Oak Ridge Today

After slow start, Wildcats open up large lead against Powell

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Tee HIggins Dunks During the Oak Ridge Wildcats

Freshman Tee Higgins of the Oak Ridge Wildcats fires up fans with a one-handed dunk during the Friday night win over the Powell Panthers.

Led by the 26 points of senior Jaylin Henderson, the Oak Ridge Wildcats opened up a large lead against Powell in the second half on Friday night, avenging a loss to the Panthers earlier this season with a 79-47 win.

The Panthers (10-6, 6-4 in District 3) jumped out to an early lead as the Wildcats missed some easy shots in the first quarter. But the 6-foot-1 Henderson kept the Wildcats alive, and senior Isaac Merian dropped in a three-pointer near the end of the first quarter that gave Oak Ridge its first lead of the night. The Wildcats (19-5, 9-1) never looked back.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said it was likely the best game of the year for Henderson, a senior guard. He defended well, didn’t force shots, and wasn’t selfish with the ball, Green said. Henderson had six rebounds and five assists. [Read more…]

Wildcats hold lead, hand Karns its first district loss

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Basketball

Senior Isaac Merian goes up for a shot as the Oak Ridge Wildcats keep their halftime lead on Saturday and give the Karns Beavers their first district loss.

KARNS—Oak Ridge fans grew nervous as Karns chipped away at a 13-point halftime lead on Saturday night, but the Wildcats were able to hang on for a 70-64 win, handing the Beavers their first district loss and giving the fans a satisfying victory.

The Wildcats were up 39-26 at halftime, but Karns knocked the lead down to 65-64 with 41 seconds left in the hard-fought basketball game.

But Oak Ridge (17-5, 7-1 in District 3) held the lead and then widened it in the last half-minute through big plays and clutch free throws.

The Wildcats weren’t able to stop senior Devin Sibley of Karns on Saturday—he scored 29 points—but seniors Isaac Merian and Jaylin Henderson of Oak Ridge combined for 40 points, scoring 20 each. Ted Mitchell added 14, Gevantay Gee knocked down 11, and Kevin Steen contributed 5. [Read more…]

Wildcats take 66-37 win over Gibbs; Lady Wildcats fall 49-39

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Gibbs Eagles Basketball

The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Gibbs Eagles 66-37 at Wildcat Arena on Friday night.

They played without 6-foot-6 senior Isaac Merian on Friday, but the Oak Ridge Wildcats built a 30-13 scoring cushion in the first half and kept it in the second, taking a 66-37 win over the Gibbs Eagles at home.

The Wildcats (16-5, 6-1 in District 3) took advantage of a series of deflections and steals, especially in the first half, used an effective press, and stayed aggressive throughout the game, Oak Ridge coach Aaron Green said. Keeping the Eagles (0-12, 0-7) to 13 points in the first half was also important, Green said.

Merian injured his shoulder during a Tuesday night third-place game in the 2013 Arby’s Classic in Bristol, when the Wildcats lost 67-40 to the Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions. Merian is a scorer, protector, rebounder, and leader, and the team should know more about his shoulder injury after an MRI on Monday, Green said. [Read more…]

Wildcats fall in first round of playoffs to East Hamilton 25-10

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and East Hamilton Hurricanes

Hunter Parker, left, of East Hamilton knocks down a pass in front of Blake Goins, center, and Ted Mitchell of the Wildcats as the Hurricanes eliminate Oak Ridge from the Class 5A playoffs during a first-round game in Ooltewah on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

OOLTEWAH—The Oak Ridge Wildcats’ first season under returning Coach Joe Gaddis ended in a 25-10 loss to the East Hamilton Hurricanes on Friday.

The first-round playoff game on a cold night in Ooltewah was relatively close until the end of the third quarter, when the Hurricanes gained a 16-10 lead and started to pull away.

Oak Ridge struggled on offense throughout the game and had “no spark,” Gaddis said. The Wildcats finished the night with 183 total yards on offense, compared to 289 for the Hurricanes. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge boys’ cross country team finishes sixth in state championship

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Oak Ridge Cross Country Wesley Robinson

Junior Wesley Robinson had the top finish for the Oak Ridge Boys Cross Country team at the state championship in Nashville on Saturday. Robinson finished 29th overall, and Oak Ridge placed sixth. (Photos courtesy of Karen Fitchpatrick)

The Oak Ridge boys’ cross country team finished sixth in the state championship in Nashville on Saturday.

It was the Wildcats’ best finish since 2009, when Oak Ridge placed second, Coach Allen Etheridge said.

“It’s a really solid step for us,” Etheridge said.

He said the young team ran okay on the Percy Warner Park Steeplechase Course in Nashville, but it wasn’t Oak Ridge’s best race. Etheridge said the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course and the intensity of the competition and other factors might have surprised the boys a bit. [Read more…]

Wildcats to play East Hamilton in Chattanooga in first-round playoff game

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Farragut Admirals

The Oak Ridge Wildcats, pictured above at Farragut earlier this year, will travel to Chattanooga to take on the East Hamilton Hurricanes in a first-round playoff game on Friday.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats (7-3) will take on the East Hamilton Hurricanes (8-2) in Chattanooga on Friday in the first round of the Class 5A football playoffs. The game starts at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Anderson County Mavericks (9-1) will stay at home to battle the Cherokee Chiefs (5-5) from Rogersville.

The 2013 playoff brackets were announced Saturday morning by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, or TSSAA. The Class 5A bracket is available here. [Read more…]

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

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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…]

Trick or treating is on Halloween in Oak Ridge, Clinton, AC, OS, officials say

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Trick or treating is on Halloween in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Oliver Springs, officials said Monday.

Some parents and Oak Ridge Today readers have asked whether there is an official trick or treating date and time. There is not. The Oak Ridge City Manager’s Office said trick or treating is always on Halloween, and the city doesn’t specify times, leaving it up to the parents’ discretion.

Government representatives in Anderson County, Clinton, and Oliver Springs confirmed that there aren’t officials dates and times there either. [Read more…]

Wildcats extend district win streak to 3-0 at Central; play Anderson County on Halloween

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Isiah Jones

Oak Ridge Wildcats sophomore Isiah Jones runs for 138 yards on 18 carries on Friday night at Central High School. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Wildcats extended their district win streak to 3-0 against the Central High School Bobcats on Friday in Knoxville.

The final score was 24-13.

Next up is district rival Anderson County on Halloween. It’s the last regular-season game and a district title could be at stake.

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis has emphasized that he wants the Wildcats to go 4-0 in the final four district games. [Read more…]

Second-place finish for boys’ cross country sends ORHS to state

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Oak Ridge Cross Country's Wesley Robinson

Wesley Robinson, a junior and top finisher for the Oak Ridge High School boys’ team, finished sixth in a 5K race during a cross country regional championship at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photos by Nichole Zawisza)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge High School boys’ cross country team finished second in a regional championship in Knoxville on Thursday and will race in the state championship in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The girls’ team ran well but finished fourth, meaning they won’t get to compete in the state championship. It’s only open to the top three teams in the region.

Finishing first in the 5K race for the Oak Ridge boys, and sixth overall, was junior Wesley Robinson. He had a time of 16:44.31. That was his best race all year, Robinson said.

“I was very happy with my race,” he said. The course—two loops around Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville and a downhill finish—had several difficult hills and some rocky areas, Robinson said. [Read more…]

Wildcats prevail over Powell in 21-14 comeback

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Isiah Jones Touchdown Catch

Sophomore running back Isiah Jones catches the second touchdown for the Oak Ridge Wildcats at Powell on Friday night.

POWELL—The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Powell Panthers in a thrilling 21-14 come-from-behind win on Friday night in Powell.

The Wildcats were down two touchdowns at halftime, but a fired-up football team returned in the second half, scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and prevented Powell from scoring again.

“I’m so proud of this football team right now,” Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis said. “You find out a lot about yourself when you stare adversity in the face.”

In some ways, it resembled the season opener against Farragut, when Oak Ridge struggled to score in the first half but came alive in the second.

[Read more…]

Robertsville Rams finish season 8-1, win conference championship

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Robertsville Middle School Rams

The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finished the season with an 8-1 overall record. (Submitted photo)

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The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finish the season with an 8-1 overall record, with their only loss coming in a double overtime thriller against Christian Academy of Knoxville.

This team is the first to win a conference championship at Robertsville since 2006. The win over Rhea Central marks an impressive seven-game win streak for the Rams football program led by some strong future Oak Ridge Wildcats.

“This team has been fun to coach. They battle every game. Even in our one loss, they realize and see how close we were,” said Chris Layton, head football coach of Robertsville Middle School. [Read more…]