The annual Oak Ridge High School boys basketball pancake breakfast is Saturday, September 5, at Applebee’s from 8-10 a.m.
Tickets are $5, and people can purchase them at the door.
Oak Ridge Fall Basketball League available for boys, girls grades 1-6
The Second Annual Oak Ridge Fall Basketball League is available for boys and girls from first to sixth grade.
Evaluations are Wednesday, September 16, or Saturday, September 19.
The Fall League starts October 31 and ends December 12.
The cost is $70 per player. [Read more…]
Higgins, Wildcats receiver, commits to play football at UT
Junior receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrates his first touchdown catch for the Oak Ridge Wildcats against the Clinton Dragons on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Higgins had three catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Higgins announced on Monday that he has committed to play football for the University of Tennessee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins announced on Twitter on Monday that he has officially committed to play football at the University of Tennessee.
Higgins, who is a 6’4″ and 185 pounds, is the No. 1 Class of 2017 prospect in the state, according to 247Sports.
Higgins chose the Volunteers over scholarship offers from more than a dozen other teams, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss. [Read more…]
Green named girls basketball coach, one half of husband-wife coaching duo
Paige Green
Paige Green has been named the new girls basketball coach at Oak Ridge High School, making her one half of a husband-wife coaching duo. Green’s husband, Aaron Green, is the boys basketball coach.
The appointment was announced Wednesday and went into effect immediately. Green, who has an impressive résumé as a player and has coached middle school and AAU basketball, will replace David Scott, who announced his decision to resign in late May. Scott cited family reasons after a second stint as coach.
It’s not unprecedented to have a husband-wife coaching duo. Aaron Green said he knows of two other similar coaching couples, the McWilliams at Upperman High School near Cookeville and Keith and Jennifer Galloway at Hardin Valley Academy. [Read more…]
Roane State women’s basketball coach, players earn honors
From left are Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) freshman of the year Haley Cornellison, second-team all-conference Shanae Brown, TCCAA coach of the year Monica Boles, TCCAA player of the year Shauntae Brown, and second-team all-conference Kassidi Freeman. (Photo by Roane State Community College)
Roane State Community College’s women’s basketball program swept the top Tennessee Community College Athletic Association awards.
Head coach Monica Boles was named TCCAA Coach of the Year. Sophomore guard Shauntae Brown is the TCCAA Player of the Year, and Haley Cornellison is the Freshman of the Year.
Brown was also named first-team all-conference. Shauntae’s twin sister, Shanae, was named second-team all-conference along with sophomore Kassidi Freeman. [Read more…]
Community honors, pays tribute to Kocak in candlelight vigil at ORHS
Sophomores release balloons as other football players watch during a community candlelight vigil at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday for student-athlete Joey Kocak, who died at home on Wednesday. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
Note: This story was updated at 4:32 p.m.
The Oak Ridge community honored sophomore James Joseph “Joey†Kocak during a candlelight vigil at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday.
Friends and coaches shared their memories of Kocak, who had played on the football and basketball teams this year, during the candlelight vigil at Ben Martin Track at ORHS.
They encouraged the large crowd that attended to preserve their precious memories of Kocak, a 16-year-old sophomore who passed away at his home on Wednesday, March 4.
“I really hope that this isn’t the last time we’ll honor him,” said Mollie Turner.
Friends and coaches recalled Kocak’s memorable smirk, his playful moments, and his high-pitched singing on the back of the bus, belting out tunes like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” [Read more…]
Blackmon, 3-pointers give Maryville a 60-56 edge over Wildcats in Region 2 final
Junior forward Javien Johnson (11) was the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 16 points. T.D. Blackmon of Maryville (33), who led all scorers with 23, is pictured at lower left. Senior post Bryce Miller (32), partially obscured at center, added 15 for the Rebels.
Note: This story was last updated at 9 p.m.
Sophomore guard T.D. Blackmon hit three three-pointers in the first half and knocked down 10 of 11 free throws in the second to give Maryville a 60-56 edge over Oak Ridge in the Region 2-AAA Championship at Wildcat Arena on Sunday.
But the playoff run isn’t over for the Wildcats (28-3). As Region 2 Runner-Up, they’ll travel to Johnson City to play Science Hill, the Region 1 Champion, in a sectional game at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Blackmon led all scorers with 23 points in the regional final on Sunday.
“He got to the foul line. He got to the basket,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “We didn’t do a good job of guarding him.”
Never afraid to drive to the rim through traffic, junior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) scored 15 points for the Oak Ridge Wildcats in the Region 2-AAA Championship against Maryville on Sunday. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)
The Rebels (25-6) hit seven three-pointers against the Wildcats on Sunday, including five in the first quarter alone. That gave them a 29-26 lead at halftime, with 18 of those points coming from three-point shots. [Read more…]
Steal helps save OT win for Wildcats, who play for Region 2 championship Sunday
The Region 2-AAA semifinal basketball game between Oak Ridge and Heritage came down to the wire at home on Saturday. Above the Oak Ridge student section watches the match, which wasn’t decided until the final seconds. (Photo by Terri Blair)
Note: This story was last updated at 12:54 a.m. March 1.
A steal by senior Ted Mitchell late in the game helped save an overtime win for the Oak Ridge Wildcats in a regional tournament semifinal game against Heritage on Saturday.
The Wildcats (28-2) were also helped by a big basket by sophomore Tee Higgins late in overtime, when Oak Ridge was down by one. Higgins’ shot off the glass gave the Wildcats a one-point 44-43 lead with about 1:10 to play. A free throw by junior Geevantay Gee after Mitchell’s steal widened the margin to two.
Heritage (23-12) missed their final two back-to-back shots with about seven seconds left, and the final score at Wildcat Arena was 45-43.
Oak Ridge moves on to play Maryville (24-6) in the Region 2-AAA championship at home at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]
After days of delays, Oak Ridge boys advance, girls eliminated
Sophomore Tee Higgins (5) led all Wildcats with 18 points, including three dunks and two three-pointers. (Photos by Melissa Livesey)
Note: This story was last updated at 9:57 p.m.
After days of delays because of winter weather, the Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team advanced to the regional semifinals on Wednesday, while the girls were eliminated from the playoffs. The Wildcats walloped Lenoir City 81-37, while the Lady Wildcats lost to Farragut 57-17.
Oak Ridge, which was the number one seed from District 3, will move on to play either Heritage or Halls in the Region 2 semifinals, although it’s not clear when because of the weather. The semifinal game could be played as early as Friday or as late as Sunday.
Wednesday’s game at home at Wildcat Arena was the only boys’ game in Region 2. Oak Ridge hasn’t played since Valentine’s Day, or 11 days, mostly because of the weather. [Read more…]
Lady Wildcats play Farragut in regional Monday, boys play LC Tuesday
Oak Ridge junior Caelyn Thompson (22) had seven points during a district tournament semifinal game against Powell on Saturday, February 14, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here running slightly behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. The Wildcats haven’t played since because of weather. (Photo by Luther Simmons)
Note: This story was last updated at 9:21 a.m. Feb. 24.
The final district tournament games were first postponed and then canceled, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats’ basketball teams will start the Class AAA regional tournament this week.
Update: These games have been postponed again as of Tuesday, February 24, due to weather. The latest is that the games will be played Wednesday.
The Lady Wildcats (19-11)Â play at Farragut (21-8) in the Region 2 quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Monday.
The Lady Wildcats are the number three seed from District 3, and Farragut is the number two seed from District 4. The games are played at the higher seed. [Read more…]
Fans ask for dunks, Mitchell gives them two
All year, fans had been asking senior guard Ted Mitchell (4) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats to dunk the ball, and Tuesday night, he obliged. Mitchell dunked twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)
All year, fans have been asking Ted Mitchell to dunk it. On Tuesday, the senior gave the fans what they wanted—and more. He dunked the ball twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena.
It was a dramatic finish in a high school career that included trips last year to the state championship game in basketball and the state quarterfinal game in football. The Wildcats’ basketball team finished first in District 3-AAA this year and will advance to the playoffs.
Mitchell, who has plans to play football in college, was the only senior to play for the Wildcats on either the boys’ or girls’ team at home on Senior Night against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday.
Here’s more on those games from freelance contributor Trenton Duffer:
Oak Ridge celebrates Senior Night with two victories over Gibbs
Tuesday night, the Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats celebrated Senior Night in the home finale at Wildcat Arena. However, only one senior would be playing his last game in the arena: Ted Mitchell. In some ways, it seemed like “Ted Mitchell Night,†as both sets of Wildcats rolled to easy victories over the Gibbs Eagles and Lady Eagles. Neither set of Eagles had the lead the entire night.
Freshman Mykia Dowdell (34) had 15 points against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Luther Simmons)
Lady Wildcats Stomp Lady Eagles
The Lady Wildcats (17-9, 12-3 District 3-AAA) were the first up to play, and they did not disappoint. The Lady Wildcats would go on to crush the Gibbs Lady Eagles (6-18, 5-10) by a score of 65-29. A one-two punch of offense and defense helped the Lady Wildcats walk away with this victory unscathed.
The first quarter was actually very close. Within the first 1:30, Oak Ridge jumped out to an 11-2 lead before the Lady Eagles came storming back, making it 18-14 after one quarter. [Read more…]
Wildcats: Boys 0-2 in trip to Georgia, girls win in Lenoir City
The Oak Ridge Wildcats picked up their first two losses of the season on Friday and Saturday at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational in Tucker, Georgia.
The boys’ basketball team lost 65-49 to the Tucker Tigers of Georgia on Friday and fell 57-49 to the Stephenson Jaguars of Georgia on Saturday. [Read more…]
