Oak Ridge Today

Higgins wins Mr. Football award in Class 5A

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Tee-Higgins-Mr-Football-Nissan-Stadium-Nov-30-2015

Oak Ridge High School junior Tee Higgins, second from left, was named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Back of the Year in Class 5A during a luncheon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. Higgins is pictured above with ORHS Athletic Director Mike Mullins, left, and Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and Receivers Coach Kwayu Graham. (Photo by Martin McDonald)

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:30 p.m.

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins won a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award during a luncheon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday. Higgins was named Back of the Year in Class 5A.

The other Class 5A Back of the Year finalist was Nate Johnson of Independence High School, which is coached by former Oak Ridge Coach Scott Blade. The Wildcats are now coached by Joe Gaddis.

Higgins is a wide receiver, punt returner, and defensive back, and a star playmaker for the Wildcats. He had 46 catches for 841 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He also had a punt return and an interception for a touchdown, and another interception and some big punt and kickoff returns.

Higgins, who has committed to the University of Tennessee, also plays basketball, and he was named the most valuable player at the 17th Annual Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament last week. [Read more…]

Former football coach Joe Gaddis coming back to Oak Ridge

Posted at
By 6 Comments

Note: This story was last updated at 3:31 p.m.

Former Oak Ridge High School football coach Joe Gaddis is returning to Oak Ridge, school officials announced Monday.

Gaddis will be a teacher and head football coach at Oak Ridge High School. He will replace Scott Blade, who resigned to accept a position in Williamson County.

Gaddis has an overall 258-112 record in his 30 years as head coach. Almost half of those wins—or 119 of them—came while he served as head coach at Oak Ridge High School, where he coached from 1988 until 1998, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge football coach moving back to Middle Tennessee

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School football coach Scott Blade has resigned and is moving back to Middle Tennessee, where he will coach at Independence High School south of Nashville.

Blade has coached the Oak Ridge Wildcats since 2009, compiling a 35-15 record. He resigned Thursday, ORHS Athletic Director Mike Mullins said.

Mullins said Blade’s parents live in Franklin in Middle Tennessee, and Blade came to Oak Ridge from Hillsboro High School in Nashville. In addition, his wife received a job promotion in the medical field, and Independence quickly hired Blade.

“It was a job opportunity that he just couldn’t turn down,” Mullins said.

[Read more…]