By Mike Blackerby editor@oakridgesports.com
Class AAA soccer poll. No big deal. As far as Sheppard is concerned, as long as you’re in the top 10 you’ve probably still got a legitimate shot at winning the state championship. That speaks volumes about the balance across the state, said the coach of the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats, who return to action at 6 Thursday night at Halls. Oak Ridge (8-3-0) is coming off three losses in last weekend’s Collierville Invitational, but Sheppard said his team can take lots of positives from the experience. Oak Ridge dropped hard-fought matches to Houston, BGA and Collierville over the weekend. “We played three state-tournament-ability teams. That’s exactly what we’ll have to replicate at the state tournament. The big thing is we’ll have to step onto the field three days in a row against that type competition.” Sheppard rattled off the names of the usual suspects -- Collierville, Houston, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Farragut, Bearden, Siegel -- as some of the teams most likely to make it to the state tournament. “I’ve probably never seen it this wide open. I’d say there’s at least six teams capable of winning it.” On the more immediate front, Sheppard and the Lady Wildcats now turn their attentions to the district race, starting Thursday at Halls. While Oak Ridge will be prohibitive favorites against the Lady Red Devils, there is still some work to be done locally. Much will be determined on the district front Sept. 26 when the Lady Wildcats travel to West for a 6 p.m. match up. Oak Ridge and West both sport 3-0 district worksheets. Cross country Coach Allen Etheridge’s Oak Ridge cross country team returns to action Saturday in Alabama in the Great American Cross County Festival. Both the Oak Ridge varsity girls and boys will be entered in the Race of Champions division of the race, which features elite teams from across the country. Oak Ridge’s boys and girls are each ranked No. 1 in Tennessee after taking respective wins last weekend at the Tennessee Classic Meet in Nashville. The Great American Cross Country Festival will be held Saturday morning at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala. The Oak Ridge boys will be running in the Race of Champions division for the second time while the Lady Wildcats are in the elite race for the first time. “This is a very big deal,” said Etheridge. “The girls just got moved into the Race of Champions division. We’re up against a number of really good teams from New York state, Virginia and Delaware. In addition, we’re going up against the best teams in the southeast from Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.” Year in and year out, New York generally produces the nation’s top prep cross country teams. The only other Tennessee teams entered in the elite Race of Champions class are the Harpeth Hall and Morristown West girls along with the Baylor boys. Etheridge said his boys’ team hopes to improve on its 21st-place showing from a year ago. “Last year our boys were 21st out of 25 teams. The main reason was I made a really stupid mistake and told them to go out slow and let the other teams come back to them. This year we have a lot better plan and feel like we can run with most of the teams. Ideally we’re shooting for a top-10 finish.” All told, Etheridge will take 42 runners (varsity and junior varsity) to the meet. |
