had been the top player,” said OR coach O.J. Sheppard. “Last year was a tough year for her. When she got here she had people like Casey (Aloi) and Britta (Byrne) already here and a pretty good complement of other players. It was tough for her to get adjusted to her new environment.” Yes it was, said Brackins. “At Kingston you stepped onto the field and it really didn’t matter,” said Brackins. “At Oak Ridge you’re expected to do so much more and you can’t lollygag around.” Lollygag is certainly not the way you would describe Brackins’ game, according to Sheppard. “She gives you everything she has got. I’ve known her for six or seven years. When she’s on, she’s one of the toughest players around. She has great vision on the field, she has deceptive speed and she is a very unselfish player.” Actually, maybe unselfish to a fault. With Oak Ridge set to travel to Farragut Tuesday night (7:30) for a Region 2 semifinal clash, Sheppard said he wouldn’t mind it one bit if Brackins gets a little more aggressive offensively. The Lady Admirals will no doubt try and slow down Oak Ridge’s top scorer, junior Trenna Howell (27 goals). Sheppard said that could leave the door open for Brackins and others. “The fact is that Trenna has done so well, it’s gonna open up more opportunities for (Brackins). Trenna has picked up an entourage. Courtney is just as capable of finishing.” Brackins said she has heard that talk before from Sheppard. “We rely so much on Trenna to score. O.J. tells me that (others need to help pick up the scoring slack) quite a bit.” Sheppard said the region semifinal game against Farragut is Brackins’ kind of stage. “She seems to get up and do better in the bigger games.” And, given that Tuesday’s match is a season ender for the loser, it’s easily the biggest game of the year. In addition to Brackins’ selection on the All-District team, Oak Ridge dominated individual honors. Howell was selected as the Forward of the Year, Brianna Buckley was named Defender of the Year and Rebekah Dotson earned Goal Keeper of the Year honors. Sheppard said all three Lady Wildcats were well deserving of their honors. “Buckley is just in a class by herself as a defender. We’re really gonna miss her after she graduates. You could put her on a men’s under-17 team and she could compete. “Trenna Howell is the same way. She is just a big-time striker. She has got 27 goals and I don’t think anybody else in the district is close to that. “Dotson has done a good job in goal. In district play she has allowed only one goal and has four shutouts.” Other All-District honorees for the Lady Wildcats were senior midfielder Thanh Lay, senior midfielder Jessie Coile, senior forward Angie Lee, sophomore defender Gwen Lawson, junior midfielder Maggie Alexander, junior defender Jessica Hayes, sophomore midfielder Rachel Johnson, sophomore forward Jamie Grigsby and freshman defender Shaina Riciputi. Named to the All-Freshman team in the district for Oak Ridge were midfielders Jennifer Lee and Alexis Franco. |
Stevens looks back ... and ahead to 2007 By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com The last time (1992) Oak Ridge finished 5-5, the Wildcats followed that up with an 11-3 record and made it all the way to the semifinal round of the playoffs. With another rare 5-5 season just in the rear view mirror, Wildcats coach Stanton Stevens said he expects a similar-type rebound from his 2007 Oak Ridge football team. “I think we’ll be real good next year,” said Stevens this morning. “On paper, I think we’ll be (at least) 9-1 or 8-2 (in the regular season) next year.” Stevens pointed to the broken thumb sustained by quarterback Connor Gulmire after Week 6 as the turning point to the 2006 season, which ended Friday night with the Wildcats’ first loss to Farragut since 1993. “Right when we thought Connor was ready to have his break-out game, he got hurt. That really threw our offense for a loop. It hurt the offensive team’s morale and they went downhill from there. I thought all along it would take six to eight weeks to get where we needed to. When we lost Connor, the offense went the opposite way.” However, even with Gulmire going out at quarterback midway through the season, Stevens acknowledged that this group of Wildcats didn’t live up to their potential. “It’s too early to look at things and say ‘this is what we did wrong.’ It’s a process we have to go through as coaches to figure out what this team needed that we didn’t give them.” Without elaborating, Stevens said there were some things the coaching staff would do differently if they had it to do over again. “There were some things coaching wise that we didn’t do very well. That will change. We have some adjustments we have to make as coaches and then we’ll talk to the kids about them. We have to put the kids in a better position to succeed.” With five or six returners on each side of the ball, Stevens has lots of talent to work with heading into the 2007 season. Here’s a first look at what might happen next season. Offensive outlook for 2007: Oak Ridge has to decide between sophomore quarterbacks David Irby and Tyler Clark. Irby and Clark both had their moments after Gulmire exited at quarterback, but Stevens said he won’t stay with a two-quarterback system next year. “It’s still a tossup right now. By fall camp, I want to have a starter. I don’t know if that’s possible, but that’s what I want.” Stevens said it’s basically up to Irby and Clark from here on out. The one that works the hardest will likely be the starting quarterback for Oak Ridge the next two seasons. Stevens suggested that whomever wins the quarterback job will have lots of top-flight talent to throw the ball to. “Our strengths next year are Ralpheal Coffey, Demarcus Rogers, Jared Stephens and Tre Smith at receiver. We’ve got to get them the ball. They’re gonna be our playmakers.” With 1,000-yard rusher Paul Bingham gone, Stevens said Oak Ridge will turn to a two- headed tailback system that features 230-pound Kevin Summers and 185-pound Jeremy Vaughan. Summers was OR’s fullback this year while Vaughan started at linebacker, but didn’t see any action on offense. “Right now, we’re gonna play Summers and Vaughan there. We’re gonna pound people and run the ball. But, that‘s not to say you won’t see Demarcus or Jared in there every now or then.” Along the offensive front, Stevens has lots to build around with physical starters Alex Stuart and Tony Carson back. Oak Ridge’s offensive line should be more power- oriented next season. Defensive outlook for 2007: Stevens said he expects the Oak Ridge defense to be even better in 2007 after giving up just 14.4 points a game this season. While leading tackler Troy Venable departs at linebacker, Stevens said he has two standouts ready to step in at that position and take the lead. “That (replacing Venable) is the key, but Vaughan and (Andrew) Kirkpatrick are football players.” Oak Ridge’s secondary should be frightening. Starters Stephens and Coffey return. Rogers is penciled in at one cornerback with Derrick Smith and Stefone Gibson also figuring into the mix in the secondary. Summers and Stuart return along the defensive front, with freshman James Normand and junior Josh Gregory poised to make their marks, also. Stevens said Normand is capable of playing anywhere up front. Oak Ridge also appears set at kicker with Will Hudson poised for a possible all-state season. Notebook: When Robert Singleton scored with nine seconds to play against Farragut, it helped Oak Ridge preserve its streak of scoring in a game at 166. The last time the Wildcats were shutout in a game was the 1993 semifinals against Murfreesboro Riverdale (28-0). |