Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats to play in state basketball tournament

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Oak Ridge senior Jeremy Miller (23) is pictured above dribbling the basketball during a 65-61 win over Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Monday, March 8, 2021. (Photo by Zack James)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play Siegel in the first round of the Class AAA state high school basketball championship on Thursday.

Oak Ridge (27-5) and Siegel (27-4) are two of eight Class AAA boys teams in the BlueCross State Championships in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

The Wildcats and the Stars, a Murfreesboro team, are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Thursday (Central time). You can see the tournament bracket here.

Oak Ridge, which had finished second in Region 2, advanced to the state tournament by beating Dobyns-Bennett, which had finished first in Region 1, 65-61 in a Class AAA sectional game in Kingsport on Monday, March 8.

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Basketball: Wildcats play in sectional game Monday

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Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA championship game 76-61 against Clinton at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. (Photo by Zack James/used with permission)

They won the District 3-AAA championship game against Clinton. They advanced to the Region 2 championship game by defeating West and Maryville in quarterfinal and semifinal games.

On Thursday, in the championship game, they finished second in the region, losing 55-52 to Bearden after narrowing a 15-point Bulldogs lead late in the third quarter to one point late in the fourth.

Tonight, Monday, March 8, the Oak Ridge Wildcats (26-5) will play for a chance to compete in the state basketball tournament. They will travel to Dobyns-Bennett (25-4) in Kingsport in upper East Tennessee for one of eight Class AAA sectional games across the state. The winners of the sectional games advance to the state tournament in Murfreesboro, and the season is over for the losers.

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Football: Wildcats start season 0-2

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats have started the 2019 football season with two losses.

The first was a 13-6 loss to Hardin Valley at home on Friday, August 23, and the second was a 41-6 loss at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Friday, August 30.

The Wildcats will play their first Region 3-5A game at Campbell County (2-0) on Friday.

Oak Ridge scored their one touchdown in the season-opening game against Hardin Valley (1-1) with a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons to senior running back Tyrell Romano with 8:26 left in the third quarter.

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Lady Wildcats play in state basketball tournament Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge will play in the girls state basketball tournament in Murfreesboro today (Thursday, March 7).

The Lady Wildcats (33-2) will play Science Hill (31-3) in a Division I Class AAA quarterfinal game at 11:30 a.m. (12:30 Eastern) in the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University.

The other girls quarterfinal game in the BlueCross Basketball Championships on Thursday will feature Bradley Central (31-3) and Lebanon (25-10). That game will start at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Eastern).

Two other girls quarterfinal games were played Wednesday. Riverdale (30-1) beat Arlington (27-7) 67-50 in the first game, and Houston (29-2) defeated Mt. Juliet (27-6) 58-65 in the other. Riverdale, a Murfreesboro team, has won the Class AAA state championship three years in a row. The Lady Warriors beat the Lady Wildcats 68-36 in the championship game in 2016.

This year, Oak Ridge, the Region 2 champion, made it to the state tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett, the Region 1 runner-up, 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday. [Read more…]

After finishing second in region, Wildcats’ season ends at Sevier County

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished as runner-up in Region 2-AAA with a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished as runner-up in Region 2-AAA with a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge finished second in Region 2-AAA after a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game on Thursday, and the Wildcats’ season ended with a 62-57 loss at Sevier County in a sectional game on Monday.

Oak Ridge (26-7) trailed in both games from start to finish, although the Wildcats narrowed the Smoky Bears’ lead to one point in the final minute before Sevier County (25-6) pulled away on free throws in the Class AAA sectional game on Monday.

The sectional games determine which teams go to the state basketball tournaments at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro this month. The winners of the sectional games advance to the state tournaments, and the season is over for the teams that lose.

It’s Sevier County’s first trip to the state tournament since 1991. The Smoky Bears are one of only eight teams in Division I, Class AAA, to play in the state tournament. Bearden is another.

Oak Ridge last went to the state tournament in 2017, when the Wildcats were eliminated 63-60 by Memphis East in a semifinal game. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge wins Region 2 championship with Guinn’s three-pointer at buzzer

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, with a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville on Wednesday after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn.

Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, scored a game-high 21 points. She also had at least 10 rebounds.

Guinn, who was named most valuable player of the regional tournament, made two three-point shots in the final 33.9 seconds. The first one was from near the top of the key. She hit the last one-dribble shot from beyond the three-point line near the right sideline after an inbounds pass near half court following a timeout with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Jubilant fans erupted onto the floor of Wildcat Arena, cheering and jumping for joy after the dramatic finish.

Oak Ridge (32-2) will host Dobyns-Bennett (28-7), the Region 1 runner-up, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wildcat Arena in a Class AAA sectional. The winner of that game will advance to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Football photos by Houchin

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Oak Ridge senior quarterback Herbert Booker (13) scrambles during a 20-14 loss to Farragut on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

Oak Ridge senior quarterback Herbert Booker (13) scrambles during a 20-14 loss to Farragut on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

 

The Oak Ridge football team is 6-1 so far this season. Here are photos from some of their first seven games, courtesy of Barry Houchin.

Oak Ridge is off this week. They play next at Clinton on Friday, October 12. [Read more…]

Football: Oak Ridge Wildcats 6-1 so far this season

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats walk down the stairs at Jack Armstrong Stadium before a 41-12 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats walk down the stairs at Jack Armstrong Stadium before a 41-12 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

 

The Oak Ridge football team is 6-1 so far this season.

The Wildcats have had three wins and no losses in Region 3-5A. They have defeated Campbell County at home and West and Karns on the road.

Their other three wins were in non-regional games, with victories at Hardin Valley, at home against Dobyns-Bennett, and at Sevier County.

Their one loss, a non-regional game, was to Farragut on Blankenship Field.

All three games remaining in the regular season are regional games: Clinton (1-5, 0-2); Powell (6-1, 3-1); and Fulton (5-1, 2-0).

Oak Ridge is off this week. They play at Clinton on Friday, October 12. Their final two games, against Powell and Fulton, will be at home on October 19 and 25.

Here is a summary of the first seven games. [Read more…]

Moody of Anderson County finishes third in state in cross country

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Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in the Division I Large Schools girls cross country 5k championship race at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in the Division I Large Schools girls’ cross country 5k championship race at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in cross country in the championship race in Nashville this month.

Moody improved 13 spots from last year, when she finished 16th as a sophomore in the girls’ Class AAA state cross country championship meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.

Moody finished the 5,000-meter, or 5k, race in 18:51.53 this year in the Division I Large Schools category. That compared to 19:30.59 last year in what was previously the Division I Class AAA category.

“It’s a huge improvement,” said Derek Wallace, who coaches cross country and boys’ basketball at Anderson County. “You don’t often see those types of improvements down there.”

Moody normally races with a pacing watch, but she handed it to her mother this year, Wallace said. [Read more…]

Football: Wildcats improve to 4-2 with win over Sevier County

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Oak Ridge senior linebacker Adarius Simpson (24) makes a tackle against West at home on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. In the background is senior linebacker Cobe Angel (22). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior linebacker Adarius Simpson (24) makes a tackle against West at home on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. In the background is senior linebacker Cobe Angel (22). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats improved to 4-2 for the season with a 30-14 win over Sevier County at home on Blankenship Field on Friday.

The Wildcats are now 2-0 in Region 3-5A. Their remaining four games are all region games.

After their season-opening win at home against Hardin Valley, the Wildcats:

  • lost 28-25 in a non-region game at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on August 25,
  • won 17-15 in their first region game at Campbell County on September 1,
  • were shut out 41-0 at Farraugt, a non-region opponent, on September 8, and
  • won their second region game, 23-13, over West at home on September 15.

The win over Sevier County this past Friday night was the second straight win for the Wildcats.

Here are the four games remaining, all Region 3-5A games:

  • at home against Karns (2-4, 0-3) on Friday, September 29;
  • at home against Clinton (2-3, 0-1) on Friday, October 13;
  • at Powell (5-1, 2-1) on Friday, October 20; and
  • at Fulton (4-1, 2-0) on Friday, October 27.

All games start at 7:30 p.m.

Here are highlights of the season so far: [Read more…]

Football photos: Oak Ridge vs. Dobyns-Bennett

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Pictured above is Oak Ridge senior quarterback Johnny Stewart (2) at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (Photo by Allen Greene Photography)

Pictured above is Oak Ridge senior quarterback Johnny Stewart (2) at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (Photo by Allen Greene Photography)

 

Here are photos by Allen Greene Photography from the Oak Ridge and Dobyns-Bennett football game in Kingsport on Friday, August 25. Oak Ridge lost 28-25 in this non-region game, the second of the season. [Read more…]

Football: Wildcats win when Hardin Valley misses extra point in final minute

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Oak Ridge quarterback Johnny Stewart (2) runs against Hardin Valley during a 21-20 win on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge quarterback Johnny Stewart (2) runs against Hardin Valley during a 21-20 win on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won a close one-point game against Hardin Valley Academy on Friday night when the Hawks missed an extra point with 21.5 seconds left in the season opener.

The Hawks scored in the final minute after Oak Ridge junior linebacker Jeremy Mitchell dropped a Hardin Valley player in the backfield, and the football came loose. There was a scramble for the ball near the goal line, and it squirted into the end zone, where Hardin Valley recovered it for a touchdown. The Hawks then trailed by just one point, 21-20.

They had a chance to tie the game at 21 with an extra point, and they had a chance to take the lead with a two-point conversion.

A few extra point attempts by Hardin Valley were waived off due to penalties, including one on a try that was no good and bounced down to Blankenship Field off the crossbar on an Oak Ridge offsides.

The final attempt went wide left, and Oak Ridge kept its 21-20 lead with 21.5 seconds remaining.

Hardin Valley, a Class 6A team, used an onsides kick to try for one final score in the final seconds of the non-region game. But Oak Ridge, a Class 5A team, recovered and only had to take a knee to run out the clock. [Read more…]