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Oak Ridge 14 Farragut 17 End of 1st Quarter Score courtesy DCCATVOICE and WATO-AM Oak Ridge.

This should be a barn burner. My humble thoughts about tonight's game: I think everyone sitting at the Ship knows what each team wants to do on offense, here is what I think both teams need to do tonight for success. When Oak Ridge has the ball. The Wildcats want to run, naturally. However Oak Ridge must also be able to throw, particularly when rolling out or using play action. It's important to minimize turnovers against DB. We learned that lesson in week three. The line must make good holes for Gulmire and keep their D line off of McMahon when he does fade back into the pocket. OR really needs good games from McMahon, Jake Vane, Leonard Blair and Revel Coffey. It's also very important to finish off scores by knocking down the PATs. Aloi has been kicking better, however we can't afford to have PAT tries blocked. DB will want to try and limit Gulmire on offense as much as they can and plug up the middle when Vane or Blair pops into the middle of the line. James Mitchell and Rick Daniels-Mulholland are both good TEs and are not afraid to go across the middle for a key catch. DB wants to shut down Gulmire as much as possible and make McMahon beat them with his arm. The best thing for DB would be to get out to a quick lead by a few scores which would limit much of the type of damage OR's offense can do and put them in a situation where they are playing from behind. When Dobyns Bennett has the ball It's Duran Duran Duran for Kingsport. DB will want to exploit the height advantage they will have against the OR secondary and particularly use Lamon Williams deep. Moten is a very good RB and could be the star on offense if it were not for Ferguson and his all-state arm. The OR defense has the same problem that DB's unit has with Gulmire. I don't think either can be shut down completely, however they can be somewhat limited in how much damage they can do. OR will want to make sure Williams does not get by the safeties. They will try to stretch the defense, then work the underneath routes with their other receivers. It's important to limit yards after the catch and for the front four to get pressure on Ferguson and make him throw it away, throw it before he wants to, run with the ball or take a sack. I think Lussier will like his chances with most of those scenarios. That being said, I see it... Oak Ridge 35 Dobyns Bennett 34 in OT Drive safely Indian fans...

Oak Ridge games are carried on AM 1290 WATO. WECO 101.3 FM in Wartburg carries games for teams in Morgan County and sometimes also covers Roane County. NewsTalk 99 FM WNOX has two games each week covering Knoxville area teams (Fulton for sure, I don't remember offhand their other featured team but am sure someone from the Knoxville area will be quick to mention it).

Have to agree with Brian Langley and Tank Johnson. Both do great work for the Morgan County News and the Oak Ridger respectively.

Haven't heard a thing and I wouldn't think he would at this point, however I've been proven wrong before. Guess we'll just have to see how it shakes out there. Good luck to the Cats tonight. All this rain will make an already messy Blankenship Field even moreso unless the entire field's been covered. I know they covered the midfield sections last week. Anyone know if there's tarp down now?

Hey thanks ORWildcat30. I'm from OR and live in OR (actually a stone's throw away from the high school) and a part of the class of '88. My ties to Coalfield are through my best friend through college and today, who coaches there. Friday nights either have me at Blankenship or Rochelle Field. Didn't catch the game with Unaka, couldn't get away from work, so I was in OR. I'm going to go to Coalfield-Midway this week and see if the Jackets can eek one out on the road. I'll be looking and listening for updates on OR-Farragut, however. Go Cats!

Hey catscratch. You make some good points. Just not sure that I agree, but that's okay. Nowhere is it written that we have to agree. And I think as I said earlier, that everyone has the best interests of the school and community in mind. I just don't think that if we did anything markedly different on that last play that it would increase or enhance the opportunity to have scored on Riverdale and beat them. I know you think different and I respect that opinion. In the end, we're both rooting for the Cardinal and Gray and that's the important thing. Even though I don't agree with you on some things, I do agree whole-heartedly with your last two words. Go Cats!

I don't know if this has been covered by a post already (I tried a search on AF Bridges and got an error message), but I couldn't let the announcement of the AF Bridges award winners go by without some type of comment. If you missed the post on the CoachT home page, the schools are below, listed by classification and grand division. It is great to see schools where sportsmanship means something. There are a lot of very classy schools all over the state, but to the AF Bridges winners, I wanted to thank those schools especially. It's also nice to see a very successful football powerhouse in East Tennessee in Maryville get recognized. Congratulations to all those Rebel fans out there. EAST TENNESSEE Class A Christian Academy of Knoxville Temple High School Whitwell High School Class AA Carter High School Sullivan Central High School West Greene High School Class AAA Bearden High School Greeneville High School Maryville High School MIDDLE TENNESSEE Class A Forrest High School Van Buren County High School Westmoreland High School Class AA Dekalb County High School Livingston Academy Smith County High School Class AAA Cookeville High School Dickson County High School Franklin County High School WEST TENNESSEE Class A Halls High School Dresden High School Scotts Hill High School Class AA Brighton High School Chester County High School McKenzie High School Class AAA Dyersburg High School Hardin County High School Millington Central High School

I think I'm gonna have to agree to disagree here... First, I think the folks in Ooltewah, Soddy Daisy and Farragut might have an issue with the assertion that we've only played one good team. All three were ranked in the AP poll at points during the season and deservedly so. Recent history seems to be on the side that the Wildcats have beat some very very good teams including the Indians in Kingsport almost a year ago to the week. We also lost to Riverdale on Blankenship, but not before putting the scare of all scares by driving down inside the 5 before a tipped pass gets picked off to preserve the victory for Riverdale. The Warriors made the play at the end of the game, however it could have very easily gone the other way with Oak Ridge playing for all the marbles the next week at MTSU. I will admit that I'm probably not the biggest fan of the wing-T offense. I remember when OR would line up with Shawn Summers in the backfield and run the toss sweep down everyone's throats in '91. I can also remember when we ran the veer in the 80's with Tommy Laurendine, Eric Thomas, Eric Menefee and many of the other greats of the day. I do remember when Oak Ridge installed the wing-T and even though I'm not the biggest fan of that offense, I can't argue with the results. The team does have a little work to do on the kicking game, but when Gulmire is on top of his game, we will give anyone in the state a good run for their money on any given night. I don't know if anyone has looked at the enrollment numbers on the TSSAAs site, however OR is 45th in enrollment out of 55 schools in 5A (1457). Riverdale and Oakland top the list at 2313 and 2359 respectively so we're holding our own with schools that are 40% larger than ORHS. Our ace in the hole is that our middle school feeder program is among the best in the state. What is all my rambling getting to? I think we're more than holding our own in the state and I think teams still look at a road trip to Oak Ridge and their heart skips a beat. They know that as soon as the railroad crossing begins ringing, that they know they have one of the best programs in the state walking down the stairs ready to play. And the last time I checked, there hasn't been an easy 'W' for the visitors to Blankenship Field in some time. Sorry I got so long winded, and thanks for the time folks! I think all OR fans have the team and the city's best interests at heart. It's why I graduated from ORHS, and it's certainly why I am still and always will be an Oak Ridger.

Thought I would take care of two things with one post here. Someone asked when several ORHS players graduated, here is what I've been able to find: Stan Fritts - 1970 Danny Sanders - 1974 Jaime Redmond - 1988 Mike Caldwell - 1989 Jerry Colquitt - 1990 Jason McAddley - 1997 There is a listing of NFL players by state at NFLHS.com (http://www.nflhs.com/news/features/2004roster/tn.asp). It isn't up-to-date with the recent signing of McAddley by the Titans, so I've added that for posterity's sake. I've also attempted to correct any obvious typos with the spelling of a few schools, however I am not responsible for the accuracy, just relaying what was on the site. Many of the players already mentioned appear on the list. SF - Tony Brown, Chattanooga TN, City High School OAK - Terdell Sands, Chattanooga TN, Howard High School MIA - Eddie Moore, Chattanooga TN, South Pittsburgh High School DAL - Jason Witten, Elizabethton TN, Elizabethton High CLV - Kelly Holcomb, Fayetteville TN, Lincoln County TEN - Troy Fleming, Franklin TN, Battle Ground Academy NYG - Brent Alexander, Gallatin TN, Gallatin High School CIN - Tony Williams, Germantown TN, Germantown High NYJ - Mark Brown, Germantown TN, Germantown High DEN - Al Wilson, Jackson TN, Central Merry High PHI - Artis Hicks, Jackson TN, Central Merry High BUF - Jabari Greer, Jackson TN, South Side High BUF - Trey Teague, Jackson TN, South Side High CLV - Eric Westmoreland, Jasper TN, Marion County High BAL - Aubrayo Franklin, Johnson City TN, Science Hill High NYJ - Chad Pennington, Knoxville TN, Webb GB - Chad Clifton, Martin TN, Westview High SEA - Ken Hamlin, Memphis TN, Frayser High DET - Marcus Bell, Memphis TN, Kingsbury High MIA - Reggie Howard, Memphis TN, Kirby High CAR - Kindal Moorehead, Memphis TN, Melrose High KC - Jerome Woods, Memphis TN, Melrose High NYJ - Dewayne Robertson, Memphis TN, Melrose High SF - Cedrick Wilson, Memphis TN, Melrose High WAS - Andre Lott, Memphis TN, Melrose High TEN - Tyrone Calico, Memphis TN, Millington High GB - Cletidus Hunt, Memphis TN, Whitehaven High MIN - Rushen Jones, Memphis TN, Whitehaven High DET - Fernando Bryant, Murfreesboro TN, Riverdale High CHI - Jonathan Quinn, Nashville TN, McGavock High CHI - Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nashville TN, Montgomery Bell Academy TB - Jeff Gooch, Nashville TN, Overton High JAX - John Henderson, Nashville TN, Pearl-Cohn High TEN - Jason McAddley, Oak Ridge TN, Oak Ridge High

I believe the AP polls are released on Tuesdays and usually you can find them on either the CoachT homepage or on one of the media sites (Newspaper or TV). Keep me honest here everyone, so if you know of something different, feel free and chime in.

I will say I am a bit partial about both Blankenship Field (in Oak Ridge) and Rochelle Field (in Coalfield), but another great Friday night venue for high school football is J Fred Johnson Stadium in Kingsport. Great atmosphere and great DB fans. I really like the idea of bleachers in the end zone for high school games and saw an OR-Clinton tilt in the end zone at Clinton. Their field is very small in terms of seating capacity, however the fans are on top of the field. If they could keep the stadium in it's place and expand on seating (something that may not be possible) it would be an even better place to watch a game. I haven't seen a game at The Pit in Lincoln County, but have heard a lot of things about the place and want to see a game there when an opportunity presents itself. I have also heard great things about Riverdale's new place and wouldn't mind a trip to middle TN to see it at some point. Everyone loves watching a game in their house and the fields and stadiums of Tennesseee are as revered and respected as anyplace in the country by fans that call them home. If you take in a game on Friday night, take a moment and look around at what is going on around you. Take in the experience and I'll dare say you'll appreciate this game and the kids who play it each week even more.

I am a little partial to Oak Ridge and Coalfield, but I also have to say that Kingsport and Maryville have among the classiest programs and fans in the state and always travel well.

Oak Ridge's thoughts and prayers are with you and the Warrior nation, bhsOL...

I sat in at the TSSAA meeting on Wednesday at Hermitage as an interested observer. I have no financial ties to any high school, however I will say that I have a dear friend that is a coach at a 1A small school and graduated from Oak Ridge. So I know the larger school aspect as well as the smaller school aspect. That having been said, I am disappointed in the TSSAA legislative council's actions. This should be an organization that should look out for all of its member institutions equally. However it appears as if the vote this past week had nothing to do with it. I don't think anyone can argue that there are inequities here, especially for the small, rural 1A public schools. Ronnie Carter took great pains during the discussion leading up to the vote that a plurality of schools voted to split public and privates and not a majority. It seemed to me in listening to several members of the legislative council that the minority voters owed it to the schools to bring this issue up and look at it, and I feel like they did what they could for the "plurality" of schools that felt a change was warranted. Two things surprised me, and disappointed me. The first, was the talk about had the proposal passed, that the TSSAA that we all know would have to change. From the comments that were lobbied about by some that dissented, it appears as if there is a real fear of change at the TSSAA legislative council and possibly the staff. The second thing that disappointed me was the fact that of the private and public schools that were in attendance at the vote, the legislative council gave none of them the opportunity to speak. That also speaks volumes to me about the leaders of an organization and their willingness to listen to those they are supposed to represent. I challenge the TSSAA and the legislative council to come up with a system that is more equitable for everyone. It appears as if you have forgotten many of the small schools and a "plurality" of schools that fund your association. It is a crying shame that this spring and summer, kids all over the state of Tennessee will work hard through spring practices, two-a-days, fall practice and games only to have their hope of at least a fighting chance taken from them by folks in a conference room in Nashville scared of change. Public schools and private schools should have the same opportunities, however many small public schools will never have the resources to compete with the same size private schools. It is up to the TSSAA to balance the playing field for everyone, and many do not like the tilt of the field as it sits today.

I think you are right, David Limbaugh. It was a shame that anyone had to lose this game. All of the rain made the Blankenship turf tough treading for both teams. My hat is off to Riverdale and their fans. The Warriors had an answer for everything Oak Ridge threw at them last night. Dave Thomas looked good with what was a slick ball through most of the game. It was fun seeing the snow falling down over the lights and I think I got a pretty good pic on the digital camera looking back onto the field with the snow and the lights, haven't looked yet. Booker and Gulmire were both hurting throughout most of the game and played the grittiest ball I have seen in quite some time. They played with tremendous heart. I knew we were going to have a tough road to hoe when I saw Booker on the sideline nursing his shoulder and Gulmire limping through warmups after halftime. Riverdale is fast, and this was on a soggy field. I would hate to see these guys on turf. It looks like OR guessed wrong on the long run and slanted to the wrong side when Frazier took off. OR has lots of speed in the secondary, but nobody could catch him. There were some questionable calls in the game. The long pass where there was some contact could have been called as pass interference. I thought I saw the tackle on the home side move maybe half a count early on the long TD run by Frazier, but those are not excuses. You have to find a way to fight through the adversity, and we did. The kids did not let down and kept fighting hard. There has been some grumbling about the play calling already, and I am sure there will be more. I will admit that a few calls surprised me, however I will also say that hindsight is 20-20 and with injuries to both Booker and Gulmire it can limit some of the things you can do. ORWildcat30 - You guys represented this community all year long and the entire time this senior class has hit the field at Blankenship. We appreciate all of your hard work and I wish you luck in your travels after high school.

ORWildcat30. My best friend is on the staff at Coalfield and he ran into your dad at the Jeff Co game on our way down to the seats. Make sure everyone is ready, Riverdale will bring it. I know we will bring it too. Keep the chinstraps buckled and remember the walk down the steps. This team has represented Oak Ridge and Wildcat football well all season. Win or lose the community is behind you. Good luck tomorrow night. And to all the Riverdale folks travelling over from Middle Tennessee, have a safe trip over the plateau tomorrow afternoon.

It's been raining in Oak Ridge off and on throughout the day. Lussier mentioned on the TV show last night that many parts of the field will be covered, but it will still be sloppy tomorrow night. Haven't seen Riverdale but for a few minutes of CSS TV coverage after coming in from a game here but from what I saw, they have speed to burn on both sides of the ball. OR is the same. A muddy sloppy field negates speed so for folks showing up wanting to see a track meet on Blankenship field, tomorrow night won't be your night from the looks of things now. A sloppy field means that OR must hold onto the ball. Rankin doesn't have his collection of gold footballs for nothing, he is one of the best coaches in the state. He will have them ready to go tomorrow night. It looks as if Booker's shoulder held up pretty well last week against DB, which is a plus for the Ridgers. Two of the best defenses in the state will show up tomorrow night, so scoring will be at a premium. Riverdale is young, but they have been here before. OR is a veteran club that is hungry. This could come down to a kicking game, and should that be the case, I like OR's special teams and kicker. Riverdale 14 Oak Ridge 17

It doesn't matter where Oak Ridge has been or where Riverdale has been. Neither team can worry about the past. Oak Ridge cannot afford the same amount of turnovers they had in the first half of the DB game. Both teams will have speed to burn on Friday, but if either team brings less than their A game to the semis, they will go home for the year.

The game didn't disappoint from the get go. To all the DB fans and players, this is what makes high school sports so enjoyable to watch. Thank you all for your hospitality. It was great to see the sportsmanship on the field from the players, the class the DB fans showed the ORHS band at halftime during their performance, the announcement made by the DB PA announcer when Corey Booker surpassed Shawn Summer's career rushing record and the resulting applause from the Indians fans. Flannery is every bit a warrior and Tritapoe's fingertip catch in the first half was great. The fact that you return so much next year will scare everyone else in the east in 5-A. Ferguson was just as advertised and Moten was all over the field on Friday. They will be your stars next year and DB will do well. DB is certainly among the classiest acts in Tennessee high school football, and this Oak Ridge fan will also be rooting for the Indians as well in the years to come.

Tonight's game will be a barn burner. It doesn't matter if DB has lost Williams, the important thing is Coach Clark took a stand and sent a message to his team and every other team in the state. My hat is off to Graham Clark and the DB program. It was before, there has always been nothing but respect from many football fans in Oak Ridge, but there is certainly more today. That being said, I don't expect any less of a fight from the Indians tonight at J Fred Johnson stadium. I was not able to make the trip for the regular season contest and didn't see much of the replay tape here the next afternoon, however great teams find a way to win at times when their backs are against the wall. And I think the Indians are doubly dangerous now that they are cornered. The teams are very evenly matched on both sides of the ball, so the contest may come down to intangibles. Turnovers, the kicking game, special teams and homefield advantage. I haven't seen DB's kickers, however Horwedel is among the best kickers in the state and OR's special teams are legitimate threats to score at any time. If Booker can remain in the game, it favors the Wildcats, however Gulmire can step back to tailback and their offense misses very little. Turnovers are crucial for both teams. OR must contain DB on the ground and not let their WRs run loose in the secondary. Not an easy task at all to do. I think this game would certainly rate as an ESPN "Instant Classic". Good luck to the Indians and their fans. To all the other Wildcat fans, good luck, have a safe trip up to Kingsport. It will be fun to see two class programs fight it out on the field tonight.

OR at DB should be a classic.

Art, OR has pulled down the regional championship seven times since the regional format was adopted starting in 1993. I don't know of anyone who isn't looking forward to Friday night's game. We'll bring plenty of folks from Oak Ridge up to take in the atmosphere at Kingsport. The winner gets either Lincoln County or Riverdale at home, which if you have to play either, it's best that they have to come east for the game. Haven't heard anything about Booker's shoulder, if he can't go, it will put OR at a disadvantage, one less weapon for DB to think about. Gulmire ran hard Friday. Jeff Co played harder than the score indicated, and if it weren't for a dropped pass, the crazy lateral play and a few miscues, it would have been a much closer game. OR played tough and didn't let up. I like our chances against anyone, and look forward to seeing the game on Friday. I didn't get a chance to come up for the regular season game, but will be there for round 2.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Heltons and with the Central Bobcat family. Get well soon, Coach.

I'm right there with you, Wild. Just hope the Ridgers aren't looking past the Smoky Bears to a possible date with Jeff Co and then DB lurking after that. It's always great to see Cardinal and Grey checkerboard end zones. Good luck to all tomorrow night.