Oak Ridge Today

Soccer: Wildcats play for district championship against Halls today

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Oak Ridge beat Campbell County 9-0 in a District 3-AAA semifinal game at home on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. The Wildcats attempt to score on a header here after a corner kick by Austin Vinyard. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play Halls for the district championship this evening.

The District 3-AAA championship game starts at 7 p.m. today (Friday, May 13) at Oak Ridge High School.

The Wildcats (12-7, 7-0 D3-AAA) beat the Red Devils 3-1 in a regular-season game on April 7.

Oak Ridge eliminated Campbell County (11-4-1, 4-2) in a 9-0 blowout during a semifinal district tournament game on Wednesday, May 11. Halls (10-6, 6-2) advanced to the district championship on a 1-0 victory over Gibbs on Wednesday.

Oak Ridge’s 9-0 win over Campbell County this week was the most lopsided victory for the Wildcats this season. Oak Ridge beat Campbell County 4-0 in the season opener on March 15. [Read more…]

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…]

Undefeated in district, Wildcats beat HVA, Karns; Senior Night is Friday

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Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) challenges two Karns defenders during a 6-0 win for the Wildcats at home on Thursday, April 21, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats, who remain undefeated in the district, had two good wins last week against Hardin Valley and Karns. They have one district game remaining; that’s against Clinton at home on Friday, which is Senior Night.

As the regular season comes to an end, the Wildcats (10-5, 7-0 District 3-AAA) also still face Maryville and Farragut. Both games are expected to be challenging.

The Oak Ridge-Hardin Valley game on Tuesday, April 19, was very tough, Coach Jeff Trombly said. Senior goalkeeper Joel Turner went out with a concussion in the first half after being kicked in the head, and he can’t play for at least two weeks, Trombly said.

Sophomore Austyn Lincoln, the backup goalkeeper, finished that 2-0 win for the Wildcats. [Read more…]

Dogwood Junior Regatta to feature about 2,000 young rowers this weekend

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Dogwood Juniors Regatta

The Dogwood Junior Regatta will be in Oak Ridge from April 30-May 1, 2016. Pictured above from left are an Atlanta Junior Rowing Association crew preparing to race in Oak Ridge, an Atomic Junior Rowing racing crew, and youth rowers from Asheville Rowing Club preparing to launch. (Photos by Explore Oak Ridge)

 

Junior rowing, for those under 19 years old, has grown by leaps and bounds in the southeastern United States during the past 10 years. Whether due to the extensive opportunities for rowing college scholarships or the general improvement in quanity and quality of rowing programs offered, junior rowing is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.

This weekend, Oak Ridge will welcome about 2,000 junior rowers from all over the Southeast and Midwest to compete in the Dogwood Junior Regional Regatta. The regatta is one of the largest in the Southeast.

A crew’s performance at the event will be considered heavily for seeding purposes at the USRowing Regional Championship, where rowers compete to qualify for the Junior National Championships.

“If you’re a junior rower (from the Southeast) you’ll want to be in Oak Ridge this weekend,” said Shannon Moore, head coach of Atomic Junior Rowing in Oak Ridge. “It’s going to be the best opportunity for crews to test their speed prior to the regional championships. This regatta will inform coaches on how to train for the weeks leading to regionals, and (it) can be the difference between qualifying for nationals or not.” [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…]

Close to 2,000 rowers race in more than 300 boats in SIRA Championship

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About 1,900 rowers competed in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on April 16-17. Pictured above is a Stetson University crew at the start of the 2,000-meter course on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

About 1,900 rowers from 61 programs raced in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring 322 boats, it was the largest SIRA regatta ever.

SIRA, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, has been holding its championship in Oak Ridge for almost 30 years.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s rowing course has been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water, and SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge, and the one this past weekend had 61 teams.

Racing started Saturday morning with time trials, which were followed by afternoon heats and semifinals. Finals were from 8 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Rodriguez scores four as Wildcats dominate Anderson County

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Wildcats Jose Rodriguez against Anderson County April 14, 2016

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) scored four goals for the Wildcats during a 5-0 win over Anderson County at home on Thursday, April 14, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez scored four goals during a 5-0 win over Anderson County on Thursday, and the Wildcats dominated the Mavericks in total shots, 40-1.

Some of those shots went wide right or left, though, or high, and not all were on the goal frame. Rodriguez was credited with 14 shots, including four in the first 11 minutes, and he scored two goals in the first four minutes of the second half.

Oak Ridge Coach Jeff Trombly said he was pleased overall, but the Wildcats (8-5, 6-0 District 3-AAA) failed to finish too many of their scoring chances. Too many shots were at the Anderson County goalkeepers, Trombly said. That’s a sign that players are getting anxious in front of the net and need to look at their shots, he said.

“We’ve got to clean up our finishing,” Trombly said. “We created enough chances, but you’ve got to finish your chances.” [Read more…]

Rowing championship, largest in SIRA history, is in Oak Ridge this weekend

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Crews passing the crowded Melton Lake Park peninsula. (Photo credit: Rob Welton)

 

By Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

Few partnerships have stood the test of time quite like that of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) and Oak Ridge. For almost 30 years, SIRA has been holding their championship in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge and its beloved rowing venue have been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water. SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge. In fact, the 2016 regatta will be the largest in SIRA history with 61 teams participating.

While SIRA offers races in many different boat categories, all eyes will be on the Men’s Eight race. Perennial men’s powerhouse teams (such as University of Michigan, University of Virginia, and Purdue University) will battle for SIRA’s ultimate prize—Men’s Eight Gold.

“The men’s eight final promises to be a brutal slug-fest; there are no clear favorites at this point,” said Marc DeRose, Explore Oak Ridge director and veteran rowing coach. “I also expect the heats to be just as competitive.” [Read more…]

Wildcats’ goal: Finish undefeated in district

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Oak Ridge freshman Will Dallas (23) and Halls freshman Hayden Sobas (23) go for the soccer ball during a 3-1 win for the Wildcats on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

At 4-0, the Oak Ridge Wildcats are undefeated in District 3-AAA, and the team’s goal is to go undefeated in the district this year, Coach Jeff Trombly said.

In their last district game on Thursday, the Wildcats beat Halls 3-1.

Their other district wins were against Campbell County on March 15, Central on March 22, and at Powell on April 5.

Oak Ridge is 6-5 overall. [Read more…]

Wildcats have 5 first-place finishes in Ben Martin meet; compete in Battle of Bridge today

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Oak Ridge senior Tyler Boullie finished first in the boys 800-meter run at the Ben Martin Invitational at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday, April 2, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats had five first-place finishes in the Ben Martin Invitational track and field meet at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday, and the team will compete against Hardin Valley at home in the Battle of the Bridge today (Tuesday, April 5).

Those who picked up first-place finishes on Saturday at Ben Martin Track were:

  • freshman Jada Guinn in the girls high jump, with a height of 4’10”;
  • sophomore Brigid Bishop in the girls pole vault, with a height of 7’6″;
  • senior Tyler Boullie in the boys 800-meter run, with a time of 1:57.60;
  • the boys 4×100-meter relay team (Jordan Graham, Tony Miller, Tre Jackson, and Caleb Downard), with a time of 44.89; and
  • the boys distance medley (Boullie, Jacob Etheridge, Jose Villegas, and Caleb Downard), with a time of 10:59.67.

Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge said he was as pleased with the girls’ performance as he has been in several years. They competed hard and scored a ton of points, he said. [Read more…]

Wildcats opened track, field season at Hardin Valley

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Boys 400-meter (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Boys 400-meter dash (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—The Oak Ridge Wildcats opened their track and field season at Hardin Valley on Saturday, March 26.

The boys and girls teams finished about in the middle of the pack, Wildcats Coach Allen Etheridge said. The girls team was 11th out of 29 teams, and the boys were 18th in a field of 27.

But the teams didn’t set up to “score a ton of points,” Etheridge said.

The Wildcats were missing a few athletes, and with many new students on the team, they were trying new athletes in a few events and experimenting with different combinations.

“I saw a lot to be happy about,” Etheridge said. The teams have potential to be really good, Etheridge said.

The season opener was the Hardin Valley Academy Invitational. It featured 39 teams and 896 athletes.

Here are top 10 finishes for Oak Ridge girls: [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge-Union County baseball

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The Oak Ridge-Union County baseball game at home on March 26, 2016, when the Wildcats won 8-7. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats went 3-2 in the Kevin Calia Tournament at home on Friday and Saturday.

The Wildcats beat Cookeville 5-4 and Kingston 11-4 on Friday, but lost to Webb 6-4 that day. Oak Ridge defeated Union County 8-7 on Saturday afternoon, but lost to William Blount 7-5 that evening.

See more photos of the Oak Ridge-Union County game below.

The Wildcats (9-4, 3-2 District 3-AAA) were defeated 7-2 at Gibbs on Monday, and will play the Eagles (6-4, 4-3) again at home this evening (Tuesday, March 29). That game starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Baseball Complex.

The Wildcats will play at Rhea County (4-7, 2-1 District 6-AAA) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Here’s a look at the season results before the Kevin Calia Tournament: [Read more…]