Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats scrimmage against Heritage; need to improve tackling, blocking, coach says

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats had a scrimmage against the Heritage Mountaineers at Blankenship Field on Friday, July 29, 2016. Pictured above is rising sophomore running back Jordan Graham (22). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats had a scrimmage against the Heritage Mountaineers of Blount County at Blankenship Field on Friday.

Oak Ridge could have blocked better and tackled better, Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis said.

“They don’t score if we tackle,” he said.

The Oak Ridge first team tied the Heritage team 13-13. The Moutaineers outscored the Wildcats once the second teams came in, and the final score was 33-13.

But the focus wasn’t on the final score. Instead, Gaddis wanted to try different possibilities. Among other things, the Wildcats wanted to run the option quite a bit, he said.

“Scrimmages are all about learning about your team,” Gaddis said. [Read more…]

Wildcats have scrimmage against Heritage at Blankenship tonight

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats have a scrimmage against Heritage at 7 p.m. today (July 29) at Blankenship Field.

The admission is $3 per person at the lower and upper gates.

Limited concessions will be available, and Wildcat Cards will be sold in the upper concession stand.

School begins Monday, August 1, and practices will be held immediately after school (at the coach’s discretion) every day until game weeks begin. [Read more…]

Photos: Synthetic turf at Anderson County football stadium

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Anderson County Mavericks Stadium Synthetic Turf July 22 2016 1

The synthetic turf field has been installed at Anderson County Mavericks football stadium, and the new field is pictured above on Friday, July 22, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The synthetic turf field has been installed at the Anderson County Mavericks football stadium. The work was complete this month.

Here are photos of the new field from Friday, July 22.

More information about the field will be added as it becomes available.

Anderson County Mavericks Stadium Synthetic Turf July 22 2016 2

The synthetic turf field has been installed at Anderson County Mavericks football stadium, and the new field is pictured above on Friday, July 22, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

[Read more…]

ORHS Boys Basketball Boosters have fundraising golf tournament Aug. 13

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The Oak Ridge High School Boys Basketball Boosters has a fundraising golf tournament on August 13.

The 19th annual golf tournament is a four-man scramble format that will be held at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. August 13 with a shotgun start.

The tournament costs just $75 per person. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast and free range balls for participants. A Mulligan Package is also available for $25, which includes mulligans, a red tee, a door prize ticket, and a putting contest ticket, a press release said. [Read more…]

Donate $10, spray paint on part of old mall—money goes to Blankenship Field

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As part of the Main Street Oak Ridge groundbreaking on Wednesday, you will have a chance to spray paint on part of the old mall in exchange for a $10 donation, and the money raised will be used for the Blankenship Field Renovation Project.

It’s part of the Main Street Oak Ridge celebration at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 20. The City of Oak Ridge is helping to raise the money for Blankenship Field.

“The fundraising opportunity will be one of the last items in the program, after the groundbreaking and ceremonial demolition we have planned,” a city statement said. “Participants will be asked to donate $10 to the field renovation project. In return, they’ll get to spray paint a designated area on the outside of the old mall building. People can write whatever they’d like (as long as it’s tasteful), but we see this as a special opportunity for the community to bid the ‘mall’ farewell.” [Read more…]

Higgins talks to Clemson Insider, feels at home at Clemson

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins Clinton Dragons

Junior receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrates his first touchdown catch for the Oak Ridge Wildcats at 11:16 in the second quarter against the Clinton Dragons on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Higgins had three catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Tee Higgins, a five-star wide receiver at Oak Ridge High School who has committed to Clemson, talked to The Clemson Insider about his experience at The Opening finals in Beaverton, Oregon, last week. You can read the interview with The Clemson Insider here.

Among other things, Higgins said his relationship with Tigers coach Dabo Swinney and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott were important factors in his decision to commit to Clemson.

“They were a big part,” Higgins told The Clemson Insider. “They made Clemson feel like I was at home.”

Higgins competed with other top high school football prospects from across the country at the Nike Football The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Oregon, from July 5-10. He was listed as a top 10 performer on Day Two by Scout.com. [Read more…]

Higgins competes with other top football prospects at Nike Football Opening in Oregon

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Oak Ridge Tee Higgins and Soddy Daisy Brandon Davis Nov. 5, 2015

Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) makes a catch behind Brandon Davis (3) of Soddy Daisy during a 45-33 win for the Wildcats in a Class 5A football playoff game on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Tee Higgins, a rising senior and wide receiver at Oak Ridge High School, is competing with other top high school football prospects from across the country at the Nike Football The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Oregon. He was listed as a top 10 performer on Day Two by Scout.com.

The five-day competition, which takes place at Nike’s World Headquarters, brings together 166 of the nation’s top high school football prospects after months of highly competitive training and testing, according to Scout.com. It’s from July 5-10.

Scout.com listed Higgins, a Clemson commit, as a top 10 performer on Day Two on Thursday. You can read the report here. [Read more…]

Duhamel one of three male athletes of year for Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame

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Tennessee School for Deaf Duhamel Run at State Track Meet May 27 2016 Moore

Gashaw Duhamel, who ran cross country for Oak Ridge High School in the fall and track for Tennessee School for the Deaf this spring, has been named one of three male athletes of the year by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. Duhamel, left, an Oak Ridge resident and senior at Tennessee School for the Deaf, finished second in the Class A-AA 3,200-meter run in the state track and field meet in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 27, 2016. (File photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Gashaw Duhamel, who ran cross country for Oak Ridge High School in the fall and track for Tennessee School for the Deaf this spring, has been named one of three male athletes of the year by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.

Duhamel, a high school senior and Oak Ridge resident, was selected based on his track accomplishments, said Jimmy Hyams, sports director at WNML Radio Knoxville.

Also selected were Sevier County pitcher Zach Linginfelter and Fulton High School football/basketball player Kentell Williams, who made All-State twice in two sports, Hyams said.

Duhamel finished second on May 27 in the boys’ state championship 3,200-meter run in Class A-AA in the state track and field championship meet in Murfreesboro. Before that, he finished second in the Class A-AA East Section Finals on May 19 at Christian Academy of Knoxville. [Read more…]

Tee Higgins commits to Clemson

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Wildcats Tee Higgins Catch at Ooltewah Nov. 13, 2015

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5), shown making a playoff catch against Ooltewah on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, announced Monday, July 4, 2016, that he has committed to Clemson. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Oak Ridge Wildcats wide receiver Tee Higgins has committed to Clemson. Higgins, who will be a senior this fall, announced his decision in a Bleacher Report video posted on Twitter on Monday.

The video shows Higgins, a five-star receiver who had once been committed to Tennessee, at a barbecue cookout with friends and family. It ends with orange and purple fireworks in the sky.

The 247Sports Composite lists the 6-foot-5, 188-pound Higgins as the nation’s third-ranked wide receiver in the 2017 class. Prep Xtra at the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that he is considered the number one overall player in Tennessee.

Higgins, who won a Mr. Football award in November and was also a Mr. Basketball finalist, chose the Tigers over finalists Ohio State, Florida State, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Basketball Camp Logo

The Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts with a Shooting Camp on Tuesday. Basketball Camp also features a Skills Camp in July.

The Shooting Camp is June 7-8. The Skills Camp is July 11-13.

All camps are scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Learn more about the camps and registration here: Oak Ridge Basketball Camp 2016. [Read more…]

After ‘stellar spring,’ Wildcat tennis team honored at banquet

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2016-ORHS-Boys-Tennis-Team

2016 ORHS Boys Tennis Team (From left: Eric Thorton, Jeremy Simmons, Wilder Dodson, Peter Magill, Joshua Bridges, Viet Quach, Christian Thompson, Trystan Bordeau, Jaipal Narula, Archer Marlow, Stuart Dorman, Ethan Brady, and Arthur Nelson. Not pictured: Oumar Diallo and Curtis Rookard)

 

Oak Ridge High School’s 2015-2016 tennis team was honored at its post-season banquet for players and their families on Wednesday, May 18, at the Comfort Inn in Oak Ridge.

“Both of Oak Ridge High School’s tennis teams had a stellar spring,” said ORHS tennis coach David Bowman.

The Wildcats finished second in District 3 with a regular-season record of 7-1. The Lady Wildcats finished third in the district with a 6-2 record for the regular season.

The doubles team of senior Jaipal Narula and junior Viet Quach led the way for the Wildcats in the post-season, capping off 2016 with a TSSAA berth in the Region 2 semifinals, where they played the eventual 2016 state champion doubles team. [Read more…]

Duhamel, who ran cross country for Oak Ridge, signs with UT, finishes 2nd in state in Class A-AA race

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Tennessee School for Deaf Duhamel Run at State Track Meet May 27 2016 Moore

Gashaw Duhamel, a senior at Tennessee School for the Deaf who ran cross country for Oak Ridge in the fall, finished second in the Class A-AA 3,200-meter run in the boys state track and field meet in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 27, 2016. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Gashaw Duhamel, an Oak Ridge resident who ran cross country for the Wildcats in the fall, has been signed by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to run for the Volunteers, and he finished second on Friday in the boys’ state championship 3,200-meter run.

Duhamel attends Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville. He’s reported to be the first athlete from Tennessee School for the Deaf to earn a Division I scholarship.

He finished second on Friday in the boys 3,200-meter run in the Class A-AA state track and field championship meet in Murfreesboro. Duhamel also finished second in the Class A-AA East Section Finals on May 19 at Christian Academy of Knoxville. The top runner in the 3,200-meter race at both meets was Johnathan Chavez, a Knoxville Catholic senior. [Read more…]