Former Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer will be the guest speaker at a May 2 fundraiser for the Soddy-Daisy football program.
The event will be held at Stratton Hall at 3146 Broad St., and the cost of admission, which includes dinner, is $50 per person. VIP tickets, at a cost of $100, will include a meet-and-greet with Fulmer from 6 to 7 p.m.
Tickets will be available at www.itickets.com, according to Trojans football coach Justin Barnes.
Fulmer, 66, coached 16 full seasons (1993-2008) for the Volunteers and also had four wins as interim head coach in 1992 when he stepped in for Johnny Majors.
After starting for the Vols as an offensive guard, Fulmer served over the years as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator before assuming the head coach duties.
While his biggest accomplishment had to be the 1998 national championship, Fulmer had nine seasons in which the Vols accumulated at least 10 wins, including the 1993 team that was awarded an NCAA-adjusted 10th victory. During his tenure, Tennessee posted a 151-52-1 record (.743), and 13 of his teams were in the final Top 25, including six in the top 10.
3 homers in a row
Cleveland outfielder and first baseman Noah Sills hit three home runs in consecutive at-bats last weekend.
"The first one bounced off the top of the wall, and then the second one hit the right side of the foul pole. Then the third one was simply over the fence," Blue Raiders coach Preston Scoggins recalled.
The first two homers came against Clarksville Northeast and the third against South Doyle.
"He can hit the ball well in the gaps," Scoggins said.
The senior left-handed cleanup hitter has committed to Tusculum College.
3 more college Bears
Bradley Central wrestler Knox Fuller is going to West Point, and T.J. Hicks has signed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Now three more Bears have decided to pursue collegiate wrestling. Ethan Anderson is going to wrestle with the Middle Tennessee State club team, Ryan McElhaney has signed with Cumberland University and Austin Mathews has signed with University of the Cumberlands.
"I think Ethan will probably wrestle 141 or 149 at MTSU," Bradley coach Ben Smith said. "Ryan just decided all of a sudden he wanted to take it to the next level. I think he'll be at 133 pounds."
Mathews is likely to redshirt his first season for coach Chris Fleeger, a two-time NCAA finalist and three-time All-American at Purdue.
"I see Austin as a 149- or 157-pounder but Chris is planning on redshirting him, putting some weight on him and have him wrestle 165 or 174," Smith added.
Elite camp at Ridgeland
Ridgeland High School is hosting the Elite North Georgia Showcase football camp Saturday, April 15.
A middle school camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and high school athletes take the field from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Former Kentucky and NFL player Derrick Tatum is the camp organizer and will be joined by fellow NFL alumni Calvin Middleton and Gerald Riggs Jr., as well as Ridgeland coach Wesley Tankersley and his staff as instructors.
Top athletes from across the South are scheduled to participate, including several Chattanooga-area stars. Northwest Whitfield's Luke Shiflett, ranked the nation's No. 11 dual-threat quarterback, Georgia Class AAAA defensive player of the year Markeith Montgomery of Ridgeland and Notre Dame stars Sam Stovall and Cameron Wynn are among the players registered.
Tankersley pointed out that representatives from national scouting services such as 247Sports, Rivals and Scout will be in attendance. More information can be found at www.elitegashowcase.com.
Pair No. 1 in Georgia
Gordon Lee and Ringgold are ranked No. 1 in two Georgia prep baseball polls this week.
The Trojans (14-3) are the consensus top-ranked Class A public school team by Georgia Dugout Preview and MaxPreps, while Ringgold (17-4) is ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps and No. 2 by Georgia Dugout in AAA.
Other northwest Georgia programs with top-10 rankings include Dalton No. 5 in AAAAAA, Heritage (15-5) No. 3 and Northwest Whitfield (14-7) No. 8 in AAAA and Trion (10-3) No. 5 in Class A public.
Monster support
Anyone planning to attend one of the Monster Truck Shows on Saturday at McKenzie Arena can also help out Arts & Sciences' softball team.
Attendees can park their vehicles in a lot at nearby CSAS for $5 with the money going to the Lady Patriots' program. Coach Michelle Meyners said half the girls on the squad will work early, before the 1 p.m. show, and the rest will be out there ahead of the 7 p.m. show.
Last year shows were on Friday and Saturday, and the softball team split the money with another of the school's activity groups. This year, it's all going to the softball program.
"Monster trucks are always popular. They've been coming here for years," Meyners said. "It's a huge fundraiser for us. We try to get it every year. It's always a hustle for monster trucks."