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No room for error in search for next Oak Ridge High School football coach By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
of it borders on the ridiculous. Just last Saturday I heard someone “in the know” call in a Knoxville talk-radio show and explain how William Blount head coach Scott Meadows was being interviewed “today” for the Oak Ridge job. That would have been tough to do since the search committee charged with finding a replacement for Stanton Stevens hasn’t even been selected, and Mike Mullins -- Oak Ridge’s athletic director who chairs the search committee -- was out of town. While the caller certainly didn’t have it right, the powers that be at Oak Ridge High School can ill afford to fumble the ball as they go about selecting a new head coach. The Wildcats haven’t won a playoff game since 2005 and have qualified for the postseason just once in the last three years. Oak Ridge is only 17-15 in its last 32 games and the tradition-rich program is approaching 18 seasons without a state championship. Fan apathy is at an all-time high and financial concerns are looming on the horizon after an abysmal 2008 season at the gate. The program is in a ditch and it’s going to take a coach with special talents to pull it out. While optimism abounds that a new coach will be able to come in and re-invigorate the program, it remains to be seen if the best candidates will even have a fighting chance to land the once-coveted Oak Ridge job. Given Oak Ridge’s methodology and criteria for selecting a new football coach in recent times, that’s a legitimate concern. When Joe Gaddis left as head coach of the Wildcats following the 1998 season, Murfreesboro Riverdale coach Gary Rankin applied for the job and made no secret of his desire to make the move to Oak Ridge. Rankin was the hottest coach in the state at the time and well familiar to Oak Ridge fans who suffered through three crushing playoff defeats at the hands of Riverdale in the 1990s. But Rankin was left twisting in the wind during the process and was never even afforded an interview by Oak Ridge, which eventually named longtime assistant Bruce Lussier as its head coach. Rankin won four state Class 5-A championships at Riverdale and just captured his third 2-A title at Alcoa. But Rankin’s situation pales in comparison to that of Gaddis when Oak Ridge was looking for a replacement for Lussier following the 2004 season. After Chattanooga Baylor coach David Bibee turned down an offer to become the Wildcats’ next head coach, then- athletic director Chuck Carringer summoned Gaddis to Oak Ridge for an interview. By all accounts, Gaddis, who had just taken over at Henry County, wowed the Oak Ridge selection committee during his interview. The selection committee overwhelmingly voted Gaddis to be the next head coach, but the recommendation was overturned by top Oak Ridge Schools administrators. Not once, but twice. After deciding on Gaddis, members of the search committee were instructed to vote for someone other than the former coach of the Wildcats, who led Oak Ridge to its last state championship in 1991 and won more football games than anyone in school history. But committee members once again voted for Gaddis anyway -- and were again over-ruled by the Oak Ridge administration. On the third vote, committee members finally relented and voted for Stevens. Gaddis has since revived the once-woeful Henry County football program, taking the Patriots to the 4-A semifinals the last three seasons. Henry County had six consecutive losing season before Gaddis took over in 2004 and was 6-24 the three years prior to his arrival. The Patriots have won 30 of their last 33 games, led the state in scoring in 2008 and set a single-season school record for victories. Gaddis’ name has once again been linked to the Oak Ridge vacancy, but don’t look for the Henry County coach to come knocking at the Wildcats’ door after the Great Coaching Search Folly of 2004. This time, if Oak Ridge wants Gaddis to rebuild its program for a second time, it will have to go out and get him. |
Maryville, Oak Ridge will meet in 2009 high school football season By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
Mike Mullins, Oak Ridge’s director of athletics, confirmed earlier today that the Wildcats and Rebels will meet at Maryville in Week 5 of the 2009 high school football season. “It has been something that has basically been in the works since last spring -- it‘s a thing both schools’ fans want,” said Mullins. Oak Ridge’s 2009 football schedule was set earlier today in a meeting of District 3 coaches and athletics directors and comes on the heels of the TSSAA’s re-classification for next season. Next season, Oak Ridge will play in District 3-AAA, which includes teams that will split into Class 5A and 6A come playoff time. The Wildcats -- who will compete in 6A in the playoffs -- will open the ’09 season at home against District 4 foe Farragut on Aug. 28. Maryville, also a member of District 4, is the only other non-district game for Oak Ridge next season. Oak Ridge’s 2009 schedule includes: Aug. 28 Farragut Sept. 4 Central Sept. 11 at Powell Sept. 18 Halls Sept. 25 at Maryville Oct. 2 at Anderson County Oct. 9 at Karns Oct. 16 at Hardin Valley Oct. 23 Clinton Oct. 30 Campbell County Although Maryville and Oak Ridge were placed in different districts under the 2009 re-alignment plan, Mullins said the two schools made a point of hooking up in the regular season. Oak Ridge and Maryville last played in 1969 with the all-time series even at 3-3. “I’ve been talking to (Maryville coach) George Quarles all along and we made sure -- whether or not we were in the same district -- that we were going to play,” said Mullins. The Rebels have emerged as the state’s top power in recent years and are currently riding a 72-game winning streak as they go for their fifth state Class 4-A title in a row. Also, Mullins said the revamped schedule will prove fan friendly for followers of the Wildcats. While Oak Ridge has had to travel to Chattanooga and Kingsport in recent years, the longest road trip in 2009 will be to Maryville. “Overall, the good thing about it is obviously how close everybody is,” said Mullins. “The big thing, too, is it’s a deal where we play them (the same district teams) in basketball and all the other sports. We can develop those rivalries and I think there will be more fan interest as opposed to driving to Chattanooga for games.” Mullins said one of the few downers in next year’s schedule is the absence of traditional foe Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett during the regular season for the first time since 2002. “That’s the only disappointing thing about the whole thing,” said Mullins. “If I could have had my way, we would have had an eight-team district that would have allowed us to play Maryville, Farragut and D-B in our non-district games.” |
Blade brings fresh outlook to Oak Ridge football program By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
You know, there’s just really not much talent on hand any more in Oak Ridge. Bunk, said Blade, who is winding down his first spring practice at Oak Ridge. “I’m not so sure about that -- I take exception to that,” said Blade, who led Nashville Hillsboro to the state Class 4-A championship last December before accepting the Oak Ridge job. Sure, there’s no way his first group of Wildcats can match the overall athletic ability of his last Hillsboro team that featured the likes of Tennessee-signee Eric Gordon, but Blade has coached football long enough to realize there’s more than one way to win a championship. “Talent comes in all sorts of disguises, especially in high school. We had about 15 guys that ran in the 4.5 range at Hillsboro, but if you have got kids willing to work hard and they have some level of athleticism, you can do a lot with that.” Blade said the early returns since arriving in Oak Ridge have been favorable. “These kids have been working their tails off.” Righting the ship Blade is charged with returning a floundering Oak Ridge program to its past glory. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-6 season that saw Oak Ridge lose its final three games by a combined 113-29 score. Oak Ridge is only 17-15 in its last 32 games and the Wildcats have made only one playoff appearance (a loss) in the last three seasons. Once again, Blade doesn’t buy the chatter that Oak Ridge’s glory days are over. “I would not be here if I didn’t believe down to my soul we could turn this around,” said the 35-year-old Blade. “We’re gonna give this thing everything we have. The kids and the community have been very responsive to the direction we’re moving.” First steps Blade said it’s of paramount importance to get a lot accomplished during spring practice. “From a coaches’ point of view, we want to install and evaluate -- we want to install our way of doing things. We want to see tempo, and we want to see intensity. It’s critical that we do a good job evaluating.” |