rabidwildcatfan

I apologize for my error, Oscar Robertson played high school ball in Indiana. However, he was BORN in Charlotte, TN in 1938, and his family moved due to the racial problems in the South at that time. I remebered this from Sports Century, but had to go back and check facts.

If this is an all-time list the best is Oscar Robertson, and I don't think it is even close. Unfortunately, Robertson played before any of the SEC schools recruited African-American players.

CoachT, I don't believe this is the case. For the most part, the fans in Oak Ridge want to win and celebrate winning. Most of the complaints from Oak Ridge fans can be attributed to high aspirations and expectations every year. Most fans in the area watch these kids closely from the time they are young and want to see the kids achieve greatness. Anyone that has watched these kids knows that they won at every level through high school. Although this does not always translate into success in high school, there was concern that talent was being wasted in Oak Ridge. The only people that would likely react to a loss in the manner you speak are parents or friends of kids that are not playing (or not playing enough for their taste) for some reason. Otherwise, Oak Ridgers are united for their kids, no matter their feelings about the coach.

Get a clue! The players are winning at times in spite of the coaching, rather than because of it. Look how long it took the coaches to figure out that Gulmire should play more offense. :confused: Oak Ridge lost to the only quality opponent (and a 3-A opponent at that) they played and should not get over-confident before the playoffs. [Edited by rabidwildcatfan on 10-11-02 1:05P]

I think Gary Ranking has to get consideration. He has run a variety of offensive and defensive schemes while consistently winning. He has had good athletes, but none have had a huge impact in a big program at the college level. Unless you count all the trouble Locke has started.

Already missed the boat in football! As for girl's b-ball, hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! It is not going to happen! Have Phillips and Frazier ever lost to Clinton? Don't think so! Why would they start their senior year? Get a clue! :confused:

Anderson County is a very good 3-A team and should be applauded. However, it is not only that Oak Ridge lost to AC, it is how they lost. AC whipped Oak Ridge upfront, and Oak Ridge also played very undisciplined football that night. Additonally, Oak Ridge had people out of position or uninvolved, which might have changed the outcome.

Funny, as I remember it, #15's fumble was what stopped Clinton at the end opf the game!

I wear #15. By the way, did you ask about the Cherokee or West games? I didn't think so. You are some teammate and leader! Aren't you the captain? To downgrade a player on your own team shows a lack of maturity on your part. Are you jealous of Blake? Did he say something to you about your mistake at the end of the Carter game? Or maybe it hurts to see someone come in during the Oak Ridge game and do a better job than you on offense during your senior year! Whatever the case may be, I would bet Clinton's result without you will be better than the result this week without Blake.

Oak Ridge may finish 9-1 and win a playoff game or two, but this does not change problems in the system. First, Oak Ridge should never lose to a 3-A team. Second, why did it take so long to get people in the right place and the right people on the field? Examples are Gulmire not playing much in the backfield until after Booker was injured and not giving any I-formation looks until last week. No offense to the players that were replaced or shuffled, but Gulmire makes Oak Ridge's Wing-T go, because any back can break a big run. The first game might have been different had he been used. Second, getting Booker some touches out of the I-formation is a good idea for a change of pace. It is sad he didn't get this chance before the middle of his junior year. The boys are performing at a very high level, but I don't know if the coaches should break their arms patting themselves on the back.

First, this was not the question asked. The post asked about GRADUATING posts. I understand your Clinton upbringing hinders your comprehension of the English language! Second, your statement is silly! Rodd will get schooled by Frazier, Freels and Stewart from Oak Ridge! Frazier should be on this list.

Sophomore year should be easier the third time around!

To elaborate, he starts at inside linebacker and is averaging around fifteen yards a carry with several runs of over forty yards.

Your math is not so good . . . he will be 16. This is 2002.

If Gulmire was supposed to be a junior, he would be ineligible his senior year under TSSAA rules. So it will be easy to tell if this is the case, which I am sure it is not. Furthermore, 8 total carries for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns is good no matter how old he is! He is likely to double his yardage and touchdown totals this week. We won't hold it against him if his average per carry slips a little. Almost forgot, he plays almost every snap at linebacker, too.

To show the difference between a true Clinton education and an Oak Ridge education, I will point out the following: 1) it is "sell" not sale; 2) contractions have apostrophes; and 3) "a lot" is two words. Maybe you should look into transferring to allow yourself the chance to go to college!

Look at any list of the top 25 players in TN, and you will see that most years by the time you get down around nos. 15 - 20 these players are committing to smaller Division I schools or Division I-AA schools. To say that college coaches are missing out on these players is ridiculous! Fulmer probably signs more TN players than he should. Of course, there are some talented players, but as a whole TN does not compete with many other states for producing college players. However, this really should not dampen the spirits of any of the kids. You can't really play for a national ranking on the field, but you can still play for a state championship!

This is true to some extent, but Tennessee also does not have as much talent as Mississippi and Alabama. These states have similar populations, but produce many more Division I players. Heaven forbid someone accuse me of being a racist, but Tennessee does not have a large, rural, minority population. This could also account for some of the differences in top-flight recruits between Tennessee and some of the other states in the South. In the case of Mississippi, it is interesting to note that it has the exact opposite problem from Tennessee. The private schools do not want to play the public schools, because the public schools will put a beating on the private schools. Last year was the first year public and private played each other in a long time. [Edited by rabidwildcatfan on 9-12-02 2:24P]

Based on Oak Ridge's scrimmages and first two games, do all Oak Ridge fans agree that Spencer Gulmire should get more carries? :confused: Other than Booker, Gulmire is the biggest threat to go the distance on one play. I understand that he is a freshman and is starting on defense, but can't he carry the ball more than once in two games? :confused: He may be the the missing link in making the Wing-T work better for Oak Ridge this year. Davidson is a good runner at fullback, and teams will key on Booker first. These two facts should allow Gulmire to bust some long runs or force teams to concentrate less on Booker. Also, isn't there the possibility of substituting for him at times on defense? Just wanted to hear people's thoughts on this.

Oak Ridge is better than Carter! Oak Ridge 49 - Clinton 14.

You are obviously not an English major either! Not only does your grammar show your ignorance, but so does your willingness to single out one player for a poor performance. These are high school kids, not professionals. They are not paid to play and should not have to be called out in public for their performance. McKeethan did not decide to start himself (note the correct spelling for your next post), nor did he call the plays. The coaching staff placed him in a position to fail, and he did. However, I am sure he gave all he had and will continue to do so. Given your pathetic use of the English language, maybe you should be benched in favor of a second grader writing posts on this site!

Not going to happen!

Oak Ridge has had a few down years, but not many. In 1990-91, Oak Ridge was very young and did not go past the first round of the Regional. However, this created a strong team for the next two years. Oak Ridge also failed to advance from the sectionals in 1998-99. Although the team had a good regular season, it was not an Oak Ridge type team. This became evident at playoff time. Finally, in 1999-2000, Oak Ridge lost 12 games, but got hot late and made the state tournament. This team had one senior, one junior, two sophomores and eight freshman. Therefore, it can't be said that Oak Ridge has not had any down years. I think that what constitutes a down year is relative to each program. Some programs are only good because of one or two players that come through. Oak Ridge has a much stronger base than that. Additionally, Oak Ridge benefits from being in a weak district and region. Sevier County has been good in some years, but rarely do the Knox or Blount County teams push for a state title berth. Finally, I think Oak Ridge's style of play overwhelmed teams for a long time. Many girls teams were (and still are) used to playing a slow game. Oak Ridge forces you to play up tempo. This often rattles opposing teams and helps Oak Ridge. I can assure you that the coaches are not recruiting. Coach Prudden will never be fired for losing a few games and cannot make any more money at any other high school in the state. She has turned down numerous overtures from colleges and does not want to coach at the next level. Do you really think she would risk all of that for a player or two? Members of the community and the players may talk to other players and try to convince them to come to Oak Ridge, but most girls that transfer in do so for the chance to play for a winner.

I did go to the game last year. Were you one of the fans from AC waiting to rush the field right before Oak Ridge scored? My point is that if Oak Ridge's program was where it used to be, Oak Ridge would swat AC like a fly!