RUGBY FESTIVAL NETS ALMOST $500

THE MARYVILLE BOYS WERE ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING TEAMS.

KNOXVILLE - PLENTY OF FOLKS DIDN'T MIND A LITTLE CHILLY WEATHER TO SEE SOME RUGBY ACTION SATURDAY, DEC 10, 2011.

THE HOLIDAY RUGBY FESTIVAL AT THE TENNESSEE RUGBY PARK FEATURED GIRLS AND BOYS GAMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. MORE THAN $470 WAS RAISED FOR PROJECT 20/20 TO PASS ALONG TO THE AMERICAN PARKINSON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION'S NATIONAL YOUNG-ONSET CENTER.

THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED.

EAGLES TO TAKE ON HERITAGE

The Eagles will host a Project 20/20 fund-raiser at 5 p.m. Thursday. April 5 vs. Heritage.

SEYMOUR - It may be frightful outside (or not), but it's about the one time time of year being inside doesn't bother a baseball player.

"The players are working hard in the weight room," Eagle baseball coach Scott Norman said in early December. "They're trying to get a little more zip in their arms and bat speed."

Seymour, coming off an Inter-Mountain Athletic Conference championship in 2011, looks to build momentum for spring 2012 after losing five solid seniors.

"We hope to be competive, we have a pretty good mix of youth and experience," said Norman, heading into his 13th season as Seymour's coach after four years as an assistant to Greg Clark.

The Eagles already have some players who have committed to colleges to continue to play baseball, including middle infielder Ben Whisler (Belmont College) and leadoff hitter and centerfielder Logan Jenkins, who will play at Lincoln Memorial University. Norman said pitcher Tyler Crawford, who also catches and plays third base, has backed off his verbal agreement with LMU to weigh his options.

Norman, like his former South-Young High School schoolmate Mike Guinn, head coach at Pigeon Forge High School, has agreed to do a spring fund-raiser for Project 20/20 to raise money for Young-onset Parkinson's disease.

The Eagles will hold their event at home Thursday, April 5 against Herititage at 5 p.m., Norman said Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Pigeon Forge will host its fund-raiser Monday, April 2, while other teams involved include games at Farragut (April 26) and Anderson County (April 28).

See the http://www.pdproject2020.blogspot.com/ Web site for more information.

Norman, a sixth-round pick out of Walters State by the San Francisco Giants in 1982, has an overall record of 275-99 as the Seymour skipper. The Eagles have made four state tournament appearances during Norman's time at Seymour, including three as head coach. Three state tournament teams have made it to the final four.

The Eagles have won 10 of the past 12 regular-season conference championships, while taking down nine district tournament titles and capturing four region finals.

Norman, who pitched for four years with the San Francisco organization and two in the Cradinals farm system, topped out at the Class AAA Phoenix Giants.

He spent two years as Tennessee Tech's pitching coach before moving to the high school level with Seymour. Norman said Knoxville-area baseball has traditionally been strong over the years.

He's coached former Eagles such as Branden Ketron (Yankees minor-leaguer), Kyle Koeneman (LSU) and Wes Walter, a senior catcher at UT.

"There are some really good coaches in this area that work tremendously hard," Norman said. "I'm just honored to coach a sport I really love in a great baseball community such as Seymour."

ADMIRALS SET THE BAR HIGH

UT SIGNEE A.J. SIMCOX TAKES THE THROW ON A STOLEN BASE ATTEMPT.



FARRAGUT - The Diamond Domination Nation
looks to continue its winning ways.

The Admirals, winners of four straight Class AAA
state championships, expect to play at a high
level again in 2012.

"I am excited headed into the spring, I really like
the makeup and the talent of this team," said
third-year coach Matt Buckner. "If we play the
right way and all come together at the right time,
hopefully we will be able to compete at a high
level."

Farragut's bar for success includes winning the
state championship or finishing as runners-up in
12 of the past 29 years.

Buckner always seems calm and collected and
lets the pressure roll off him, whether its his initial
year as Farragut's coach (in 2010, when he took
over for Tommy Pharr after the Admirals had won
consecutive state championships) or for 2012,
after Buckner won two of his own.

"There are so many things that have to go right to
win a state title, I believe we prepare the right
way, work hard, and compete hard, and as long
as we do those things, I am not really worried
about the pressure of winning," Buckner said.

Senior University of Tennessee signee A.J. Simcox
will power the Admirals' offense.

"He also plays a great shortstop (defensively),"
Buckner said.

Lefty Xander Taylor became Farragut's staff ace in
2011 after star pitcher Phillip Pfeifer was injured,
Buckner said.

Taylor, a Volunteer State Community College
commitment who will miss the 2012 season with a torn labrum, took over for Pfeifer with one-out
in the second inning in the 2011 title bout
against Columbia Central.

Taylor tossed 5.2 innings of no-hit ball (after
Pfeifer hadn't given up a hit in getting his four
outs) and the Admirals won their fourth straight
title with a 2-0 win, finishing at 37-8.

"That's a lot of games (45) to play in a season,"
said Pat Dorwin, the leading hitter on Farragut's
initial championship team in 1982 that finished
26-5 overall.

The Ads will play in a number of tournaments in
2012.

"I believe our offseason conditioning program is
very key to maintaining performance during the
year, our kids are very dedicated to our
program," Buckner said. "We put tons of time into
this aspect of our athletes."

Late in the season, Farragut will hold its annual
Throwback Game, in which players wear old-time
jerseys, donations are accepted in lieu of
admission and food and drink is priced cheaply.

The event is a fund-raiser for Project 20/20,
started by Dorwin with the goal of getting 20
Knoxville-area high school club or varsity sports
to help raise money for Young-onset Parkinson's
disease by the year 2020.

The event is set for Thursday, April 26 as Farragut
meets Karns at 5 p.m. and Oak Ridge and Gibbs
tangle at 7:30 p.m.

"I was diagnosed in 2003 when I was 38 years
old," Dorwin said. "My youngest brother, Pete,
was the centerfielder on the the 1988 team, the
first of four state runner-up squads. He was
diagnosed at age 39."

See the http://www.pdproject2020.blogspot.com/ Web
site for more information. See http://www.fhs1982statechamps.blogspot.com/ for
info on in Admiral state records and a game-by-game look.

Diamond Domination Nation will look to 2012 to
be another successful year for Farragut baseball.

"Our community loves baseball and it continues
to grow. I have really got a first hand look at that
this last year since my son is now playing in the
youth leagues," Buckner said. "These factors
alone definitely continue to contribute to our
success at the high school level."

ADMIRALS GO WITH PROJECT 20/20

COACH BUCKNER GETS DRENCHED

FARRAGUT - Admirals coach Matt Buckner announced Thursday, Dec. 1 that gate proceeds from the spring 2012 Throwback Doubleheader will go to Project 20/20.

Farragut, four-time defending Classs 3A champions, had donated proceeds to the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) the past two years, but switched to Project 20/20, started by former Admiral Pat Dorwin, who also initiated the original NPF fund-raiser.

The event is set for Thursday, April 26 as Farragut takes on Karns at 5 p.m. and Oak Ridge and Gibbs tangle at 7:30 p.m.

Next spring will mark the 30th anniversary of the first of eight Admiral state champion teams, in which Dorwin batted leadoff for. He was diagnosed with Young-onset Parkinson's disease at age 38.

His brother, Pete, the centerfielder on the 1988 Admiral squad that was the initial Admiral team of four to finish as state runner-ups, giving Farragut an impressive mark of playing for 12 of the past 29 Class AAA state titles, was diagnosed with the disease at age 39.