Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge obliterates Knox Central on Senior Night

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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…]

Oak Ridge finds many ways to score in 66-0 rout of Powell

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Oak Ridge Wildcats T.J. Allison against Powell

Junior running back T.J. Allison (6) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats scored two touchdowns on the ground against the Powell Panthers on Friday night and ran for 46 yards on seven carries. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2:05 a.m.

Undefeated Wildcats pick up eighth win, fourth shutout

All week long, Oak Ridge simply wanted to beat Powell and stay undefeated on the season. With students on fall break this week, players were able to focus solely on football, and it showed on Friday night.

Things weren’t so simple for Powell however. On Friday afternoon, it was announced that John Allen, their head coach, had been placed on administrative suspension.

There was obviously a lot to talk about going into the game on Friday, but when things finally got going on the field, it was all Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge sunk by Admirals; Farragut wins Region 2 tournament

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Mattie Livengood of Oak Ridge, and Anne Abernathy and Alexis Parker of Farragut

At left, Mattie Livengood of Oak Ridge, the District 3 champions, goes up against defenders Anne Abernathy (11) and Alexis Parker (6) of Farragut, the Region 4 runner-up, during semifinals at the Region 2-AAA championship at Bearden High School on Tuesday. Farragut beat Oak Ridge and went on to win the regional championship in the finals match against Bearden. (Photos by Nicholas Rhodes)

 

Note: This story was updated with stats at 10:10 a.m. Oct. 16.

BEARDEN—The first matchup of the night featured the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats battling the Farragut Lady Admirals. Oak Ridge fought hard against Farragut, but was eventually beaten in straight sets: 25-8, 25-10, and 25-11.

The first set was all Farragut. After putting up the first six points of the set, the Lady Admirals kept piling on the score. At one point of the set, they commanded a 15-3 lead on the Lady Wildcats. Before the Wildcats knew what happened, Farragut had won the set 25-8.

The second set was closer at first, but Farragut seemed to overpower Oak Ridge with every serve, kill, or block. The Lady Wildcats brought it to 4-3 before the Lady Admirals went on a 10-3 scoring run to pull the lead to 14-6. After that, Farragut didn’t look back.

After the second set, Coach Carmen Foster huddled her girls up and she told them to calm their nerves.

“Stay together,” Foster encouraged. “Concentrate on the pass, talk to each other out there, and stay positive.” [Read more…]

Wildcats cross country: Great result in only second race

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Boys Varsity at McCallie Invitational

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys varsity team is pictured above in September at the McCallie Invitational in Chattanooga. (File photos/Photos by Nichole Zawiswa)

 

CARY, N.C.—The Great American Cross Country Festival is the largest and most competitive cross country meet in the Southeast. This year’s event included US #2 LaSalle, Rhode Island, as well as most of the top 15 teams in the Southeastern United States. The top event is the Race of Champions, and the meet includes several other varsity and junior varsity events.

The Oak Ridge girls were in the Seeded Invitational, while the boys got a last-minute invitation to the top-level Race of Champions. The Cross Country festival was in Cary, North Carolina, this past weekend.

The Wildcats’ best result of the day came in the ROC, where the boys finished 11th of 21 really competitive teams. LaSalle won with 132 points. Daniel Boone (Tennessee) was third with 144 and Brentwood (Tennessee) fifth with 216. Oak Ridge scored 291. The Wildcats set a school record for fastest team average on a 5K course at 16:18.

“Great result for us in only our second race of the season,” Oak Ridge cross country coach Allen Etheridge said. “Most of these teams have run between five to eight races this season and are race sharp already. That’s going to take us a few more races, which is fine. We ran well today and lined up well with our Tennessee competition.” [Read more…]

Wildcats defense sets tone early in 62-7 win over Karns

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Football Helmet

Note: This story was last updated at 3 a.m. Oct. 11.

KARNS—The Wildcats defense set the tone early in the 62-7 win at Karns on Friday night.

Less than one minute into the game, senior linebacker Ricky Chitwood picked off a Beavers pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. The Oak Ridge defense went on to score twice more in the first half, once on an interception by senior Ted Mitchell early in the second quarter and the other on a fumble recovery by senior Tommy Kaczocha as time expired at halftime. Both plays covered about 25 yards.

The offense added five touchdowns of its own in a flurry of scores—including two touchdown catches by sophomore Tee Higgins in the second quarter—and the score at halftime was 56-0. That’s the most ever for an Oak Ridge football team in the first half, according to David Clary of PrepRadio.com.

The six-yard and 38-yard touchdown passes to Higgins came from junior quarterbacks Logan Fadnek (8-for-11, 85 yards) and Gavin Warrington (2-for-3, 48 yards). Warrington also scored on a 23-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, while junior running back T.J. Allison scored on a two-yard run near the end of the first. Later, Fadnek connected with sophomore Caleb Jackson on a five-yard pass play to make it 42-0 at 2:16 in the first half. [Read more…]

Wildcats cross country teams finish in Top 3 in Chattanooga

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Boys Varsity at McCallie Invitational

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys varsity team finished first at the McCallie Invitational in Chattanooga on Saturday. (Photos by Nichole Zawiswa)

 

Four Oak Ridge Wildcats cross country teams finished in the Top 3 in 5k races in Chattanooga on Saturday.

The varsity boys team finished first in the McCallie Invitational, the varsity girls finished third on a tie-breaker, the junior varsity boys team finished second, and the junior varsity girls finished third.

It was the full team debut for the cross country teams, coach Allen Etheridge said. He said the McCallie Invitational selects the most elite teams they can get for a small field of 10-15 teams.

The Wildcats teams travel this weekend to Cary, North Carolina, for the Great American Cross Country Festival, which is one of the most competitive meets in the nation.

Results from Saturday’s races are available here. [Read more…]

Wildcats win, but game closer than score suggests

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Malik Hardy at Gibbs

Senior Malik Hardy of the Oak Ridge Wildcats (15) ran for 47 yards on five carries at Gibbs on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m.

By Alex Myers/Oak Ridge Today

CORRYTON—The Wildcats visited Gibbs High School on Friday night and left with a hard-earned win.

The final score showed the Wildcats beating the Eagles 38-21, but that didn’t tell the entire story. Penalties hurt the Wildcats all night long and often helped to extend drives for Gibbs. The Wildcats were penalized 16 times for 133 yards, while Gibbs was penalized five times for 38 yards. Gibbs ran an options offense, which at times proved to be tough to stop. However, in the long run, the Wildcats were just too much for Gibbs.

Oak Ridge trailed the Eagles early on but tied the game up with a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Fadnek to receiver Tee Higgins, who made a jump ball catch, with 7:50 left in the second quarter. Kicker Brandon Nickle put Oak Ridge in front at halftime as his 42-yard field goal gave the Wildcats a 10-7 advantage.

Running back T.J. Allison was the workhorse in the second half for Oak Ridge. He got into the end zone with a nine-yard run that gave the Wildcats a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter. [Read more…]

Wildcats defense shines in third shutout of season

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Jaylen Nickerson and McMinn County

Junior running back Jaylen Nickerson (29) ran for two touchdowns for the Oak Ridge Wildcats at McMinn County on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:15 a.m.

By Alex Myers

ATHENS, Tennessee—It was a beautiful night for a high school football game in McMinn County on Friday night.

Oak Ridge traveled down Interstate 75 Friday evening to face the Cherokees of McMinn County High School in Athens. Oak Ridge (4-0, 2-0 District 3-AAA) was coming off of a 42-0 win against Halls, while McMinn County (0-5, 0-1 District 5-AAA) was looking to rebound after a 32-point loss to Alcoa last week.

The Wildcats got things started quickly in the first quarter after getting on the board with a five-yard touchdown run from Jaylen Nickerson. Just minutes later shortly after a Cherokee turnover, Nickerson carried the ball in from 22 yards out for his second touchdown of the game.

With 1:39 left in the first quarter, junior quarterback Logan Fadnek connected with Jordan Dunbar to once again get the Wildcats into the end zone. At the end of the first quarter, Oak Ridge had jumped out to a 21-point lead. [Read more…]

After sluggish start, Wildcats double scoring output in second half

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Malik Hardy and Halls Red Devils

Senior wide receiver Malik Hardy (15) runs for a 16-yard touchdown in the third quarter as the Wildcats beat the Halls Red Devils 42-0 in Oak Ridge on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:35 a.m. Sept. 13.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats got off to a sluggish start in the first half on Friday, but doubled their scoring output in the second.

All of the second-half points—four touchdowns—came in the third quarter of the 42-0 win over the Halls Red Devils, the second shutout of the season for the Wildcats.

Junior running back T.J. Allison (six carries, 53 yards) rushed for three touchdowns for the Wildcats, one in the first half and two in the second.

Red Devils coach J.D. Overton said Halls is a young, inexperienced team that was playing without a half-dozen starters on Friday night at Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge. He declined to say why the players were sitting out the game. Two of those starters play offense and defense.

“They didn’t play tonight,” Overton said. “That’s all I’m going to say.” [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge scores six TDs in first start for Fadnek

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Shawmain Fleming and Clinton Dragons Zack Jones

Oak Ridge defenders, including nose guard Shawmain Fleming (#78), wrap up an elusive Clinton running back, junior Zack Jones (#10). (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 p.m. Sept. 7.

CLINTON—Clinton struck first, scoring on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the game.

But Oak Ridge answered with two touchdowns of its own. The second score, a five-yard run by junior T.J. Allison, put Oak Ridge on top 14-7 at 5:38 in the first quarter. The Wildcats never trailed again.

Four other Wildcats (2-0, 1-0 District 3-AAA) also scored touchdowns in the 44-21 win over the Dragons (1-2, 0-2), the first district game of the season for Oak Ridge, and junior Brandon Nickle added a field goal.

It was the first start for junior Wildcats quarterback Logan Fadnek. Fadnek also played last week against the Farragut Admirals, but junior Gavin Warrington started at quarterback in that game. On Friday, Fadnek completed 11 of 21 passes (52.4 percent) for 196 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.

Sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins had a team-high 117 yards on five catches, including a 35-yard touchdown pass lofted high in the air near the right pylon with 32 seconds left in the first quarter. Higgins, who is 6’3” and 175 pounds and also plays basketball, was second in rushing yards, picking up 33 yards on one carry. [Read more…]

Updated: Wildcats shut out Farragut on long kicks, interception

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Gavin Warrington of Oak Ridge Wildcats

Oak Ridge used two quarterbacks on Friday, junior Gavin Warrington, #11 above, and junior Logan Fadnek. Also pictured above is junior running back Isiah Jones, #20. (Photos by Julio Culiat.)

 

Note: This story was last updated with new photos at 11:30 p.m. August 30.

Oak Ridge coach Joe Gaddis savored the 13-0 shutout during the season opener against the Farragut Admirals on Friday night.

“Anytime you get out a shutout against anyone, it’s sweet,” Gaddis told the team during a post-game huddle. “Against these guys, it’s even sweeter.”

Neither offense was able to score a touchdown at Blankenship Field. The Wildcats scored twice on long kicks by junior Brandon Nickle—the first was 44 yards and the second was 46—and an interception returned up the left sideline for a 76-yard touchdown by cornerback Jemiah Hall.

Senior cornerback and wide receiver Ted Mitchell had a momentum-stopping interception near the goal line with about a minute-and-a-half to play, ending Farragut’s final drive deep in Wildcats territory.

“They were moving the ball, and I knew we had to come up with a big play,” Mitchell said of his first-ever goal-line pick. “I didn’t care who it was. Luckily, it was me.” [Read more…]

Wildcats open regular season at home against Farragut tonight

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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…]