Oak Ridge Today





Wildcats play for state championship Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the South Doyle Cherokees 14-0 on Blankenship Field this past Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in a semifinal game to advance to the state final for the first time since 2005. (Photo by Barry Houchin, used with permission)

Oak Ridge will play for a state football championship this Friday.

The Wildcats (11-3) beat South Doyle 14-0 this past Friday in a semifinal game to advance to the state final for the first time since 2005.

Oak Ridge will now play Summit (13-1) of Spring Hill in the Blue Cross Bowl Class 5A state championship at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Wildcats scored early in the first quarter against South Doyle (10-4) on Blankenship Field last Friday after a fumble recovery by Jacob Berven. Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons rolled right and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Cole Adams, who was able to push past two South Doyle defenders and reach his right arm into the end zone near the right pylon.

[Read more…]
Advertisements

Wildcats advance to semifinals after win over West

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. Above, Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons (14) runs with the football as Preston Turner (22) blocks. (Photo by Barry Houchin used with permission)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday.

The semifinal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, November 27, against South Doyle (10-3) on Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge.

Before Friday, the Wildcats (10-3) had lost to the Rebels 22-7 during the regular season in September. A year ago, their season ended at West (12-2) in a 34-14 second-round loss.

The Wildcats led early in the Friday night game, but West took the lead late in the second quarter and held it into the fourth quarter. Then, the two teams traded leads three times in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons threw the winning touchdown to senior wide receiver Jonathan Stewart with 2:33 remaining in the game.

[Read more…]
Advertisement

Dirtlab mountain bike park opens in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dirtlab, a mountain bike park and pump track at Haw Ridge Park, opened Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo/Explore Oak Ridge)

The Clinch Valley Trail Alliance opened the new Dirtlab mountain bike park on Friday.

The Friday celebration included a ribbon cutting and an expression of appreciation for volunteers who worked on the project. The mountain bike park and pump track was built over the past year with volunteer effort from the community, a press release said.

Brad Spears, president of the Clinch Valley Trail Alliance, said the community, city of Oak Ridge, and the backing of local businesses helped build the park as they stretched resources as far as possible after construction began in fall 2019.

“Every feature, the kiosk, the bench, the pavilion, the pump track…was built by a volunteer,” Spears said in the press release. The undulating pump track unveiled Friday complements the existing mountain bike park at the 780-acre Haw Ridge Park. The park is off Edgemoor Road along the Clinch River in east Oak Ridge and a short drive from Knoxville.

[Read more…]

Outdoor pool to open June 15 with changes

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge will open its outdoor pool for the season starting June 15, which is later than normal, with changes due to COVID-19.

The pool normally has swimming hours Memorial Day weekend, and then opens for the season around the first of June.

This year, the main outdoor pool on Providence Road will be open, but the little pool for children will remain closed for the summer, the city said in a press release Friday. The indoor pool at the Oak Ridge Civic Center will remain closed through the summer.

A maximum of 200 people will be allowed in the pool area at one time, and reservations can be made online through Eventbrite. Families will be spaced apart. Restrooms will be open, but the showers and dressing rooms will not be. The picnic table area will be closed, and no public or private pool parties will be allowed. Swimming lessons are canceled for now.

In the press release, the city said the pool water is being treated with chlorine, a disinfectant that “wipes out” the virus. The main focus will be following social distancing and repeatedly sanitizing commonly used areas, the press release said.

Here are the changes that will be in effect:

[Read more…]

Bengals pick Higgins in NFL draft

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wildcats Tee Higgins Catch at Ooltewah Nov. 13, 2015
Tee Higgins, who was then a junior at Oak Ridge, makes a catch during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Cincinnati Bengals picked former Oak Ridge wide receiver Tee Higgins in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday.

Higgins, a star football and basketball player at Oak Ridge High School, played three years at Clemson University in South Carolina before being drafted into the National Football League in the 33rd pick, the first pick of the second round on Friday.

Higgins, 21, joins Joe Burrow, the number one pick and a quarterback from Louisiana State University, at Cincinnati. Higgins was the second pick for the Bengals.

Higgins (6-4, 215) is tied with NFL stars Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins for the all-time touchdown record for a Clemson receiver (27). He caught 135 passes for 2,448 yards and 27 touchdowns during his three-year career, according to the Clemson Tigers. He played in two national championship games, winning one, the national championship game against Alabama in 2019. Higgins had three catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in that game.

[Read more…]

NCAA cancels events, including rowing championships in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6
The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Oak Ridge in May, have been canceled because of COVID-19, and other collegiate regattas have been canceled as well.

Oak Ridge officials and others have been looking forward to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships since it was announced three years ago. The Oak Ridge rowing venue is considered one of the best in the country.

In a March 12 notice, the NCAA said all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships were being canceled due to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Also canceled were the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, which includes March Madness.

The cancellations affecting Oak Ridge include the NCAA division I, II, and III Women’s Rowing Championships, Big 10 Invitational Regatta, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship, as well as other regattas slated to be held in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

[Read more…]

Soccer: Oak Ridge girls win district championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team won the District 3-AAA soccer tournament championship with a 1-0 win over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA girls soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

It was the first time the Lady Wildcats have won the district championship since 2016. The Lady Panthers won the title in 2015—the first-ever district title for the Powell girls—and again in 2017 and 2018.

Seniors on this year’s Oak Ridge team were freshmen the last time the Lady Wildcats won the district title. Oak Ridge and Powell have played for the district championship five years in a row.

On Thursday, Oak Ridge senior Katie O’Brien scored the winning goal on a breakaway after a pass from junior Katelyn Mattus in the center of the field in the 53rd minute. O’Brien, who has committed to play soccer at Maryville College, got behind the Powell defense, came into the center, and shot the ball into the left side of the net, Oak Ridge Coach Tom Gorman said.

[Read more…]

Volleyball: Lady Wildcats win fourth straight district championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship at Bearden High School on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (Photo submitted by Buzz Patrick)

The Oak Ridge volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship on Thursday.

The Lady Wildcats were undefeated in the district during the regular season, and as a result, they did not have to play in the first round of the district tournament, which was at Bearden High School.

Here is information about the tournament provided by Buzz Patrick:

Oak Ridge faced the number five seed, Karns, in the semifinal match on Thursday, and the Lady Wildcats swept the Lady Beavers in three sets (25-12, 25-15, 25-16) behind the stellar serving of junior Paige Halcrow, who notched seven aces against the Lady Beavers to help the ‘Cats counteract some of their own passing errors.

After a short break, the Lady Wildcats faced the number two seed, West, in the finals. Oak Ridge defeated West for the third time this year (25-22, 25-12, 25-12) to earn the 2019 District 4-AAA tournament championship to accompany their regular season championship.

[Read more…]

Soccer: Secret City Tournament in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Soccer Club of Oak Ridge Secret City Tournament
The Soccer Club of Oak Ridge (SCOR) will host the 8th Annual Secret City Tournament this weekend, Sept. 21-22, 2019. The tournament brings in players from across the Southeast to compete in a highly competitive weekend of soccer. (Submitted photo)

The Soccer Club of Oak Ridge (SCOR) will host the 8th Annual Secret City Tournament this weekend, September 21-22. The tournament brings in players from across the Southeast to compete in a highly competitive weekend of soccer, a press release said.

The Secret City Tournament will host 63 teams from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia. Games will be played on seven fields around town, including Jefferson Middle School, Oak Ridge High School, and the five fields managed by the City of Oak Ridge.

More than 1,075 players and their families will be in town during the weekend tournament, playing more than 100 games around the city, the press release said. Players ranging in ages from 8 to 19 will compete in multiple high-energy games that will feature 11 championships by the end of weekend play, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Renovated Blankenship Field open for public use

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Blankenship-Field-James-Mitchell-Aug-2019
The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use. The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well. The field is pictured above in August 2019. (Photo by James Mitchell via City of Oak Ridge)

The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use.

The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well, including to scoreboards and end zone areas.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Oak Ridge Schools announced the opening of the renovated field on Tuesday.

The field and track are accessible through a gate adjacent to the lower concession stand, a press release said. Like other public park facilities, public use is permitted from sunup to sundown, except when the field is reserved for special events, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Photos: USA Cycling championships in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday, June 27, 2019, on Melton Lake Drive with the Individual Time Trial events. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday with the Individual Time Trial events on Melton Lake Drive in Oak Ridge.

The championship racing events continued Friday through Sunday in Knoxville.

Here are photos from Thursday’s races by Julio Culiat.

In the races in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Amber Neben, 44, of Lake Forest, California (Cogeas – Mettler Pro Cycling Team), successfully defended her title in the elite women category, according to USA Cycling. She was in a field of 23 women, and she secured her third consecutive gold medal in the individual time trials with a time of 30 minutes and 19 seconds.

The time trial course was 7.12 miles (11.5 kilometers). Women completed two laps, and men raced for three.

[Read more…]

Reminder: Roads closed for national championship cycling event

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The USA Cycling Para-cycling and Professional Road National Championship Time Trials are being held in Oak Ridge on Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A reminder: The City of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Police Department have issued a notice for drivers regarding the planned closure of a large portion of Melton Lake Drive on Thursday, June 27. The road closure is necessary to provide a safe, closed-loop course for athletes, volunteers, and spectators at the USA Cycling Para-cycling and Professional Road National Championship Time Trials being held in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, Emory Valley Road was closed from the Artesia Drive intersection to Melton Lake Drive. There will be no access onto Melton Lake Drive from Emory Valley Road. Residents who live off of Amanda Drive or Emory Valley Road will need to take Antioch Drive, Baylor Drive, or Baltimore Drive to exit the neighborhood, the press release said.

Melton Lake Drive will also be closed from Palisades Parkway to Edgemoor Road for course set-up. At this time, drivers will be able to turn left from Palisades Pkwy onto Melton Lake Drive. The Rivers Run Boulevard entrance to Melton Lake Drive will be closed, the press release said. Residents entering and exiting the Rivers Run, Royal Troon, or Rockbridge neighborhoods were allowed to use the Rolling Links Boulevard entrance to turn right onto Melton Lake Drive until 10 a.m. Thursday.

[Read more…]

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today