Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge shuts out Campbell County to win region championship, secure home-field advantage

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-campbell-county-football-tre-jackson-run-oct-27-2016-web

Oak Ridge sophomore Tre Jackson (6) ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns during a 28-0 region championship win at Campbell County on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

JACKSBORO—Oak Ridge won the regional championship and secured home-field advantage to start the playoffs with a 28-0 win at Campbell County on Thursday.

The Thursday night shutout win followed two disappointing losses this month, one at McMinn County and the other at Webb. Both games were decided by four points or less.

After giving up 393 yards at Webb a week earlier, the Wildcats (8-2, 5-0 Region 3-5A) held the Cougars to 183 yards of total offense in the regular-season finale on Thursday.

The defense played great, Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said.

“Nobody has really shut them down like we did tonight, and no one has come close to shutting them out,” Gaddis said. “Tonight, we were ready to play.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge boys, Etheridge are Region 2 champs, headed to state cross country meet

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-jake-etheridge-finish-boys-cross-country-region-2-meet-oct-27-2016-web

Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge finished first in the boys’ race in the Region 2-AAA cross country meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge and the boys’ cross country team finished first in the Region 2-AAA meet in Knoxville on Thursday, and they will race in the state meet next Saturday.

It’s the third regional championship in a row for the boys’ team. It’s the second year in a row for Oak Ridge to have the top male racer. Gashaw Duhamel, who ran for Oak Ridge as a senior last year, was the top runner last year.

The boys’ cross country team finished as state runner-up in 2015. Brentwood, a Nashville area school, was state champion with two of the three top runners (one a sophomore and one a junior), and that team is considered a favorite again this year. Other top teams this year include Daniel Boone of upper East Tennessee, which has been a strong team, and Wilson Central of Nashville.

Etheridge led the entire 5,000-meter, or 5k, run during the Region 2-AAA meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday.

“I got out hard, and I kept going,” said Etheridge, who finished with a time of 16:27.87. That was about 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Seth Bowden of Maryville High School. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats keep composure, Ellison scores 21 in Region 2 semifinal win

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lady-Wildcats-Ellison-Shoots-William-Blount-Feb-29-2016

Oak Ridge junior Courtney Ellison (10) scored a career-high 21 points for the Lady Wildcats during a 64-53 Region 2-AAA semifinal win over William Blount at Bearden on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:25 a.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats battled back from an eight-point deficit in the second quarter of a Region 2 semifinal win against William Blount on Monday and kept their composure against a swarming defense to advance to the regional championship against Bearden on Wednesday.

The Lady Wildcats (26-4) permanently seized the lead about halfway through the second quarter behind the 10 first-half points of junior Courtney Ellison. They widened the lead to as many as 16 points in the second half before finishing ahead 64-53 in the Region 2-AAA elimination semifinal at Bearden High School.

Ellison led Oak Ridge with 21 points, a career high. Late in the third quarter, she made a three-point shot and a field goal within about 45 seconds to help open up a 44-31 lead. She added two more field goals from the left and right baseline late in the fourth quarter to maintain an Oak Ridge margin of about 10 points.

“I was really into it tonight,” Ellison said. “I was really wanting the win, and it was there.”

It’s the first time the Lady Wildcats have made it to the regional championship since 2010, the last year Jill Prudden coached Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

OS Bobcats repeat as region champions with 18-12 win over Spring City

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oliver Springs 2015 Middle School Football Eighth-graders

The Oliver Springs Bobcats 2015 middle school football eighth-graders are pictured above. (Photo courtesy BBB-TV)

 

Information courtesy BBB-TV

The Oliver Springs Bobcats middle school team repeated as region champions with an 18-12 victory over Spring City on Thursday night.

Here is more information from BBB-TV:

Oliver Springs redeemed their earlier loss on the season to Spring City on Thursday night in the Regional Championship game in Spring City by defeating the Bulldogs 18-12.

Lane Lee scored two touchdowns and threw for another to Jackson Baker for the Bobcats (7-2).

This was back-to-back championships for the Bobcats as they beat Spring City last year at Oliver Springs in their undefeated season. [Read more…]

Saturday at Oak Ridge: Wildcats play Heritage, Bearden takes on Maryville

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Region 2-AAA basketball tournament semifinals will be played in Oak Ridge this evening.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will take on Heritage at 7:30 p.m. That game will be preceded by a match between Bearden and Maryville that starts at 6 p.m.

The games will be played at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge boys, girls cross country sweep region, prepare for state

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Boys Cross Country 2014 Region 2-AAA Champions

The Oak Ridge boys cross country team won the regional championship during a Region 2-AAA meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photos by Nichole Zawisza)

 

KNOXVILLE—For the first time since 2008, the Oak Ridge boys and girls cross country teams swept the regional championships, and the two high school teams will compete in the state meet in Nashville next Saturday.

Boys Team

The Wildcats saw some stiff competition at the Region 2-AAA meet at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday, but the Oak Ridge boys’ team had no trouble collectively running past all challengers in the 5,000 meter run. Although Dartanian Oakley of Hardin Valley took home first place, three Oak Ridge runners followed right behind him. Gashaw Duhamel finished second with a time of 16:22:08, Wesley Robinson finished third with a time of 16:25:57, and Tyler Boullie finished fourth with a time 16:32:36. Both Duhamel’s and Robinson’s finishes met the national silver standard, which is finishing a race before the 16:30:00 mark.

The rest of the Oak Ridge boys’ team finished strongly as well. Jacob Etheridge finished seventh with a time of 16:52:39. Shortly behind him were Daniel Beckett running at 16:54:74 to finish 10th and Thomas Colburn running 16:57:14 to finish 11th. Rounding out the seven runners for Oak Ridge was Jose Villegas, who finished 17th with a time of 17:13:91. [Read more…]

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

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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…]

Lady Wildcats win District 3 Championship, play for regional title Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Volleyball District Champions

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team won the District 3-AAA championship on Wednesday night at Central High School and will play for a regional title at Bearden High School on Tuesday. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted by Coach Carmen Foster

The Oak Ridge High School Lady Wildcats volleyball team went into the District 3-AAA volleyball tournament undefeated.

The Lady Wildcats faced the winner of Powell and Central for their first match last week. Powell overcame a scrappy Central team to advance into the District Round.

The Lady Wildcats beat Powell in straight sets: 25-9, 25-15, and 25-13. They were led by a wonderful serving game led by senior captain Rachel Card and freshmen Reagan Dickens with nine and 10 service aces, respectively. Sophomore Alex Sherles had the most kills of the evening with 10. Sophomore Beth Wyatt, who is currently replacing the injured Emily Lawless in the setter position, added 32 assists. [Read more…]

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

Posted at
By 2 Comments

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…]

Oak Ridge Wildcats win regional championship over Maryville

Posted at
By 3 Comments

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys basketball team won a regional championship game 71-54 over the Maryville Rebels on Thursday night.

Oak Ridge took an early 14-0 lead and never looked back, although Maryville was able to occasionally cut the lead to single digits. Oak Ridge had a 20-point lead with less than a minute to play.

The Wildcats will host the Sevier County Smoky Bears at 7 p.m. Monday at the Wildcat Arena.