Oak Ridge Today

Soccer: Lady Wildcats upset Powell to win district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats upset the Powell Lady Panthers 2-0 in the District 3-AAA championship game at the Powell Soccer Complex on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 15.

POWELL—Oak Ridge upset Powell 2-0 to win the District 3-AAA championship on Friday.

It was an especially satisfying victory for the Lady Wildcats after losing the district championship to the Lady Panthers last year. Powell won that one in a penalty kick shootout after two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute sudden death overtimes. It was believed to be the first-ever district soccer title for the Lady Panthers.

The Lady Panthers also won the last two regular-season games 4-1 (one this year and one last year), and Oak Ridge last beat Powell in 2013. Powell (12-3-1) was the number one seed in the district tournament this year, and Oak Ridge (12-6-1) was number two.

“Our entire team was focused on winning, and we wouldn’t accept anything else,” said Lady Wildcats senior Olivia Hoyt, who played midfielder Friday. “It was kind of a grudge match.” [Read more…]

Soccer: Lady Wildcats beat Central Tuesday, play Powell for district championship Friday

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Oak Ridge senior Leah Scudder (22) scored after a breakaway and beating two defenders in the 27th minute of a 1-0 win over Central in a District 3-AAA semifinal game at home on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge beat Central 1-0 in a girls’ soccer district semifinal game on Tuesday and will play at Powell for the district championship on Friday.

The Lady Wildcats (10-6-1, 3-1 District 3-AAA) outshot the Lady Bobcats 38-5 at Oak Ridge High School in the district tournament semifinal game on Tuesday.

The shots-to-goal ratio should be closer to 10:1 or better, Oak Ridge Coach Jeff Trombly said.

“We’ve got to finish a lot better than that,” he said. “We had plenty of chances. We made it too close.”

Central came into the game undefeated, with a 16-0 overall record and a 6-0 district record. But the Lady Bobcats hadn’t played the top two seeds in the tournament, Powell and Oak Ridge. (Other district teams that did not play Powell or Oak Ridge and instead took 3-0 forfeits were Campbell County, Clinton, and Gibbs.)

Trombly said Oak Ridge needs a crowd to travel to Powell on Friday. [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…]

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…]

Volleyball: Lady Wildcats finish undefeated in district

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats finished undefeated in the district at home against Central on Senior Night on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. (Photo by Jennifer Galloway)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team finished undefeated in the district with a 3-0 win over Central on Senior Night at home on Thursday.

That win followed a 3-0 win over Clinton last Monday and 3-0 wins over Powell and Halls the previous week.

Oak Ridge (20-8, 8-0 District 3-AAA) has two games remaining in the regular season. The first is against Farragut at home on Tuesday, September 27. It’s the annual Dig Pink match meant to raise awareness of breast cancer, and it’s expected to be a good match. Junior varsity teams start at 5 p.m., and varsity matches begin at 6.

Farragut (19-3, 5-0 District 4-AAA) finished as state runner-up in Class AAA last year, losing 3-0 to Brentwood in the state championship game in Murfreesboro in October.

Here are final scores from the Oak Ridge-Central game on Thursday: [Read more…]

Higgins scores three TDs as Wildcats roll to 35 in first quarter against Smoky Bears

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Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) returned two punts for touchdowns and he also caught a touchdown pass during a 42-10 win over Sevier County on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Senior Tee Higgins scored three touchdowns, including two on punt returns, as the Oak Ridge Wildcats jumped out to a quick 35-0 lead over Sevier County at home on Friday.

After five touchdowns in the first quarter, though, Oak Ridge only scored once more the rest of the game. Still, the scoring outburst in the first quarter was enough to give the Wildcats (6-0, 3-0 Region 3-5A) a 42-10 win.

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said the Wildcats started well but didn’t play well in the last three quarters.

“We weren’t good after the first quarter,” Gaddis said. “We got sloppy. We got complacent.”

When you’re ahead of a team like that, Gaddis said, you’ve got to finish them. [Read more…]

Caleb Jackson scores twice, recovers two turnovers in Wildcats’ win at Lenoir City

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Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson (25) scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers in Lenoir City. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

LENOIR CITY—Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers.

Senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, a Clemson commitment, added three touchdowns for Oak Ridge.

The Wildcats scored on their first four drives, once after intercepting Lenoir City sophomore quarterback Gabe Williams.

Halfway through the regular season, Oak Ridge is undefeated at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-5A.

Lenoir City fell to 1-4 and 0-2 with the loss at home on Cecil Thomas Field.

Oak Ridge plays Sevier County (1-4, 1-1 Region 1-5A) at home on Blankenship Field at 7:30 p.m. September 23. It’s Homecoming Night. [Read more…]

USRowing Masters Nationals returns to Oak Ridge in 2017

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The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held in Oak Ridge in August. The championships are scheduled for August 17-20 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy USRowing)

 

The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held in Oak Ridge in August.

The championships are scheduled for August 17-20 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. USRowing announced the dates and location on Friday.

There were more than 2,000 entries from 165 clubs for the 2016 event on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, in August. It was the largest USRowing event ever, according to USRowing. (Oak Ridge rower Michael Schay won several gold medals there.)

The bar has been set even higher for 2017, USRowing said, citing Oak Ridge Rowing Association Regatta Director Sarah McAuliffe.

“Oak Ridge Rowing Association is extremely excited to provide an excellent athlete experience for rowers at Masters Nationals 2017,” said McAuliffe. “With our race course recognized as one of the best in the country, and an organization that has decades of experience hosting high-caliber events, rowers will have the ability to connect with other athletes socially and competitively…With our race course that is recognized as one of the best in the country, and an organization that has decades of experience hosting high-caliber events, rowers will have the ability to connect with other athletes socially and competitively.” [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats outshoot Science Hill in 3-1 win

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The Oak Ridge girls soccer team beat Science Hill 3-1 at home on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. Pictured above, Science Hill junior goalkeeper Tess Mrozek (28) makes a save against Oak Ridge. Trying to score for Oak Ridge are Maddie Peters (21), left; Zoe Van Hook (17); and Ashlyn Riikola (33). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge girls soccer team beat Science Hill 3-1 at home on Wednesday.

It was the first match between the Lady Wildcats and Lady Hilltoppers since September 2014, when Oak Ridge lost 2-1 in the Science Hill Invitational.

Oak Ridge won the Science Hill Championship at Science Hill in Johnson City last year, but the two teams did not meet because the Lady Hilltoppers were bumped out of the tournament, Lady Wildcats Coach Jeff Trombly said.

Oak Ridge (6-1, 3-0 District 3-AAA) had a big shot advantage throughout the game on Wednesday at the Pro2Serve Oak Ridge Soccer Complex. With one minute to play, for example, the shot margin was 27-7.

“I think it was a good effort, good to get three goals,” Trombly said. Oak Ridge could have had even more, he said. [Read more…]

Acrobatic catches, long TD runs, fumble recoveries help Wildcats in 41-28 win over D-B

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Jordan Graham Touchdown Run Dobyns-Bennett Aug 26 2016

Oak Ridge sophomore running back Jordan Graham (22) scored the last of his three touchdowns on a 79-yard carry up the right side of the field in the second quarter of a 41-28 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats’ 41-28 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Friday featured acrobatic catches by senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, long touchdown runs by sophomore running back Jordan Graham, and three fumble recoveries by senior linebacker Kyndall Clark. He forced one and recovered another for a touchdown.

There were also a few firsts: first touchdown catch for junior wide receiver Caleb Martin and first interception of the season for senior linebacker Jacob Gross. And sophomore Kai’Reese Pendergrass, who returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown at Clinton last week, stopped a Dobyns-Bennett drive on Blankenship Field on Friday with an interception in the end zone in the third quarter.

The Indians (1-1, 0-0 Region 1-6A) dominated in total yards in the non-region game: 579 to 391. They also had 21 first downs to Oak Ridge’s nine.

But Dobyns-Bennett lost four fumbles and gave up two interceptions, and penalties (11 for 101 yards) also hurt the Indians. The Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 Region 3-Class 5A) had no turnovers.

Much of the buzz after the game focused on two highlight-reel catches by Higgins, who was double-teamed on both. [Read more…]

Graham, Higgins combine for five touchdowns in 56-21 rout at Clinton

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Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a 17-yard pass from junior quarterback Johnny Stewart before falling backward into the end zone for a touchdown near the left pylon, putting the Wildcats ahead of the Clinton Dragons 42-7 with 2:57 left in the first half at Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Higgins is defended here on his second TD catch by Clinton senior J’Quan Thomas (5).

 

CLINTON—Senior Tee Higgins and sophomore Jordan Graham scored five of Oak Ridge’s eight touchdowns in a 56-21 rout at Clinton on Thursday.

A wide receiver, Higgins scored on Oak Ridge’s opening play less than one minute into the season-opening game.

He scored again late in the first half with a leaping goal-line catch of a high, arcing pass from junior quarterback Johnny Stewart, who was 5-for-5 passing for three touchdowns, no interceptions, and one rushing touchdown in his first varsity start.

Higgins—a Clemson commitment who also plays cornerback—also had two interceptions that led to Oak Ridge touchdowns. And he became the all-time leader in career receiving yards for Oak Ridge.

Graham, a speedy running back who is also on the high school track team, scored three times for the Wildcats.

The Dragons turned over the ball five times, and the Wildcats converted four of those turnovers into touchdowns. Two of the turnovers were Higgins’ interceptions of Clinton’s sophomore quarterback, Luke Harrison.

Another was an interception by Oak Ridge senior linebacker and defensive playmaker Kyndall Clark, who set up the Wildcats’ sixth touchdown from inside the Clinton 20 with about three minutes left in the first half. [Read more…]

Eighth lane could be added to Oak Ridge rowing course by March

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Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. The city plans to add an eighth lane by March 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An eighth lane could be added to the Oak Ridge rowing course by March, officials said Tuesday.

The work is made possible with help from a $40,000 state Tourism Enhancement Grant announced Tuesday by Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Officials celebrated with a brief ceremony at Calhoun’s Event Center on Melton Lake Peninsula.

The eighth rowing lane has been on the city’s wish list for at least a decade, possibly longer.

Oak Ridge has received a $250,000 state grant for the proposed eighth lane. The city has planned to contribute $150,000, and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has solicited more money from other agencies that would benefit from the rowing course improvements, including in Anderson and Knox counties. That meant there was enough money available to fund a project of about $560,000, which is close to a targeted estimate that Watson gave Oak Ridge City Council members in March. [Read more…]