Oak Ridge Today

Football: New Dragons coach talks about hire, community support

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Tuesday morning, Clinton High School’s new football coach, Randy McKamey, was on “Ask Your Neighbor” on WYSH Radio in Clinton. McKamey, a 1989 graduate of CHS, was hired last week to take over at his alma mater after spending 10 successful seasons at Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville.

Some people want to characterize the situation at Clinton High School as a rebuilding effort, but that is not the approach Coach McKamey is taking. Instead, he is referring to it as a “revival,” saying that sometimes “you can become a little complacent and stagnant and that’s the way we’re viewing it.”

McKamey said that after watching some game film, he is confident that one area where the Dragons will make immediate improvements will be in their confidence, which he says is something that “anybody can change if you have just a little bit of swagger and some people that believe in you. I think they lost that belief.” [Read more…]

New Year’s Walk at UT Arboretum on Jan. 2

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If you want to get some exercise early in the new year, you can go on a short hike during the Third Annual New Year’s Walk at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Monday.

The free walk is offered by the UT Arboretum Society. It starts at 9:30 a.m. Monday, January 2,  at the UT Arboretum Auditorium. There, you will be greeted by fellow hikers and offered coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks, a press release said.

At 10 a.m., the group will leave for a guided walk that will last about 45 minutes, the press release said. The hike will follow a forest trail and will visit the Elmore Holly Collection, giving participants the opportunity to see the hollies still covered with berries. [Read more…]

Basketball photos: Oak Ridge beats Science Hill 64-56

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Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4) led the Wildcats with a game-high 29 points during a 64-56 win over Science Hill in the first round of the Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

BRISTOL—Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young scored a game-high 29 points and senior Anthony Gibson added 17 as the Wildcats beat Science Hill in the first round of the Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Tuesday. Here are pictures from the game by Allen Greene of TriCitiesSports.com.

It was the second time Oak Ridge defeated the Hilltoppers this month. They also won 82-72 in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout at Science Hill in Johnson City on December 17.

The Wildcats will play again in the Arby’s Classic at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, when they take on Trinity of Louisville, Kentucky, in a winners bracket game in the basketball tournament. [Read more…]

Young, Gibson lead Wildcats with Bush, Higgins out

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Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4) led the Wildcats with a game-high 29 points during a 64-56 win over Science Hill in the first round of the Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

BRISTOL—Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young scored a game-high 29 points and senior Anthony Gibson added 17 as the Wildcats beat Science Hill in the first round of the Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Tuesday.

It was the second time Oak Ridge defeated the Hilltoppers this month. They also won 82-72 in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout at Science Hill in Johnson City on December 17.

In the earlier game, the undefeated Wildcats (12-0, 5-0 District 3-AAA) played without standout senior Tee Higgins because his right shoulder was inflamed.

On Tuesday, they again played without Higgins. He is in Orlando for the Under Armour All-America Football Game on New Year’s Day. But they also played without another top senior, E.J. Bush, who injured his knee during the earlier Science Hill game and will not play in the Arby’s Classic basketball tournament this week.

Without those two in the lineup, other players are expected to step up, including some sophomore bench players. Sophomore Herbert Booker started for Bush Tuesday. [Read more…]

Higgins picked for Under Armour All-America Football Game on Jan. 1

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Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins has been selected by ESPN Recruiting to participate in the Under Armour All-America Football Game in Orlando on New Year’s Day, January 1. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 1 p.m. Sunday. Higgins is pictured above after a 56-21 rout of Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins has been selected by ESPN Recruiting to participate in the Under Armour All-America Football Game in Orlando on New Year’s Day, January 1. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The roster includes more than 90 of the nation’s best senior high school football players. Besides Higgins, area football players also picked to participate are wide receiver Amari Rodgers of Catholic and punter Joe Doyle of Farragut.

Higgins and Rodgers have both committed to Clemson. [Read more…]

Bush, Higgins will not play in Arby’s Classic this week

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Oak Ridge senior E.J. Bush (2), pictured above, led the Wildcats with 20 points during a 76-56 win over Cleveland in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout at Science Hill High School in Johnson City on Friday, Dec, 16, 2016. (File photo by Robert Kell)

 

Two of the top players for the Oak Ridge Wildcats, E.J. Bush and Tee Higgins, will not play in the Arby’s Classic in Bristol this week. It’s a basketball tournament that has featured dramatic games, record-setting performances, and close wins—and losses.

Bush, a 6-foot-4 senior who was injured in the 82-72 win over Science Hill in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout in Johnson City on December 17, has a knee injury. It’s not clear how long he might be unable to play, or if he’ll travel with the team to the Arby’s Classic this week.

Bush can score 16-20 points per game and pull down six to 10 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Higgins, a wide receiver who has committed to Clemson, is leaving Tuesday for the 10th annual Under Armour All-America Football Game in Orlando on January 1. That game features more than 90 of the nation’s best senior high school football players. Besides Higgins, they include wide receiver Amari Rodgers of Catholic—he’s also committed to Clemson—and punter Joe Doyle of Farragut. [Read more…]

Campbell County finishes first, Clinton second in Christmas basketball tournament

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Daraon Jones (10) led Clinton with 12 points during a 57-46 loss to Campbell County during the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational Championship at Clinton High School on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Campbell County held off a second-half rally by Clinton to beat the Dragon 57-46 and win the championship at the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational basketball tournament on Wednesday. Clinton finished as runner-up.

The tournament began at Clinton High School on Monday, and it ended on Wednesday.

Wednesday started with the Campbell County boys (12-5, 2-3 District 3-AAA) erasing an early 13-point deficit to blow out Oakdale 77-52.

The afternoon session began with Clinton’s boys—resting many of their starters—holding off First Baptist Academy, or FBA, 70-62. [Read more…]

Football: McKamey leaving Grace Christian to coach Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

Randy McKamey, who once coached at Clinton Middle School, is leaving Grace Christian Academy to coach football at his alma mater, Clinton High School.

Clinton High School Athletic Director Brad Collette announced the decision last week.

Collette said that McKamey was offered the job on Monday and accepted. He met with his Grace Christian players to inform them of his decision.

McKamey once coached at Clinton Middle School, but he has spent the last 10 years at Grace Christian, compiling an 89-32 record and making the playoffs nine times, including this season, when the Rams finished 6-6 and lost in the second round to Happy Valley. His Rams appeared in three state semifinals, won seven region championships, and went unbeaten in the regular season twice, including in 2011, when the program was serving a two-year playoff ban handed down by the TSSAA. [Read more…]

Basketball: Clinton girls finish as runner-up in Christmas tournament

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The Clinton Lady Dragons finished as runner-up in the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational basketball tournament in Clinton on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2016, losing to Cumberland Gap 57-17. Clinton was led by Kinley Martin (5), who scored 11 points. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—The Clinton Lady Dragons finished as runner-up in the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational basketball tournament last week.

Clinton (4-10, 2-3 District 3-AAA) was overwhelmed by Cumberland Gap in the girls’ championship game. The Lady Panthers took a 34-2 halftime lead on their way to a 57-17 triumph at Clinton High School on Wednesday.

The Lady Panthers (6-5, 1-2 District 2-Class AA) also defeated the Lady Dragons 71-37 earlier in the day. [Read more…]

Football: Higgins named to ALL-USA Offense Second Team

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USA TODAY High School Sports has named Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Offense Second Team. Above, Higgins 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 on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

USA TODAY High School Sports has named Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Offense Second Team.

Higgins, who is 6-foot-5 and 191 pounds, had 64 catches for 945 yards and 17 touchdowns during the regular season this year and first-round playoff game against Walker Valley, which ended Oak Ridge’s season. He became the all-time leader in career receiving yards for the Wildcats during the season-opener against Clinton.

He was named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Class 5A Back of the Year for the second year in a row in November. [Read more…]

Radio, broadcast schedule for Oak Ridge basketball

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David Clary of Prepradio.com has sent us the radio schedule for the remaining Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats basketball games.

The remaining away games will be broadcast on FM 92.7 and FM 107.3. They will also be broadcast on Prepradio.com and Oak Ridge Schools Channel 15.

The broadcast crew will try to do every Christmas Tournament game that doesn’t conflict with each other, Clary said: [Read more…]

Area hoops squads to stay on court after Christmas

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Information from WYSH Radio

With the pre-Christmas tournaments wrapped up, attention will turn for some area teams to post-Christmas basketball tournaments next week.

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will take part in the Andrew Johnson Bank Classic in Greeneville next week, starting play against Jefferson County on Wednesday.

The Wildcat boys will participate in the Arby’s Classic at Tennessee High in Bristol and will open up Tuesday against Science Hill, a team Oak Ridge beat 82-72 last weekend in Johnson City. [Read more…]