Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats need to play tougher, more aggressively, Gaddis says

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Oak Ridge and South-Doyle Scrimmage

Sophomore Damarea Whitt of the Oak Ridge Wildcats, right, breaks up a pass intended for senior Chad Barksdale of the South-Doyle Cherokees during a pre-season scrimmage at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

The regular season starts in two weeks, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats need to play tougher and more aggressively, Coach Joe Gaddis said after the team’s second pre-season scrimmage on Thursday.

The Wildcats played the South-Doyle Cherokees at Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School. It was also the second scrimmage for the Cherokees.

The South-Doyle varsity team scored three times to Oak Ridge’s two. The Wildcats played better as the scrimmage progressed and the team made adjustments, but the Cherokees “drove down the throat” on their first two possessions, Gaddis said.

“That’s not good,” he said. “We’ve got to play tougher, more aggressively, more physical.” [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge, Maryville football scrimmage

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Ted Mitchell Catch

Oak Ridge Wildcats senior receiver Ted Mitchell (Photos by Tim Waddell)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats played their first scrimmage of the season against the Maryville Rebels on Friday night at Blankenship Field. The Wildcats struggled on offense against a tough Maryville defense. The final score was 28-3.

The Rebels, the defending state Class 6A champions, were playing their third scrimmage, and they have eight returning starters on defense from last year’s 15-0 team. But the Class 5A Wildcats has two interceptions against the Rebels.

Oak Ridge opens the regular season at home against Farragut on August 29.

Here are pictures from the Friday night scrimmage by Tim Waddell of the Wildcats Football Booster Club. [Read more…]

Wildcats have scrimmage against Maryville tonight

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Football Helmet

The Oak Ridge Wildcats have a scrimmage against the Maryville Rebels at 7 p.m. today (Friday, August 8) at Blankenship Field.

Admission is $3 per person.

If there is lightning or enough rain to damage the field, the scrimmage will be postponed to Monday night. More information should be available by 5:15 p.m. today.

The football season starts at home against Farragut on August 29.

See the Oak Ridge Wildcats football website or Facebook page for more information.

ORHS football camp dates moved to Wednesday, Thursday

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Joe Gaddis

Joe Gaddis

Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and his staff are hosting a football camp for youth players ages 5-12. The camp was originally scheduled for July 9-11, but because of the rain last week, the camp has been moved to 10 a.m. to noon this Wednesday and Thursday.

Red Sox sign Steen, a right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge

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BOSTON, Mass.—The Boston Red Sox have signed ninth-round selection Kevin Steen, a right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge High School.

The Red Sox drafted Steen in June. He had committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, and he was the 284th pick in the three-day, 40-round MLB First-Year Player Draft in June.

Steen, who was a senior at ORHS this past year, also played basketball for the Oak Ridge Wildcats and helped lead the team to a state championship game in March for the first time since 1963. Oak Ridge finished as state Class AAA runner-up. [Read more…]

Honors: Gipson selected to Capital One Academic All-America third team

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Autumn Gipson Christmas Invitational

Oak Ridge High School graduate and Middle Tennessee State University student Autumn Gipson, right, running next to teammate Jackline Kiprono, left, in the mile at the Christmas Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MT Athletic Communications)

 

First Blue Raider in track and field and cross country

AUSTIN, Texas—Autumn Gipson, a senior runner at Middle Tennessee State University and former all-star athlete at Oak Ridge High School, was selected to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country third team. The College Sport Information Directors of America announced the selection in late June.

Gipson, a key contributor for MTSU in cross country and track and field, is an exercise science major that has maintained a 4.0 grade point average, the university said in a story posted on its website. She was also selected to the Conference USA Women’s Track and Field All-Academic team on May 28 and the C-USA Women’s Cross Country All-Academic team in November 2013.

“Gipson is the perfect combination of putting academics and athletics together,” said Middle Tennessee head coach Dean Hayes. “She is a good student and has done good things athletically, while making the most of her opportunity at Middle Tennessee. What she has done in the classroom and on the track will help her find success in the future.”

The Knoxville native notched two top-10 finishes in cross country, placing as high as eighth on the two-mile course at the Front Runner Invitational, the MTSU story said. During the indoor season, she tallied three individual top-15 finishes and was a member of the distance medley relay, which placed in the top seven in the five meets they competed in. The relay team captured first at the Edward S. Temple Classic and seventh at the C-USA Indoor Championships. [Read more…]

Red Sox draft Oak Ridge pitcher Kevin Steen

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Dobyns-Bennett

Kevin Steen, right, played for the Oak Ridge Wildcats basketball and baseball teams, and the right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Boston Red Sox on Friday. He is pictured above with Jaylin Henderson, left, during a March basketball game in Kingsport defending Tyleke Love of Dobyns-Bennett. (Photo by Ned Jilton II/Kingsport Times News)

The Boston Red Sox picked Kevin Steen, a right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge High School, in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday.

Steen, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, was the 284th pick in the three-day, 40-round First-Year Player Draft, which had more than 1,200 selections.

He was one of of four right-handers picked by the Red Sox on Day 2 of the draft, with only one selection coming straight from high school, the team said in a press release.

Steen also played basketball for the Oak Ridge Wildcats and helped lead the team to a state championship game in March for the first time since 1963. Oak Ridge finished as state Class AAA runner-up. [Read more…]

Photos: Wildcats spring drills end with South Doyle scrimmage today

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Defensive Linemen

Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Phil Thompson works with the defensive linemen and defensive ends on the tackling sled. (Photos by Tim Waddell)

 

The 2014 Oak Ridge Wildcat football team will conclude their spring drills with a scrimmage against the South Doyle Cherokees. The scrimmage will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 (today), at South Doyle.

The rain date for the scrimmage will be 7 p.m. Friday, May 16. South Doyle will charge $3 per person admittance to the scrimmage. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge loses first Battle of Solway Bridge, but coach vows victory next year

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Hardin Valley High Jump

Hardin Valley won the trophy in the Battle of the Solway Bridge with Oak Ridge on Tuesday, but Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge is already planning a victory next year.

Oak Ridge coach vows victory next year; Tuesday’s results posted below

Hardin Valley Academy won the trophy at the first Battle of the Solway Bridge track meet in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, but Wildcats Coach Allen Etheridge is already planning a victory at the second annual event.

“We’re planning two victory laps at HVA next year!” Etheridge joked in a Wednesday morning e-mail.

The Battle of the Solway Bridge at Ben Martin Track on Tuesday pitted two track powers against each other one-on-one.

“We will line up our best people in our best events against theirs,” Etheridge said before the meet. On Tuesday, Etheridge said dual meets like the Battle of the Solway Bridge are unusual. Most track meets feature five to 25 teams and sometimes more. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Hunt donates to ORHS boys’ basketball team for state tournament

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Brian Hunt and Aaron Green

Brian Hunt, left, a candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge is pictured above with Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball coach Aaron Green. (Submitted photo)

Brian Hunt, a candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, recently made a donation to the Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team.

The boys team traveled to Murfreesboro in March to play in the state championship game for the first time in 51 years.  The Wildcats lost 60-58 to the Blackman Blaze 60-58 in the championship game, but they were named 2014 State Runner-Up.

“I want to acknowledge and commend the team and their head coach for all their hard work this year and let them know their community is proud of their efforts,” Hunt said in a press release.

Wildcats’ lead slips away in fourth quarter of state championship

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Oak Ridge Wildcats 2014 State Runner Up

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were named Class AAA State Runner-Up after a 60-58 loss to the Blackman Blaze in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge Wildcats gave up an 11-point lead in a series of turnovers in the fourth quarter before losing to the Blackman Blaze 60-58 in a state championship game in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

Wildcats senior Jaylin Henderson had a game-high 24 points in the Class AAA final, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the combined scoring of four Blaze players who scored 10 or more each. The Wildcats were named 2014 State Runner-Up.

Oak Ridge (32-8) looked like it was headed to victory in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but the Blaze (28-6) stepped up the pressure and the Wildcats weren’t able to protect the ball.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said a series of five fourth-quarter turnovers, including back-to-back steals, shifted the momentum. Many of the Wildcats’ turnovers led to easy layups, and the Blaze went on a 14-0 scoring run at the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. [Read more…]

Wildcats will play for state championship after beating Arlington 57-56

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Arlington Tigers

The Oak Ridge Wildcats found a scoring formula that worked well on Friday: get the ball inside to senior Isaac Merian (#33) and let him fake out a defender before shooting in double and triple coverage.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team will play for a state championship for the first time in 51 years after beating the Arlington Tigers 57-56 in a semifinal game in Murfreesboro on Friday. It was a victory decided by a tie-breaking free throw with only a few seconds remaining.

The Wildcats (32-7) will now battle the Blackman Blaze (27-6) in the Class AAA state tournament finals in Murfreesboro on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Isaac Merian overcame double and triple teams on Friday to lead all scorers with 21 points. He often faked a shot, let a defender go by, and then fired.

“I just kept playing my game, and my shots kept falling,” said Merian, a 6-foot-6 power forward who also had three blocks. “It’s probably one of the most memorable games. I’ll tell this one to my kids.” [Read more…]