Sitting among more than 500 people at Tuesday night’s Best of Preps banquet, Orlandus Harris secretly wished for University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer’s speech to continue a little longer.

The recent Brainerd High School graduate was one of six finalists for the Scrappy Moore Award given each year to the area’s top prep male athlete, and he wasn’t quite ready to hear if his name would be announced as the winner.

When it was, Harris joined Baylor golfer Brooke Pancake and South Pittsburg football coach Vic Grider as the top honorees for 2008. Coach Fulmer was the guest speaker for the annual event at the Chattanooga Convention Center that honors area all-star players and coaches.

“I was nervous,” Harris said. “I didn’t want Coach Fulmer to step off the podium yet, because I was still kind of scared. I’m really surprised, but I’m happy more than anything.”

Staff Photo by D. Patrick Harding University of Tennessee football coach Phil Fulmer, left, signs an autograph for Male Athlete of the Year, Orlandus Harris, at the conclusion of the Best of Preps banquet.

Harris received the honor after finishing a three-sport senior season that included serving as a starter for the Panthers’ football and basketball teams. His greatest accomplishments came this spring, when Harris single-handedly led Brainerd to a runner-up finish at the Class A/AA state track meet.

He totaled 46 points with championships in the decathlon, triple jump and 110-meter hurdles and rallied to a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles after losing his balance early in the race. Still disappointed with the loss in his final and favorite event, the Eastern Kentucky signee said Tuesday’s award provided a better end to his high school career.

“With the finish I had at state, I’m still kind of sad about that, but this will help cheer me up a little,” Harris said. “It just wraps everything up right here. It’s kind of sad that it’s over, but I’m happy that it’s time for college. I know it’s really over now.”

Grider received the Scrappy Moore overall coach award after leading the Pirates to their fourth Class 1A state football championship. South Pittsburg dominated its opponents throughout the title run, averaging an incredible 48 points per game.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me,” Grider said. “There are so many outstanding coaches in that group, and just to be mentioned with those people and the things that they’ve accomplished is a huge deal for me. It says a lot about our players. When you’re successful, it means you’ve got good players, and we’ve been very blessed in South Pittsburg to have that, and a great group of coaches around me.”

Pancake competed in the Western Amateur golf tournament Tuesday in Newnan, Ga., but Baylor coach King Oehmig accepted the Scrappy Moore female athlete award on her behalf. She signed with the University of Alabama and was the second four-time state champion in Tennessee high school golf history.

“She’s one of my personal all-time heroes,” Oehmig said, “not only for her unparalleled play and the records she set, but for the kind of person she is, and the example of grace under pressure and under tough circumstances, and the student she is. She’s been a dream come true.”

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