Oak Ridge Today

Football photos: Oak Ridge shuts out Campbell County to win region championship

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Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis was pleased with the performance of the Wildcats’ defense, which is shown here trying to stop Cougars quarterback Zach Rutherford (12) during a 28-0 region championship win at Campbell County on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

JACKSBORO—The Oak Ridge Wildcats shut out Campbell County 28-0 on Thursday to win the Region 3-5A championship, making them a top seed going into the playoffs and giving them home-field advantage in at least the first two rounds, assuming they get a win in round one.

Here are photos from the game by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today. [Read more…]

Wildcats football starts at 7 p.m. at Webb

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats football game at Webb starts at 7 p.m. today (Friday, October 21), rather than at the normal 7:30 p.m.

It’s a non-region game. The Webb Spartans are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Division II, Class A, East and Middle Region.

The new start time was announced by Webb School of Knoxville earlier this week. [Read more…]

Cross country: Oak Ridge boys, girls finish first in Cherokee Invitational

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ cross country team finished first in the Cherokee Invitational in Knoxville on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (Photo by Nichole Zawisza)

 

The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ cross country teams finished first in the Cherokee Invitational in Knoxville on Saturday. Senior Jake Etheridge was the top overall runner in the boys’ 5k, or 5,000-meter race. Junior Genevieve Schwartz finished second overall in the girls’ race, and senior Abbey Greenhalgh was third.

The Oak Ridge boys had seven of the top 14 runners, and the girls had six of the top 13.

The first-place finish for the boys on Saturday came one week after they finished first in the Wendy’s Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Etheridge was also the top overall runner.

Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge said Saturday’s race on Cherokee Boulevard in Knoxville is a hard race that was run during Fall Break, when the team is out of the normal school rhythm. The team has to run to “get its work in,” but is never “super satisfied,” Etheridge said. [Read more…]

McMinn County gives Oak Ridge first loss, 28-24

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Note: This story was updated at 1:55 a.m

ATHENS—When the Oak Ridge Wildcats traveled to Athens on Friday night to face McMinn County, despite the Cherokees’ impressive 5-1 record, they probably were not expecting a loss.

But that’s exactly what happened, as the two teams swapped leads throughout the contest, and the Cherokees just barely escaped with the win, 28-24.

“They whipped us,” Oak Ridge head coach Joe Gaddis said. “To their credit, they whipped us. And I think they whipped us on both sides of the ball.”

McMinn County burned seven minutes and 20 seconds off the clock on their first offensive possession, with all but one of the plays designed runs, and concluded the drive with a Zane Byas touchdown carry to put the Cherokees ahead 7-0. [Read more…]

Football: Oak Ridge remains at No. 2 in Class 5A; Farragut moves up to No. 5

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Associated Press high school football polls for this week were released on Monday, and once again, East Tennessee is well-represented across the board.

In Class 6A, Maryville remains number one with Bradley Central representing East Tennessee as well at number four.

The Class 5A polls is dominated either by teams from our coverage area or those teams they could face in the postseason. Oak Ridge remains at number two, while Farragut moved up to number five after their win at Campbell County last week. Rhea County slipped to number six, McMinn County—which hosts Oak Ridge Friday—is number seven, with Campbell County falling three spots to number eight and Knox West hanging in the top 10 at number 10.

See the rest of the story on WYSH Radio for more information.

WYSH Radio in Clinton is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.

Wildcats race to quick 35-0 start again, this time against Karns

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Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) caught two passes for touchdowns for the Wildcats during a 56-6 win over Karns on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. One was a 56-yard reception on the Wildcats’ first offensive play, and the second was a 33-yard catch. Higgins is defended here by Karns senior Jefferson Holt (19). (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Like they did a week earlier, the Oak Ridge Wildcats again raced to a quick 35-0 start on Friday. The undefeated Wildcats scored their first four touchdowns in their first nine plays during a 56-6 win over the winless Karns Beavers.

Last week, against Sevier County, the Wildcats rolled to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter.

This week, against Karns, they jumped out to a 35-0 lead by early in the second quarter, on Senior Night on Blankenship Field. Like last week, the scoring pace slowed after that.

Oak Ridge held Karns to 65 yards on offense.

The Wildcats again scored on their first offensive play, this time on a 56-yard pass from junior quarterback Johnny Stewart to senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, a Clemson commitment who was left undefended in the middle of the field.

Higgins scored again late in the first quarter on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Stewart. [Read more…]

Football: Cougars blank Dragons 35-0, improve to 5-0

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Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

Campbell County improved to a school-record 5-0 and 2-0 in Region 3-5A as they pulled away after halftime at home against Clinton on Friday. The Cougars won 35-0.

Zach Rutherford threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Logan Phillips that covered 56 and 58 yards, respectively. Patrick Strunk provided the balance for the Cougar offensive attack as he ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Clinton (1-4, 1-2) was held to eight first downs and was outgained 450-183. Ahmaad “Ro” Hardin led Clinton with 90 rushing yards, and J’Quan Thomas provided the Dragons’ lone defensive highlight with an interception.

Campbell County led 14-0 at halftime but scored 21 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach and start the clock running continuously. [Read more…]

Football: Oak Ridge Wildcats ranked No. 2 in Class 5A

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Information from WYSH Radio

The high school football polls for this week were released on Monday, and here is how area teams stack up.

In Class 6A, Maryville remains at number one.

In Class 5A, Oak Ridge remains number two, with Knox West at number three. Farragut is number nine, and Campbell County enters the poll at number 10. Two teams that local teams could see in the postseason are also ranked, with Cleveland at number four, and this week’s Clinton opponent, Rhea County, coming in at number six. [Read more…]

Baseball photos: Oak Ridge vs. Campbell County on Senior Night, II

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Five seniors on the Oak Ridge Wildcats baseball team are pictured above during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior Spencer Wilson tied the season record for most wins by a pitcher on Wednesday, when he picked up his eighth win in a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home. Here are photos from the game. It was Senior Night, and the last home game of the regular season.

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Oak Ridge senior John Foster (17) looks for a steal to third base during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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Three more seniors on the Oak Ridge Wildcats baseball team are pictured above during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Baseball photos: Oak Ridge vs. Campbell County on Senior Night, I

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Oak Ridge senior Bryson Armes (30) tags out Nate Stevens (11) of Campbell County during a 12-2 rout of the Cougars at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior Spencer Wilson tied the season record for most wins by a pitcher on Wednesday, when he picked up his eighth win in a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home. Here are photos from the game. It was Senior Night, and the last home game of the regular season.

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Oak Ridge sophomore Ian Campbell (24) expresses his frustration after popping up for an out during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The ball was caught by Cougars first baseman Jared Ray (15), who is pictured in left foreground. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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On first base, Oak Ridge senior Trey Davis (14) gets instructions from Assistant Coach Kevin Lee during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Wilson ties season record for pitching wins

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Oak Ridge senior Spencer Wilson (11) tied the season record for most pitching wins, 8, during a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior Spencer Wilson tied the season record for most wins by a pitcher on Wednesday.

Wilson picked up his eighth win in a 12-2 rout of Campbell County at Bobby Hopkins Park in Oak Ridge.

Wilson has a chance to break the 23-year-old record in the post-season, possibly as early as Friday. The record that he tied dates back to 1993, and it was set by Joe Fellers.

“That record means a lot to me,” Wilson said Saturday.

The Wildcats had a list of records posted during the pre-season, when they were training and weight lifting, and Wilson said he could tell the record for pitching wins was an old one.

“I’m going to target that one,” he decided. [Read more…]

Baseball photos: Oak Ridge beats Karns, top district team; Senior Night tonight

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Karns Beavers, the number one team in the district, at home 4-3 in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. Pictured above is pitcher Spencer Wilson, who pitched the last nine innings. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:30 a.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats took down Karns, the top team in District 3-AAA, at home in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19. Here are pictures from the game.

The Wildcats (14-14, 5-9 District 3-AAA) play at home tonight against Campbell County (2-24, 0-13). It’s Senior Night and the last district game of the season. Events start at 5 p.m.

“Pack the stands and rock the house to send off 2016’s Senior Wildcats as district play comes to an end,” the team said.

We’ll add more information to this story as we can. In the meantime, you can see baseball game highlights on the ORHS Baseball Twitter feed here.

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Oak Ridge Coach Mark Garrison is pictured at right above with Spencer Wilson and Ian Campbell of the Wildcats during a 4-3 win over Karns at home in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

[Read more…]