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For members: Wildcats finish second in state

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished second in Class 5A in Tennessee this season, losing to Summit of Spring Hill 28-7 in the state football championship on Friday.

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished second in Class 5A in Tennessee this season, losing to Summit of Spring Hill 28-7 in the state football championship on Friday.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

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Wildcats play for state championship Friday

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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.

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Football photos: Oak Ridge at West in quarterfinal win

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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. (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.

Here are photos by Barry Houchin, used with permission.

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Wildcats advance to semifinals after win over West

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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.

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COVID-19 emergency delays start of football, girls soccer seasons

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Blankenship-Field-James-Mitchell-Aug-2019
Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—is pictured above in August 2019. (File photo by James Mitchell via City of Oak Ridge)

The extension of the COVID-19 emergency in Tennessee has delayed the start of the high school football and girls soccer seasons.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has extended the COVID-19 state of emergency until August 29. A prior order by the governor includes limitations and restrictions on contact sporting events and activities.

In an update sent to member schools on Tuesday, Bernard Childress, executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, said member schools cannot have any competition or scrimmage with other schools while the governor’s order is in place. The schools cannot have close contact activities during practice for football, 7-on-7 football, girls soccer, wrestling, and basketball. Football and girls soccer cannot begin their seasons as originally scheduled, Childress said.

The Oak Ridge football season opener had been scheduled for August 21.

The TSSAA Board of Control had a special meeting Wednesday and voted unanimously to require that member schools follow the governor’s executive order for sports activities.

The board discussed the effect that the extended COVID-19 state of emergency will have on contact sports in the fall. Football, girls soccer, and competitive cheer are considered contact sports.

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Bengals pick Higgins in NFL draft

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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.

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State basketball tournaments suspended

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The BlueCross Basketball Championships, the state tournament games that were scheduled to include the Oak Ridge boys team, have been suspended because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

It’s not clear yet if the games will be rescheduled.

The state basketball tournaments were suspended after quarterfinal games in the girls tournament on Thursday.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats had been scheduled to play in a quarterfinal game of the Class AAA boys tournament on Wednesday of next week.

“Whether we will be able to reschedule these events will depend on the length of the suspension and the availability of facilities,” the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association said.

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Attendance being limited at state basketball tournaments

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Attendance will be limited at the boys and girls state basketball tournaments starting Friday, and that will affect an Oak Ridge team and its fans and cheerleaders.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats are one of the eight teams playing in the Class AAA boys basketball tournament, which starts Wednesday, March 18.

The attendance limits are because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. The limits were announced Thursday by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

“Like many other athletic associations and leagues throughout the country, TSSAA has decided that the health and safety of our student-athletes and spectators alike require that we limit fan attendance at our girls’ and boys’ state basketball championships,” the organization said.

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Higgins will enter 2020 NFL draft

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

Tee Higgins, a former star wide receiver for the Oak Ridge Wildcats who won a college football championship at Clemson University, announced this month that he will enter the 2020 NFL draft.

Higgins announced his decision on Twitter on Wednesday, January 15.

“It has always been my dream to play in the NFL and take care of my family,” Higgins, a junior at Clemson, said in his Twitter announcement. “Because of Clemson, I now have the opportunity to do that. So it is with a grateful heart that I announce today my intention to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.”

The draft is scheduled from April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada.

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Soccer: Lady Wildcats’ season ends in region semifinal

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Pictured above from left to right are Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer seniors Maddie Peters, Rachael Brewer, Katie O’Brien, and Jennie Pont Briant. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Lady Soccercats)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team finished the 2019 season with a 3-0 loss to Maryville in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game at home on Tuesday, October 22.

It was the fifth year in a row that the Oak Ridge girls’ team has been eliminated in a regional semifinal game.

The Lady Wildcats also lost to Maryville, 8-1, in a Region 2 semifinal last year.

They were defeated by Farragut in the regional semifinal the previous two years and by Hardin Valley in 2015, according to records posted online by CoachT.com.

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Fulmer the special guest at fundraiser for Blankenship Field

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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)

University of Tennessee Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer will be the special guest at a fundraiser for the Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation on Tuesday.

The fundraiser is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 29, on Blankenship Field.

Big Ed’s Pizza and cold beverages will be served. The cost is $125 per person, or you can sponsor a table of eight people for $1,000.

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Soccer: Oak Ridge girls win district championship

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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.

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