Oak Ridge Wildcats win regional championship over Maryville

February 28, 2013 By 3 Comments

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys basketball team won a regional championship game 71-54 over the Maryville Rebels on Thursday night.

Oak Ridge took an early 14-0 lead and never looked back, although Maryville was able to occasionally cut the lead to single digits. Oak Ridge had a 20-point lead with less than a minute to play.

The Wildcats will host the Sevier County Smoky Bears at 7 p.m. Monday at the Wildcat Arena.

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Wildcats show promise in third, fall to Rebels in fourth

November 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge had a strong third quarter, scoring twice against Maryville and tying a Friday night second-round playoff game at 25.

But it wasn’t enough. The top-ranked Rebels answered with two touchdowns of their own in the fourth quarter and beat the Wildcats 39-25.

The Wildcats were down 25-10 at halftime, but the football team mounted a comeback in the third quarter with a 16-play drive and an interception by quarterback Rian Hall.

But the momentum shifted back to Maryville and its running game in the fourth quarter, and Hall was injured and had to leave the game with a little more than eight minutes to play.

It was the second match-up between the Wildcats (10-2) and Rebels (12-0) this year. Oak Ridge lost both, one during the regular season and the second during Friday night’s Class 6A playoff game in Maryville.

The Rebels will play the Dobyns-Bennett Indians (12-0) in Maryville next week.

Oak Ridge beat Science Hill 35-28 in a first-round playoff game last week.

The Wildcats finished the regular season 9-1, the best since 2005, and the football team was undefeated in the district and also district champions.

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Hall touchdown propels Wildcats to 35-28 playoff victory

November 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Oak Ridge Wildcats Play Science Hill

Oak Ridge Wildcats quarterback Rian Hall, pictured at center above trying to outrun Science Hill defenders, rushed for a game-winning touchdown with 29.8 seconds to play in a first-round playoff game on Friday.

A six-yard touchdown run by Oak Ridge quarterback Rian Hall with 29.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter broke a tie Friday night and propelled the Wildcats to an exciting 35-28 first-round playoff victory over Science Hill.

Hall’s game-winning run followed a crucial 12-yard catch by Wildcats receiver Robert Valdez on a fourth-and-4 play with 1:02 left to play at Blankenship Field.

Oak Ridge (10-1) had a few two-touchdown leads during the game—ahead 21-7 in the second quarter and 28-14 in the third—but the Hilltoppers (9-2) rallied back behind Science Hill quarterback Reed Hayes to tie the game at 28 with 3:38 remaining.

“Tonight, we had to fight for everything, every first down, every yard,” Oak Ridge coach Scott Blade said, calling it an incredible game between two good teams.

The Wildcats travel to Maryville next week to play the top-ranked Rebels in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Maryville, which gave Oak Ridge its only loss during the regular season, eliminated Hardin Valley 42-10 on Friday.

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Rebels beat Wildcats 38-23

September 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats lost their first football game of the season on Thursday, falling to the Maryville Rebels 38-23 at Blankenship Field.

The Wildcats are now 4-1, and the Rebels are 5-0.

The Wildcats, who are undefeated in the district, play Anderson County on Friday, Sept. 28, at Blankenship Field.

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