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Cross country photos: Oak Ridge at Region 2 meet

Posted at 5:11 pm October 29, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Pictured above is Oak Ridge senior Jose Villegas, who finished second in the boys 5,000-meter cross country race in the Region 2 Large Division Championships at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (Photo by Maddie Zawisza)

The Oak Ridge boys and girls cross country teams have both qualified for the state meet in Nashville on Saturday, and the Wildcats had one runner finish second in the region and another finish fourth on Thursday. It’s the first time since 2014 that both teams are going to state together.

Here are photos from the regional meet on Thursday by Wallace Bowden and Maddie Zawisza along with Oak Ridge Today file photos. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge boys, girls cross country teams both going to state meet

Posted at 1:35 pm October 29, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge boys and girls cross country teams have both qualified for the state meet in Nashville next Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, finishing third in the Region 2 Large Division Championships at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday, Oct. 26.

It’s the first time since 2014 that both teams are going to state together.

Both teams finished third in the Region 2 Championships for the Division I Large Division at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday. The top three teams in the regional meets advanced to the state cross country meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, November 4.

Oak Ridge senior Jose Villegas finished second in the region in the boys 5,000-meter run at Victor Ashe Park on Thursday, and senior Genevieve Schwartz finished fourth in the girls race.

“You always want to get at least one team to state, but ultimately, you want to get both,” Wildcats Coach Ed Wright said after the Region 2 Championships. “Today was a good day.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge boys finish ninth in state 4×800 meter relay

Posted at 3:45 pm May 27, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge raced in the 1,600 meter run and was part of the 4x800 meter relay team at the 2017 TSSAA Boys' State Track Championships at MTSU in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 26, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge finished 12th in the 1,600 meter run and was part of the 4×800 meter relay team that finished ninth at the 2017 TSSAA Boys’ State Track Championships at MTSU in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 26, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge boys 4×800 meter relay team finished ninth in the state track meet in Murfreesboro on Friday.

The boys 4×800 meter relay team includes senior Jake Etheridge and juniors Reid Dukes, Will Jeter, and Jose Villegas. They finished ninth in a field of 16 teams with a time of 8:14.63. Houston finished first with a time of 7:58.51. Blackman (8:03.53) and Daniel Boone (8:06.03) had the other top three finishes.

Hardin Valley Academy was sixth in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 8:11.29, while Farragut finished 12th at 8:33.98.

The 2017 TSSAA Boys’ Track State Championships were at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on Friday.

Etheridge also raced in the boys 1,600 meter run, where he finished 12th with a time of 4:39.27. He finished just ahead of senior Brennan Humphreys of Hardin Valley, who crossed the finish line at 4:41.91. [Read more…]

Thirteen Wildcats qualify for state track meet in seven events

Posted at 11:30 pm May 13, 2017
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Pictured above is the Oak Ridge boys 4x800-meter relay team, which qualified for the 2017 TSSAA State Track Meet during the Class AAA Section 1 Finals at Hardin Valley Academy on Saturday, May 13, 2017. From left are junior Reid Dukes, senior Jake Etheridge, and juniors Jose Villegas and Will Jeter. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above is the Oak Ridge boys 4×800-meter relay team, which qualified for the 2017 TSSAA State Track Meet during the Class AAA Section 1 Finals at Hardin Valley Academy on Saturday, May 13, 2017. From left are junior Reid Dukes, senior Jake Etheridge, and juniors Jose Villegas and Will Jeter. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. May 14.

HARDIN VALLEY—The Oak Ridge track and field team had 13 athletes qualify for seven events in the state track meet during the Class AAA Section 1 Finals at Hardin Valley on Saturday.

The seven events included three relays, three runs, and the 100-meter dash.

Here’s who qualified:

Girls 4×200-meter relay—senior Breanne Young, junior Desiree Bates, sophomore Makiya Garrett, and junior Shatyrah Copeland (4th with a time of 1:45.22);
Girls 4×800-meter relay—senior Abbey Greenhalgh, junior Genevieve Schwartz, and freshmen Rebecca Joyal and Muskaan Vohra (4th with a time of 9:53.08);
Girls 3,200-meter run—Schwartz (4th with a time of 12:02.05);
Boys 4×800-meter relay—senior Jake Etheridge and juniors Reid Dukes, Will Jeter, and Jose Villegas (3rd with a time of 8:06.50);
Boys 1,600-meter run—Etheridge (3rd with a time of 4:33.87);
Boys 3,200-meter run—Etheridge (4th with a time of 9:55.97); and
Boys 100-meter dash—sophomore Jordan Graham (4th with a time of 11.53).

[Read more…]

Ed Wright approved as new cross country coach at ORHS

Posted at 5:42 pm May 4, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-cross-country-team-coaches-wright-etheridge-sauer-nov-5-2016-web

Ed Wright, left, who was an assistant coach, was approved on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, as the head cross country coach at Oak Ridge High School. The former coach, Allen Etheridge, pictured at center, resigned in January after 13 years as cross country coach. Also pictured above is assistant coach Tom Sauer after the Class AAA boys’ cross country meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Ed Wright, who has been an assistant coach, was approved as head cross country coach at Oak Ridge High School on Wednesday.

Wright will replace Allen Etheridge, who resigned as cross country coach in January after 13 years as head coach and six state titles. Etheridge was an assistant cross country coach for five years before he became head coach.

Etheridge is also an English teacher at Oak Ridge High School, and he’s been head track and field coach since April 2015. [Read more…]

‘End of the road’: Etheridge resigns after 13 years as head coach, six state titles

Posted at 5:08 pm January 6, 2017
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Pictured above are Oak Ridge cross country coach Allen Etheridge, center, and assistant coaches Ed Wright, left, and Tom Sauer at the Class AAA cross country meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 7.

Allen Etheridge has resigned as cross country coach at Oak Ridge High School after 13 years as head coach and six state titles.

His resignation is effective today (Friday, January 6). Etheridge was an assistant cross country coach for five years before he became head coach.

“I just have the sense that with cross country this was the end of the road,” Etheridge said. “I don’t know that I could bring anything new to the table.”

Besides the six state titles, Etheridge’s teams have won five runner-ups, three third places, one individual state championship, and 15 regional titles. The state championships were in 2005, 2006, and 2007 for the boys, and 2007, 2009, and 2010 for the girls. The individual state champion was John Sharpe in 2009.

The boys’ team finished second in the state meet in 2015 and third in 2016. The team won the Region 2-AAA meet for the third year in a row in October. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge boys win third place in state cross country meet

Posted at 11:46 pm November 6, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge led the Wildcats, finishing 11th in the Class AAA boys’ cross country meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Led by senior Jake Etheridge, the Oak Ridge Wildcats finished third in the state boys’ cross country meet on Saturday. Etheridge, a senior, was the 11th-place runner.

Here are pictures from the meet, which was at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. [Read more…]

Cross country photos: Oak Ridge girls finish fourth in Region 2-AAA meet

Posted at 11:09 pm October 28, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

class-aaa-girls-cross-country-region-2-meet-wall-schwartz-longmire-oct-27-2016-web

Genevieve Schwartz of Oak Ridge, at right in the group of three above, finished 10th in the Region 2-AAA girls’ cross country race at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. At center is Mollie Longmire of Anderson County, who finished seventh, and at left is Jenna Wall of Hardin Valley Academy, who finished eighth. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Wildcats girls’ cross country team finished fourth in the Region 2-AAA meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday.

The top three teams in the regional meet advance to the state cross county meet in Nashville on Saturday, November 5. Since Oak Ridge finished fourth, it does not advance.

But Genevieve Schwartz of Oak Ridge finished in the top 10, so she will compete in the state meet next week.

Here are photos from the Thursday meet by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today. (See a story on the race here.) [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge cross country runners, coaches, team

Posted at 1:42 pm November 9, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Thomas Colburn and Tyler Boullie at State Cross Country Nov. 7, 2015

Oak Ridge senior Tyler Boullie (492) was 16th in the state Class AAA cross country meet in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, crossing the finish line at Percy Warner Park Steeplechase Course at 16:36.85. At left is senior Thomas Colburn (493), who finished 20th at 16:40.94. Boullie was the second-fastest runner for the Wildcats, and Colburn was third. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

NASHVILLE—The Oak Ridge High School boys team finished second in Tennessee during the 2015 state cross country meet in Nashville on Saturday. Brentwood finished first.

See more photos of the runners, coaches, and team from Saturday’s race below. See a story on the race here.

Senior Gashaw Duhamel was the top runner for Oak Ridge, the runner-up in the Division I Class AAA boys race. It was a 5,000-meter, or 5k, race. Duhamel finished 10th, with a time of 16:20.01 on the muddy course on a chilly, overcast Saturday morning.

Brentwood had two of the top three runners: sophomore Brodey Hasty, who was first with a time of 15:35.09, and junior Taylor Vroon, who finished third with a time of 15:50.85.

Oak Ridge senior Tyler Boullie was 16th, crossing the finish line at Percy Warner Park Steeplechase Course at 16:36.85.

See the results here.

Oak Ridge Gashaw Duhamel and Farragut Louis Morris at State Cross Country Nov. 7, 2015

Oak Ridge senior Gashaw Duhamel (494), the top runner for the Wildcats, finished 10th at 16:20.01, and Farragut senior Louis Morris (443) finished 14th at 16:33.48 in the state Class AAA cross country meet in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

[Read more…]

Running camp for middle school runners starts Monday at RMS

Posted at 1:42 am July 26, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge High Cross Country staff will host a running camp for middle school runners starting on Monday, July 28, at Robertsville Middle School at 9:30 a.m.

Head Coach Allen Etheridge, with assistant coaches Sam Roberts and Ed Wright, with a total of 60 years experience, will lead the camp. Daily workouts will include a dynamic warm-up, gait and form analysis, and workout.

The camp is open to any middle school-age athlete from sixth to eighth grade. The cost is $50, and it includes a T-shirt. Contact Coach Roberts at [email protected] for more information.