Cyclone Teddy Orton has remarkable showing at State, takes Third Place

Published 2:59 pm Monday, May 22, 2023

Elizabethton Cyclones standout Teddy Orton had a remarkable showing in Murfreesboro this week, especially when you consider one of the 10 events in the decathlon he competed in he had only practiced once. Orton finished in third place, but a fifth place showing in the pole vault may have been his undoing. With the ultimate prize of being called the best AA athlete in the State of Tennessee; Orton finished just 94 points behind Munford’s Jace Hodgin, who finished with 5,475 while Orton finished with 4,375. Northview Academy’s Ethan Demeter just finished ahead of Orton by nine points to take second place. It is important to note that both of these competitors had competed before in the pole vault competition.

Orton recorded the highest point total of all athletes in the Northeast Tennessee area. “I knew I was going to have to perform really well in the long jump and triple jump because of my lack of experience in the pole vault, I got a height of 7’6” to finish fifth for 80 points max but when the winner gets 500 points it makes it tough,” Orton responded. Orton has had several colleges interested in him in both football and track; he has not committed yet but is leaning toward Maryville.