Blaze set and ready to run
It’s cross-country time in Clinton and the Blaze and Lady Blaze have begun their preparations for the upcoming 2020 season.
The Blaze teams are coached by Terri Kerley. Uniforms were ordered recently, according to Clinton City Schools Athletic Director E.T. Stamey.
Cross Country Schedule: The season began last weekend and will go until late October. The Blaze will be at Cove Lake on Sept. 9 (elementary school meet) and Sept. 10 (middle schools meet). Clinton will be at Walters State-Sevierville Sept. 14-15. The Blaze will be at Leisure Polls Meet Sept. 21-22.
The area championships are on Oct. 10 and the state championships are scheduled for Oct. 24.
Schedule change: The meets scheduled for Sept. 28-29 at Johnson University in Knoxville will be rescheduled for a later date.
A Cross Country Pancake Breakfast will be held on Sept. 19 at the Apple Blossom Cafe from 8-10 a.m. Cost is $5 and all proceeds benefit the Blaze cross-country programs.
Tennis Clinic: The Clinton Blaze fall tennis clinic will be held on Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. at the tennis courts at Lakefront Park. Sessions began Sept. 8 and will run through Oct. 6 with a makeup date slated for Oct. 13 if necessary.
The clinic is open to fifth- and sixth-graders. Cost is $25 and players will receive a t-shirt.
Clinic instructors are Ernie Brooks and Megan Flora.
Brooks is a Clinton native who ran track at Tennessee Tech and implemented the USTA Tennis Program for the Boys and Girls Club. Flora, a teacher at North Clinton Elementary School, played club tennis at Lee University after her high school career at Knoxville Catholic.
Soccer Clinic: The Blaze soccer clinic will return this fall. Instruction begins today and the clinics are every Wednesday.
They will be open to boys and girls in grades 1-6. The eight-week event is run by Knoxville Area Soccer Pro Chris Carroll. Cost is $119 and all equipment will be provided.
Beginners are welcome and the clinic will be held after school at the Clinton City Football Stadium.
The camp will teach fundamentals and rules of the game while also promoting physical fitness. For more information, contact Carroll Sports Academy at 865- 566-8948 or via e-mail at info@carrollsportsacademies.com.
Swim season: The Blaze swim teams will look to begin their 2020 campaign soon with a potential tryout date set for Sept. 23. That date assumes that the Clinton Community Center Pool will be open on that date.
Stamey said that he’s hoping to partner with Clinton Middle School in an effort for the Blaze to compete in more meets.
Basketball Record Book:
The highest point total for a single game for the Blaze boys is 57. That mark was set against Andersonville in 2019. Kaden Webber holds the single-game individual scoring record for the Clinton boys. He had 22 points in a game against Episcopal School of Knoxville last season.
For the Lady Blaze, Jailie Rodd holds the single-game record, with 16 against St. Mary’s in 2019.
Blaze and Lady Blaze continue to get community support.
