Oak Ridge 2014

[catswild]

That's not because their back had breakaway speed...it was because the entire team they were playing against was SLOW!!

#23 for OR slow...I don't think so, #8 for OR slow...I don't think so. #11 for OR slow...I don't think so.........maybe not burners, but not slow!

[IanMackaye]

Football has the most championships among the big "spectator" sports but cross country may actually have the most overall. I hope girls basketball becomes good again and football becomes a state contender .

According to TSSAA, football has seven. Boys cross country has eight. Girls cross country has six. OR has seven in boys track also, but it's been fifty years since the last one.

 

David Scott is a very good coach. Girls basketball will be back.

[catswild]

Yeah AC did have a guy that went the distance, but he also got ran down pretty easily by Brandon Bonds the 2nd time he got loose or may have been the 1st. The long TD he had everybody was up on the line of scrimmage and once he got past that first wave their was nobody else there.(over pursuit big time) I could've waltzed into the endzone on that one. Let me use some clarification here..I understand speed is a very integral and important part of having a good football team. This whole time i have been exclusively talking about our speed or lack thereof @ the RB position not anywhere else. I do understand we for example need to have speed on the defensive side of the ball. I understand we need speed at the wideout position etc I just think the lack of speed at the RB position at all levels can be overcome if a guy has great vision, creat cutting ability, toughness etc. Look at the Cowboys of the 90's. They won a few SB's with a RB with average to above average speed. Tennessee had some very very good teams with Travis Henry as the feature back. He was far from what i would call fast. Teams can and do still become great without a burner at the RB position. And catswild if you think Prevo for Maryville had breakaway speed then you would be very wrong. He was far from a burner. Good speed yes, but far from breakaway so to say.

I agree with you totally about a running back's importance to have vision and cutting ability...maybe that's more important than speed, but I would prefer that guy to have both. Prevo (thanks, I couldn't recall his name) had more speed than the OR backs.

[catswild]

According to TSSAA, football has seven. Boys cross country has eight. Girls cross country has six. OR has seven in boys track also, but it's been fifty years since the last one.

 

David Scott is a very good coach. Girls basketball will be back.

I love your post and I sure hope you're right about Coach Scott.

[SweetScience]

I agree with you totally about a running back's importance to have vision and cutting ability...maybe that's more important than speed, but I would prefer that guy to have both. Prevo (thanks, I couldn't recall his name) had more speed than the OR backs.

He (Prevo) may have had more speed then our backs, but you have to remember ours were 10th graders. He has been in Maryville's strength and conditioning program for 4 years. The kid started as a true frosh, so of course he should've been faster then our guy. I bet if him and #20 for us ran a straight line race it would be dang close. Prevo great HS back, average to good speed. Nothing special in terms of the speed department. That and size is why he is going to ETSU and not a bigtime school. And yeah who doesn't want to have a great back with all of the qualities i mentioned, plus GREAT speed? lol Unfortunately those kinds don't come around too often. You take what ya got go from there and try to improve it the best you can and see what happens. Edited March 8, 2014 by SweetScience

[WildcatDad62]

I watched the JV running back last yr in every game TJ He is not lighting fast but has good speed. He also is almost impossible to bring down. I saw him break 3 and 4 and sometimes 5 tackles it seemed like every play. I also saw him break it for quite a few long runs. The JV QB fadnick was also impressive last year. I know Gavin Warrington has a great arm I would guess that be the battle for QB. I don't have to mention all the Soph soon to be JR that had a lot of playing time if they were not starting which was quite a few. Seniors next year aren't to shaby. With a hand full of freshman coming up that should see some playing time I can't wait. I believe 2014,2015,2016 are going to be record years.

[catswild]

I watched the JV running back last yr in every game TJ He is not lighting fast but has good speed. He also is almost impossible to bring down. I saw him break 3 and 4 and sometimes 5 tackles it seemed like every play. I also saw him break it for quite a few long runs. The JV QB fadnick was also impressive last year. I know Gavin Warrington has a great arm I would guess that be the battle for QB. I don't have to mention all the Soph soon to be JR that had a lot of playing time if they were not starting which was quite a few. Seniors next year aren't to shaby. With a hand full of freshman coming up that should see some playing time I can't wait. I believe 2014,2015,2016 are going to be record years.

I remember the guy you're talking about. He isn't very fast but he was a stud in JV games

[GladiatorJ]

#23 for OR slow...I don't think so, #8 for OR slow...I don't think so. #11 for OR slow...I don't think so.........maybe not burners, but not slow!

Overall team speed was incredibly slow compared to most OR opponents. I'm sure every team in the district with exception to maybe Halls can post three individuals that can run with the three you just mentioned.

[SweetScience]

I watched the JV running back last yr in every game TJ He is not lighting fast but has good speed. He also is almost impossible to bring down. I saw him break 3 and 4 and sometimes 5 tackles it seemed like every play. I also saw him break it for quite a few long runs. The JV QB fadnick was also impressive last year. I know Gavin Warrington has a great arm I would guess that be the battle for QB. I don't have to mention all the Soph soon to be JR that had a lot of playing time if they were not starting which was quite a few. Seniors next year aren't to shaby. With a hand full of freshman coming up that should see some playing time I can't wait. I believe 2014,2015,2016 are going to be record years.

TJ is that Emmitt Smith type back. He is going to be a good one if all goes as expected.

[WildcatDad62]

TJ is that Emmitt Smith type back. He is going to be a good one if all goes as expected.

Excellent comparison

[SweetScience]

Excellent comparison

Yes sir. Short and stocky, and strong and can break plenty of tackles if need be, and has pretty good speed. Maybe not enough to break a lot of long ones, but is gonna get you that extra tough yard that we have been lacking the past few years. That's the kind of back that I like myself.

[catswild]

Overall team speed was incredibly slow compared to most OR opponents. I'm sure every team in the district with exception to maybe Halls can post three individuals that can run with the three you just mentioned.

That may be true but you said the entire team was slow and I just don't believe those three are slow. But the defense wasn't as fast as we usually are I would agree.