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Wildcats use playoff ‘fury,’ determination to eliminate Soddy-Daisy

Posted at 12:27 am November 8, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins and Soddy-Daisy Trojans

Sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats catches a 30-yard touchdown pass over defender Christian Bell (26) of the Soddy-Daisy Trojans, giving Oak Ridge a 23-14 lead midway through the third quarter in a first-round playoff game on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m.

Ahead by 17-14 at halftime, the Oak Ridge Wildcats played with fury and determination in the second half of their first-round playoff game on Friday and opened up a large lead against Soddy-Daisy, winning 53-28—despite an impressive offensive performance by the Trojans.

The undefeated Wildcats were not happy with the three-point margin at halftime.

“For it to be that close was just unacceptable,” junior running back Jaylen Nickerson said.

The 11-0 team was determined to play better in the second half against the best offense they had played all year, Coach Joe Gaddis said.

“We just came out and played with a fury,” he said.

While the Trojans had held Oak Ridge to two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, they allowed four in the second—including two by Nickerson—and gave up a safety and an interception returned for a touchdown, or 36 points total. [Read more…]

Filed Under: High School, Slider, Sports, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Alex Alcorn, Anderson County, Blankenship Field, Blue Raiders, Brandon Bonds, Brandon Nickle, Campbell County, Christian Bell, Class 5A playoffs, Cleveland, Clinton, Clinton Dragons, Darel Middleton, Gibbs, Hunter Maynor, Isaac Chapman, Jaylen Nickerson, Jiminquas Johnson, Joe Gaddis, Justin Barnes, Knoxville Central, Levi Thornton, Logan Fadnek, Oak Ridge Wildcats, Soddy-Daisy Trojans, South Doyle, T.J. Allison, Ted Mitchell, Tee Higgins, Tommy Kaczocha

Wildcats round up Mavericks, win AAA District Championship

Posted at 3:42 am October 31, 2014
By Trenton Duffer 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats Undefeated 2014 Season

The Oak Ridge Wildcats football team went undefeated 10-0 in the regular season in 2014 for only the 12th time in school history and the first time since 1999. The Wildcats also won the District 3-AAA title in a Thursday night game against the Anderson County Mavericks at Anderson County High School in Clinton. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

CLINTON—Many players on the Oak Ridge football team don’t remember the last time the Wildcats went undefeated back in 1999. But now, 15 years later, they all have something to hang their hats on: an undefeated season and a district championship.

The Wildcats (10-0, 8-0 District 3-AAA) outlasted the Anderson County Mavericks (8-2, 7-1) to win the district title 28-16 on Thursday at Anderson County High School in Clinton. Oak Ridge was led by the two touchdown catches of sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Both teams scored one touchdown each in the first quarter, but the usually reliable Brandon Nickle missed a field goal for Oak Ridge. The Wildcats’ touchdown came on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Gavin Warrington halfway through the first quarter.

However, the Mavericks soon proved they deserved to be playing in the District 3-AAA championship. Anderson County faked a handoff up the middle, and quarterback Garrett Johnson, who filled in for injured QB Zane Smith, threw a touchdown pass to Cale Brock.

But the Mavs missed the extra point, making it 7-6 Oak Ridge after the first quarter.

Oak Ridge stepped up on offense and defense in the second quarter. With 8:53 left in the second, senior cornerbacks Jemiah Hall and Ted Mitchell combined for a bone-crushing tackle on Anderson County running back Matt Fox. Mitchell recovered after Fox fumbled, but the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize on the following drive. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Football, High School, Slider, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Adam Manookian, Anderson County Mavericks, Brandon Bonds, Brandon Nickle, District 3-AAA, Garrett Johnson, Gavin Warrington, Jaylen Nickerson, Jemiah Hall, Jiminquas Johnson, Joe Gaddis, Jordan Dunbar, Logan Fadnek, Matt Fox, Mavs, Oak Ridge Wildcats, T.J. Allison, Ted Mitchell, Tee Higgins

Oak Ridge obliterates Knox Central on Senior Night

Posted at 2:00 am October 25, 2014
By Trenton Duffer 3 Comments

Gavin Warrington Oak Ridge Wildcats

Backup quarterback Gavin Warrington (11) sparked an offensive outburst early in the third quarter, scoring on a 47-yard quarterback keeper, as the Oak Ridge Wildcats dominated the second half in a 48-7 win over Central on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Wildcats open up large lead in second half

The Oak Ridge Wildcats came into Friday night’s game against the Knox Central Bobcats undefeated and hungry to pick up one last home victory for the seniors on Senior Night. The Wildcats fed that hunger and went back for seconds against the Bobcats, trouncing Knox Central 48-7, with 45 of those points coming in the second half.

The first quarter was very defense-centered for both teams, with neither team scoring a point. Even the second quarter was quiet for both teams, with the only points coming from a 40-yard field goal from Brandon Nickle with 5:40 left in the second quarter. The score at halftime was 3-0 Oak Ridge.

But during the halftime break, running back T.J. Allison said, head coach Joe Gaddis gathered his team and told them to do one thing: “Execute.”

The whole team took that message and ran with it. Allison broke out a long TD run to start out the third quarter, but the play was ultimately reversed on a holding penalty. However, just a few short plays after that, backup quarterback Gavin Warrington snuck the ball up the middle and evaded multiple defensive players on his way to a 47-yard touchdown run. With 11:19 to play in the third, the score was 10-0 Wildcats. With 6:17 left in the third, Allison broke through for a 17-yard touchdown run, this time with no penalty flags to stop him. At that point, it was a commanding 17-0 lead for Oak Ridge (9-0, 7-0 District 3-AAA). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Football, High School, Slider, Sports, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Brandon Bonds, Brandon Nickle, Chance Hutson, Darel Middleton, Gavin Warrington, Isaac Chapman, Jacob Calhoun, James Smith, Jaylen Nickerson, Jemiah Hall, Jeremiah Howard, Jermiah Pearson-Graham, Jiminquas Johnson, Joe Gaddis, Knox Central Bobcats, Liam Hale, Logan Fadnek, Malik Hardy, Oak Ridge Wildcats, Quintez Burum, Ricky Chitwood, Riley Myer, Ryan Waddell, Senior Night, Shawmain Fleming, T.J. Allison, Ted Mitchell, Tee Higgins, Tommy Kaczocha, Trevon Freeman, Zach Kassner

Wildcats open regular season at home against Farragut tonight

Posted at 10:48 am August 29, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats and Farragut Admirals

The Oak Ridge Wildcats open the regular football season at home against Farragut at 7:30 p.m. Friday. (Image courtesy Oak Ridge Wildcat Football)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats open the regular football season at home tonight against the Farragut Admirals. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Blankenship Field.

The Wildcat Football Boosters have a $6 catered tailgate party starting at 5 p.m. that will feature Mexican food at the upper parking lot of Blankenship Field before the game.

“Bring your pom-poms and your appetite,” a press release said. “Make sure you come early enough to cheer on our mighty Wildcats as they take their ‘Walk of Champions!’ Roll Wildcats Roll!”

After a Wildcat Day pep rally on Saturday, Coach Joe Gaddis said challenges this week will include using a new quarterback and winning battles up front, with a relatively inexperienced offensive line taking on an experienced Admirals defensive line.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Gaddis said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: High School, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Blankenship Field, Brandon Bonds, Brandon Nickle, Farragut Admirals, Gavin Warrington, Isaac Chapman, Isiah Jones, Jiminquas Johnson, Joe Gaddis, Jordan Dunbar, Logan Fadnek, Malik Hardy, Oak Ridge Wildcats, Ryan Waddell, Shawmain Fleming, T.J. Allison, Ted Mitchell, Tee Higgins, Wildcat Day, Wildcat Football Boosters

Mavericks win district title 19-6 as Wildcats struggle on offense

Posted at 1:23 am November 1, 2013
By Troy Provost-Heron 5 Comments

Mavericks Tyler Hicks and Wildcats Harry Boston

Harry Boston, senior defensive end for the Oak Ridge Wildcats, pursues Tyler Hicks, senior quarterback for the Anderson County Mavericks. The Mavericks won the district championship at Blankenship Field on Thursday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

With a chance at a district championship hanging in the balance, the Oak Ridge Wildcats fell to the Anderson County Mavericks 19-6 on Blankenship Field on Thursday.

The Wildcats (7-3, 6-2 District 3) struggled offensively throughout the night, recording only 239 yards of total offense, 58 of which came from a single deep ball from Jaylin Henderson to Jiminquas Johnson late in the fourth quarter.

The offensive woes, however, did more than just keep Oak Ridge—who also saw their three-game district winning streak come to an end with the loss—off the scoreboard as they kept the defense out on the field and in tough situations for most of the game.

“We just didn’t get it done on the offensive side. If we do anything offensively, they probably don’t score 19 points, but we kept giving back to them over and over,” Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said. “Our defense played pretty well, giving up 19 points while having to play defense all night long. I think their defense and our offense was the biggest key of the ball game.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: High School, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Mavericks, Blake Goins, Blankenship Field, Class AAA District 3, district championship, Harry Boston, Isiah Jones, Jaylin Henderson, Jiminquas Johnson, Joe Gaddis, Mark Haste, Matt Fox, Oak Ridge Wildcats, playoffs, state tournament, Troy Provost-Heron, TSSAA, Tyler Hicks

Oak Ridge pulls aways from Halls in second half, finishes 37-6

Posted at 8:57 pm September 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

After what the coach called a sloppy start, the Oak Ridge Wildcats became more focused in the second half and opened up a wide lead over the Halls Red Devils on Friday, finishing with a 37-6 victory.

The Wildcats (2-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) scored first on a 51-yard pass play from quarterback Jaylin Henderson to junior wide receiver Jiminquas Johnson halfway through the first quarter at Dink Adams Field in Halls. [Read more…]

Filed Under: High School, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Dink Adams Field, Halls Red Devils, Isiah Jones, Jaleel Luster, Jaylin Henderson, Jiminquas Johnson, Michael Rowe, Oak Ridge Wildcats, Tee Higgins

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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