Oak Ridge boys soccer begins season with high hopes
Oak Ridge High School’s boys soccer team opened its season with a loss in Chattanooga Friday night.
But the Wildcats and head Coach Tom Gorman have high hopes for 2024 after finishing second in the District 3-AAA regular-season standings and finishing runners-up to Knoxville’s West High School.
But things will be tough for Oak Ridge, which went 12-4-2 last season, as the Wildcats reside in the toughest Class AAA region (Region 2-AAA) in the Volunteer State.
“We live in the No.1 region in the state, and you can pick your poison, with Bearden (No. 2) in the state), (Hardin Valley Academy, No. 5), West (No. 23), Farragut and Maryville to beat to get to sub-state,” said Gorman, who saw his team fall 3-1 in its season-opener at Baylor.
In District 3-AAA, the Wildcats will likely challenge for the league title. They’ll have to contend with Powell, which has a strong returning squad, and Knoxville Halls, which joins the district after making a state tournament run in Class AA in 2023.
“We also have Powell returning a lot in the district and Halls coming off a state semifinal appearance,” Gorman said. “If we can stay healthy throughout the year and develop some depth, we feel good about our opportunity in the district, which sets us up to host in the region.
“Win there, and you’re in great position to go to state,” he said.
Top players for the Wildcats include Daniel Vogt (who plays both forward and midfielder); Brian Qu (midfielder/forward); Juno Morrill (midfielder); Eli Lynch (midfielder); Ayden Clements (midfielder); Daniel Jackson (defender); Gabe Weber (defender); Emmett Lee (midfielder/defender); Eli Pearson (defender/midfielder/forward); Drayton Keehn (defender/midfielder); Cyril Meredith (defender) and Cody Steffen (goalkeeper).
Gorman said his team’s biggest strength will be its offense, and noted that the Wildcats have five or six starters who will fill new roles in 2024.
“We feel like the strength of our team will be in the attack,” Gorman said. “We have some talented and versatile players (and) that should help us be dynamic.
“We are relying on five or six new starters that we expect to grow into new roles by season’s end.”
Gorman and the Wildcats are going to take a bit of a different approach this year, he said.
“It does change based on the personnel and their comfort level,” Gorman said. “We want to be multiple this year, so we are working on a few different styles of play early on to see what fits us best.”
Oak Ridge, which will be off this week for spring break, will return to action Tuesday when it hosts Hardin Valley in its home opener.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.