Some of the most versatile high school athletes in area history are among the six finalists for this year’s Scrappy Moore male Athlete of the Year award.

Multisport standouts Tim Benford of Red Bank, Jonathan Gregory of Ringgold, Orlandus Harris of Brainerd, Tyler Massey of Baylor and Tana Patrick of North Jackson join Ooltewah soccer star Daniel Tackling.

The winner will be announced at Tuesday’s Best of Preps banquet at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The banquet begins at 6 p.m., and University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer is the guest speaker.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Benford was a star receiver and defensive back in football, helping the Lions claim their fourth straight Region 4-4A title. A Tennessee Tech signee, he caught 50 passes for 1,009 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season, then added 12 catches and three TDs in two playoff games before a broken wrist sidelined him in the quarterfinals.

He scored five TDs as a defensive back and kick returner, and in basketball he averaged 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and four assists per game and helped the Lions reach the state semifinals. He qualified for the state track meet in the 200-meter dash.

Inspired by a summer of early-morning workouts, Gregory turned in a breakout senior wrestling season, finishing 45-0 with a Class AAAA state championship at 215 pounds while helping the Tigers claim a surprising dual championship. Gregory also claimed titles at the McCallie and Mohawk invitationals and the Dalton Carpet Classic.

In football, he led the Tigers in tackles each of his last two seasons and signed with Tusculum College. He had 95 tackles, including eight for loss and six sacks, and caused five fumbles in his senior season.

Harris was a two-way Brainerd football starter at receiver and defensive back and signed with Eastern Kentucky University. Also a two-year starter in basketball, he excelled in track, winning the Class A/AA decathlon state championship as well as the 110-meter hurldes and triple jump. He placed second in the long jump and, despite stumbling, rallied to finish second in the 300-meter hurdles.

Although he was the only competitor representing the Panthers at the state track meet, his 46 points gave them a second-place team finish.

Massey was a dual-threat quarterback for the Red Raiders as a junior and senior and has been the Best of Preps all-city baseball MVP in consecutive years. He led Baylor to a state-runner-up finish in Division II-AA baseball this season, posting a 9-0 record, 0.87 ERA and 76 strikeouts.

He also hit .430 with four home runs, 13 doubles and 22 RBIs and signed with the University of Virginia but was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 14th round of the major league draft.

Patrick is one of only two players in North Jackson football history to start every game since his freshman season. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound junior already owns five school receiving records, averaging 27.8 yards per catch with 22 touchdowns. But it is at linebacker that he is being most heavily recruited. Rated the nation’s No. 61 overall prospect, he earned Alabama’s Class 4A Mr. Football honors after making 72 tackles on a defense that allowed just 88 rushing yards per game.

Already invited to participate in both the U.S. Army and Under Armour All-America games, he has offers from more than half the schools in the Southeastern Conference. He also anchored the state-qualifying 4x100-meter relay team this spring.

Whatever his future holds, Daniel Tackling will be remembered as one of the best high school soccer players to come out of the Chattanooga area. His combination of natural ability and work ethic made Tackling a starter his freshman year at Ooltewah, and it could help lead the center midfielder to a professional soccer career.

Tackling uses his vision, quickness and skill to create opportunities for teammates, despite sometimes facing triple teams, but also knows when to take the ball himself. His distribution and decision-making abilities resulted in 17 assists and nine goals this season, and Tackling will spend his summer focusing on professional team tryouts and college scholarship offers.

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