Oak Ridge Today

Caleb Jackson scores twice, recovers two turnovers in Wildcats’ win at Lenoir City

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Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson (25) scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers in Lenoir City. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

LENOIR CITY—Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers.

Senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, a Clemson commitment, added three touchdowns for Oak Ridge.

The Wildcats scored on their first four drives, once after intercepting Lenoir City sophomore quarterback Gabe Williams.

Halfway through the regular season, Oak Ridge is undefeated at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-5A.

Lenoir City fell to 1-4 and 0-2 with the loss at home on Cecil Thomas Field.

Oak Ridge plays Sevier County (1-4, 1-1 Region 1-5A) at home on Blankenship Field at 7:30 p.m. September 23. It’s Homecoming Night. [Read more…]

Duhamel one of three male athletes of year for Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame

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Tennessee School for Deaf Duhamel Run at State Track Meet May 27 2016 Moore

Gashaw Duhamel, who ran cross country for Oak Ridge High School in the fall and track for Tennessee School for the Deaf this spring, has been named one of three male athletes of the year by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. Duhamel, left, an Oak Ridge resident and senior at Tennessee School for the Deaf, finished second in the Class A-AA 3,200-meter run in the state track and field meet in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 27, 2016. (File photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Gashaw Duhamel, who ran cross country for Oak Ridge High School in the fall and track for Tennessee School for the Deaf this spring, has been named one of three male athletes of the year by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.

Duhamel, a high school senior and Oak Ridge resident, was selected based on his track accomplishments, said Jimmy Hyams, sports director at WNML Radio Knoxville.

Also selected were Sevier County pitcher Zach Linginfelter and Fulton High School football/basketball player Kentell Williams, who made All-State twice in two sports, Hyams said.

Duhamel finished second on May 27 in the boys’ state championship 3,200-meter run in Class A-AA in the state track and field championship meet in Murfreesboro. Before that, he finished second in the Class A-AA East Section Finals on May 19 at Christian Academy of Knoxville. [Read more…]

Soccer: Wildcats finish as Region 2 runner-up, play Dobyns-Bennett this afternoon

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Oak Ridge junior midfielder Brent Robinson (6) and Bearden senior Gabe Alvarez (33), who scored two goals, battle for the soccer ball during a 4-1 win for the Bulldogs at Bearden on Thursday, May 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—Oak Ridge finished as Region 2-AAA runner-up at Bearden on Thursday, and the Wildcats play Dobyns-Bennett in a sectional soccer game in Kingsport this afternoon (Saturday, May 21). The winner of that game will advance to the Class AAA state tournament in Murfreesboro next week.

The Wildcats (14-8) lost to the Bulldogs 4-1 at Bearden on Thursday. Oak Ridge senior goalkeeper Joel Turner was busy the entire game, trying to keep a steady stream of Bearden shots out of the net. The Bulldogs finished with 31 shots, or about one shot every 2.5 minutes. Eighteen of those shots were on goal.

Bearden (19-3) scored in quick back-to-back goals less than three minutes apart late in the first half and about 30 seconds apart late in the second.

Oak Ridge scored its only goal with 1:14 remaining on a penalty kick by senior defender Blake Clowers.

Bearden seniors Spencer Smiley and Gabe Alvarez had two goals each for the Bulldogs. [Read more…]

Baseball: Admirals rout Morristown East to reach state tournament

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Farragut High School’s baseball team punched its ticket to the Class AAA state tournament with a 13-0 victory over Morristown East in a sectional game at John Heatherly Field at the Ballpark in Farragut.

The Admirals, who posted a runner-up finish in Murfreesboro in 2015, will begin their quest for a 10th state title Tuesday.

Farragut (37-6) had endured some offensive struggles during the postseason but broke out in a big way against Powell in the Region 2-AAA championship game in Farragut on Wednesday night. The Admirals scored five runs in their last at-bat against the Panthers and came off the field with a 6-5 victory after erasing an early five-run deficit.

Farragut wasted little time Friday picking up where it left off Wednesday. The Admirals took advantage of a pair of errors by the Hurricanes in the bottom of the first and scored six runs on just three hits in the bottom of the first inning. [Read more…]

Wildcats eliminate Maryville, move on to Region 2 championship

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Oak Ridge senior defender Blake Clowers (3), pictured here in front of Maryville senior Luke Orren (11), scores the winning goal on a header off a corner kick by senior forward Austin Vinyard in a 2-1 Region 2-AAA semifinal win for the Wildcats at home on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:35 a.m.

Oak Ridge eliminated Maryville 2-1 in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game at home on Tuesday, and the Wildcats advance to play at Bearden in the region championship on Thursday.

Oak Ridge scored the winning goal on a header by senior defender Blake Clowers off a corner kick by junior forward Austin Vinyard with 8:21 remaining in the playoff elimination game.

The Wildcats are guaranteed two more games: the Region 2-AAA championship and a state sectional. In the sectionals, the Region 1 champion plays the Region 2 runner-up, and the Region 2 champion plays the Region 1 runner-up.

The Region 2 championship game will start at 4 p.m. Thursday at Bearden High School in Knoxville. The sectionals are Saturday.

The Region 1 championship between Sevier County and Dobyns-Bennett starts at 6 p.m. Thursday in Sevierville.

[Read more…]

Wildcats opened track, field season at Hardin Valley

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Boys 400-meter (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Boys 400-meter dash (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—The Oak Ridge Wildcats opened their track and field season at Hardin Valley on Saturday, March 26.

The boys and girls teams finished about in the middle of the pack, Wildcats Coach Allen Etheridge said. The girls team was 11th out of 29 teams, and the boys were 18th in a field of 27.

But the teams didn’t set up to “score a ton of points,” Etheridge said.

The Wildcats were missing a few athletes, and with many new students on the team, they were trying new athletes in a few events and experimenting with different combinations.

“I saw a lot to be happy about,” Etheridge said. The teams have potential to be really good, Etheridge said.

The season opener was the Hardin Valley Academy Invitational. It featured 39 teams and 896 athletes.

Here are top 10 finishes for Oak Ridge girls: [Read more…]

Football playoff brackets posted: Oak Ridge plays Soddy-Daisy

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins and Soddy-Daisy Trojans

Oak Ridge wide receiver Tee Higgins (5), who was then a sophomore, catches a 30-yard touchdown pass over defender Christian Bell of the Soddy Daisy Trojans at 5:51 in the third quarter in the first round of the 2014 football playoffs on November 7 on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The state football playoff brackets have been posted. Oak Ridge will play Soddy-Daisy on Blankenship Field at 7 p.m. Friday, November 6.

Oak Ridge (9-1) is the number two seed in Region 3 in Class 5A, and Soddy-Daisy (7-3) is the number three seed in Region 4. The Wildcats beat the Trojans 53-28 in the first round of the 2014 playoffs after a close first half.

Here is the schedule for other Region 3-5A teams on Friday: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge ranked third in AP high school football poll

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Football Helmet

The Oak Ridge Wildcats (8-1) are ranked third in Class 5A in this week’s Associated Press high school football poll.

Coming in at the top two spots are Independence (9-0) at number one and Hendersonville (8-1) at number 2.

Oak Ridge moved up from number seven last week.

Farragut (8-1), which beat Oak Ridge 31-14 on September 4, is number four, and Sevier County (8-2), which lost to the Wildcats 44-34 on September 24, is number six. Farragut moved up from number eight last week, and Sevier County moved up from number 10.

See the complete poll results for Class 1A to Class 6A on the Tennessean website here.

Photos: Oak Ridge and Sevier County football

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Wildcats T.J. Allison at Sevier County Sept. 24, 2015

T.J. Allison (6) had his second two-touchdown game this year in a 44-34 win over Sevier County on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. Allison scored on one-yard and 10-yard runs. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was updated with more photos at 4:23 p.m.

SEVIERVILLE—Oak Ridge scored three touchdowns and a field goal on four turnovers by Sevier County in a 44-34 win in Sevierville on Thursday.

The Wildcats added three more touchdowns without the help of turnovers to maintain their game-long lead over the Smoky Bears in a televised game on Hardin-Robertson Field.

Here are photos from the Thursday night game by Julio Culiat.

Wildcats Caleb Jackson at Sevier County on Sept. 24, 2015

Oak Ridge junior Caleb Jackson (25) had a touchdown for the Wildcats on a 57-yard catch from quarterback Logan Fadnek in a 44-34 win over Sevier County on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

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Wildcats score on four turnovers in 44-34 win at Sevier County

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Wildcats Jordan Graham and Sevier County on Sept. 24, 2015

Oak Ridge freshman Jordan Graham (30), who led the Wildcats in rushing, scores on a 74-yard touchdown run, widening the Wildcats’ lead to 37-20 at 9:19 in the fourth quarter in Sevierville on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:09 p.m.

SEVIERVILLE—Oak Ridge scored three touchdowns and a field goal on four turnovers by Sevier County in a 44-34 win in Sevierville on Thursday.

The Wildcats added three more touchdowns without the help of turnovers to maintain their game-long lead over the Smoky Bears in a televised game on Hardin-Robertson Field.

Sevier County, which fought to stay in the game until the end, had more total yards than Oak Ridge, 441 compared to 379. The Smoky Bears had almost twice as many first downs, 19 to 10. But the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Region 3-Class 5A) converted two interceptions and a fumble recovery into touchdowns, and a third interception led to a field goal.

“We won the turnover battle big time,” Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said. “Our defense played well all night.” [Read more…]

Wildcats freshman scores three TDs in 55-15 win over Lenoir City

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Wildcats Jordan Graham Touchdown and Panther

With UT Coach Butch Jones watching from the sidelines, Oak Ridge freshman running back Jordan Graham (30) runs for his third touchdown, a 60-yard sprint, in a 55-15 win over Lenoir City on Homecoming Night at Blankenship Field. Blocking at right are senior Darel Middleton (9) and junior Tee Higgins (5). Middleton and Higgins both had TD catches on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:15 p.m. Sept. 19.

Wildcats freshman running back Jordan Graham scored three touchdowns, including one on the opening kickoff return and another in front of University of Tennessee Coach Butch Jones, during a 55-15 win over Lenoir City on Homecoming Night at Blankenship Field on Friday.

“It was a great experience,” Graham said. He gave credit to his teammates and their blocking for setting up his first three Wildcats touchdowns.

Graham, who ended with more than 100 yards rushing, started the scoring on a 91-yard kickoff return on the first play of the game. He initially fumbled the ball, but he recovered his own fumble and raced to the Panther end zone, first making defenders miss and then outrunning them.

Graham, a small, fast 14-year-old, scored again at 5:51 in the second quarter, sweeping around the right side of the offensive line after a toss from senior quarterback Jordan Dunbar, weaving through defenders in the center of the field, and running 59 yards to score inside the left pylon, making it 21-8. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge drops from top spot to No. 7 in weekly football poll

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins TD Catch and Farragut Admirals

Oak Ridge junior receiver Tee Higgins (5) hauls in his first touchdown catch, a 37-yard reception, at 6:47 in the first quarter at Farragut on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Also pictured is Farragut defender Justin Kirkendall (3). The Admirals won 31-14. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats dropped from number one to number seven in the Associated Press’ weekly football poll in Tennessee.

The Wildcats (2-1) fell six spots in Class 5A after losing to Farragut 31-14 at Bill Clabo Field on Friday.

Sevier County (3-0), which will play Oak Ridge in Sevier County on Friday, September 24, moved up to number three from number four.

See the complete poll results as reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel here.

The Wildcats play at Anderson County at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 11.

Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis will discuss last week’s game and this Friday’s game during Coaches Corner at 8 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 9) at Pizza Inn in Oak Ridge.