Cactus Jack

Year of the Dragon??

True, however the kid was a freshman prospect as far as talent, HVA probably not his best place to play.

West really pushed OR hard, down 10, they came back and made a game of it and plenty dicey at the end for OR. Good job by OR not to crack and close the game out by making free throws. They need to do a better job at taking care of the basketball and avoid turnovers. Glad they had a close game because Bearden is very good and has beaten OR once this season. OR really needs their A game to advance to the Region Finals and a Sub State game.

I had a Hardin Valley coach tell me that they had a freshman that they thought was going to be pretty good, only to see him show up at school wearing a Bearden Jersey....

Jones brought in a lot of players that Bearden would not normally have, he had a bunch standing on the sidelines every Friday night, plenty of depth and talent. I guess one could hear a big sigh of relief from Farragut and Hardin Valley that he is gone, they might get to keep their better players now. I think Bearden will be what Bearden was before Jones, can be good, but not every year.

Can be viewed on Facebook posted by David Clary

Oak Ridge Football lost longtime Assistant Coach Barry Saunders on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Coach Saunders started teaching at ORHS in 1976-77 and coached from 1978-2021. He coached receivers, defensive backs, kicking teams, place kickers and punters. He also monitored player academics and other various duties on the Oak Ridge Football Coaching Staff. He served a brief stint in the late 80s as an Assistant Soccer Coach. He served on the 1979, 1980 and 1991 Class AAA State Championship Staffs. He was also on the staff for the 2005 and 2020 Class 5A State Runner Ups. Coach Saunders will be missed by the Oak Ridge Community and his many friends. A Celebration of Life will be planned for a later time. Rest in Peace Barry!! A celebration of life will be held at the ORHS Auditorium at 11 AM on Saturday, February 1, 2025

Barry Saunders Memorial Service will be Saturday February 1 at 11:00 AM in the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium.

Oak Ridge Football lost longtime Assistant Coach Barry Saunders on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Coach Saunders started teaching at ORHS in 1976-77 and coached from 1978-2021. He coached receivers, defensive backs, kicking teams, place kickers and punters. He also monitored player academics and other various duties on the Oak Ridge Football Coaching Staff. He served a brief stint in the late 80s as an Assistant Soccer Coach. He served on the 1979, 1980 and 1991 Class AAA State Championship Staffs. He was also on the staff for the 2005 and 2020 Class 5A State Runner Ups. Coach Saunders will be missed by the Oak Ridge Community and his many friends. A Celebration of Life will be planned for a later time. Rest in Peace Barry!!

I once asked a Head Coach what he preferred as far as grass or turf and his answer was simple: "With the weather you have here in East Tennessee, turf"

I would prefer grass IF it is properly maintained year round. To properly get a field ready to play in August, prep needs to start in February, to repair it, sod it, sprig it or whatever needs to be done. Then seed it and during the summer make sure it is watered on a regular basis. IF all that is done right, you can have a really nice grass field. Of course repairs, mowing, marking continue during the season and the field should be covered in case of downpours and snow. If all that can't be done and/or the weather in the area is really bad after October, turf is the best bet.

Sevier County's offensive line again did its job like they did in the Oak Ridge game, very good protection for the quarterback, giving him clean pockets and good initial push for the running backs to bounce out with clean runs. Page offense was not too good and the Bears handled them pretty well. The blocked field goal was the game breaker, Page is not a comeback team on offense, they need to play with a lead and use their defense to hold it. Congratulations to Sevier County. I think Page would have lost to Powell, West and maybe a full strength Oak Ridge team,

I understand AC was contacted but they couldn't line up the right open dates to play. From what I heard OR has a pretty good schedule, I think they will do fine. No private schools. DB is back and I like that.

I could see the State Championship Games played at the new Titans Stadium (the one with a dome) since the weather by championship week is usually rainy, cold, wet. Not sure about the semifinals, I think the T$$AA wants as much gate as they can get and playing at home schools may net more there now. Streaming and TV do cut into gates, once the weather goes cold.

Sevier County has a very good team and not enough credit here to their offensive line, great size, and do a great job of protecting the quarterback, giving him a clean pocket. OR was only able to flush him a couple of times and no sacks I recall. The onside kick was a gutsy call because it gave SC the opportunity for a two score lead and kept OR from responding with a score to go back ahead late in the game. I don' t know much about Page, except their defense must be very good and I suspect they have athletes. I remember them playing West tough last year