Oak Ridge Today

Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch

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After a close district loss at West earlier this month, the Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Rebels by 17 points, 55-38, in a rematch at home on Friday.

The loss at West earlier this month, on January 10, was the only district loss of the season for the Oak Ridge boys.

The Wildcats were led in the win over the Rebels on Friday by Grayson Strader, Ray’Quan Watson, and Kaden Brightharp, who each had 11 points, according to Prepradio.com broadcaster David Clary.

Oak Ridge is tied with Karns for best record in District 3-4A, where both teams are 7-1. However, the Wildcats have a win over the Beavers, a narrow 67-64 victory at Karns on January 13.

The two teams will meet again next week, this time at Wildcat Arena. That game will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats are undefeated at 8-0 in their district, District 3-4A, and the girls have only two district games remaining in the regular season.

Oak Ridge defeated West at home on Friday, 59-12. The Lady Rebels are 0-8 in the district.

The Lady Wildcats were led Friday by Ze’Yana Stewart with 16 points and Lindsay Cleveland with 10, according to Prepradio.com broadcaster David Clary.

The Lady Wildcats’ next game is at home on Tuesday against Karns, which is second in the district with a 6-1 record. The game will start at 6 p.m. at Wildcat Arena.

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Basketball: Wildcats play in sectional game Monday

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Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA championship game 76-61 against Clinton at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. (Photo by Zack James/used with permission)

They won the District 3-AAA championship game against Clinton. They advanced to the Region 2 championship game by defeating West and Maryville in quarterfinal and semifinal games.

On Thursday, in the championship game, they finished second in the region, losing 55-52 to Bearden after narrowing a 15-point Bulldogs lead late in the third quarter to one point late in the fourth.

Tonight, Monday, March 8, the Oak Ridge Wildcats (26-5) will play for a chance to compete in the state basketball tournament. They will travel to Dobyns-Bennett (25-4) in Kingsport in upper East Tennessee for one of eight Class AAA sectional games across the state. The winners of the sectional games advance to the state tournament in Murfreesboro, and the season is over for the losers.

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Football photos: Oak Ridge at West in quarterfinal win

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (Photo by Barry Houchin used with permission)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday.

Here are photos by Barry Houchin, used with permission.

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Wildcats advance to semifinals after win over West

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. Above, Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons (14) runs with the football as Preston Turner (22) blocks. (Photo by Barry Houchin used with permission)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday.

The semifinal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, November 27, against South Doyle (10-3) on Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge.

Before Friday, the Wildcats (10-3) had lost to the Rebels 22-7 during the regular season in September. A year ago, their season ended at West (12-2) in a 34-14 second-round loss.

The Wildcats led early in the Friday night game, but West took the lead late in the second quarter and held it into the fourth quarter. Then, the two teams traded leads three times in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons threw the winning touchdown to senior wide receiver Jonathan Stewart with 2:33 remaining in the game.

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Volleyball: Lady Wildcats win fourth straight district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship at Bearden High School on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (Photo submitted by Buzz Patrick)

The Oak Ridge volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship on Thursday.

The Lady Wildcats were undefeated in the district during the regular season, and as a result, they did not have to play in the first round of the district tournament, which was at Bearden High School.

Here is information about the tournament provided by Buzz Patrick:

Oak Ridge faced the number five seed, Karns, in the semifinal match on Thursday, and the Lady Wildcats swept the Lady Beavers in three sets (25-12, 25-15, 25-16) behind the stellar serving of junior Paige Halcrow, who notched seven aces against the Lady Beavers to help the ‘Cats counteract some of their own passing errors.

After a short break, the Lady Wildcats faced the number two seed, West, in the finals. Oak Ridge defeated West for the third time this year (25-22, 25-12, 25-12) to earn the 2019 District 4-AAA tournament championship to accompany their regular season championship.

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Volleyball: Oak Ridge is 9-1 overall, 4-0 in district

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats are 9-1 overall this volleyball season, and they are 4-0 in district games.

The team will play again after the Labor Day weekend, traveling to Knoxville Catholic on Tuesday and to play district opponent Powell on Thursday.

Here are summaries of games this season submitted by Buzz Patrick, with some light editing.

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Wildcats win district championship, then beat West in regional game

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats won the District 3-AAA basketball championship with a 75-65 win over Karns on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won the District 3-AAA basketball championship with a 75-65 win over Karns on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. Feb. 28.

Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA basketball championship with a 75-65 win over Karns on Wednesday, and the Wildcats won a Region 2 quarterfinal game with a 78-63 victory over West at home on Sunday.

The Wildcats (25-5) will play Knoxville Catholic (25-6), the District 4 runner-up, in a regional semifinal at Wildcat Arena this evening (Tuesday, February 26).

Oak Ridge senior Marcus Smith scored 41 points during the championship win over Karns on Wednesday, with 26 points in just the fourth quarter. Eleven of those points were from free throws. Smith was named most valuable player of the district tournament.

On Sunday, Wildcats senior JaVonte Thomas scored 30 points in the Region 2 quarterfinal win over West at Wildcat Arena. Smith and Thomas have been the Wildcats’ top two scorers. Like Smith, Thomas was named to the District 3 All-Tournament Team last week.

The other semifinal game at Wildcat Arena this evening will feature Bearden (26-5), the District 4 champion, and Maryville (28-3), the number three seed from District 4. Oak Ridge is the only District 3 team in the regional tournament. [Read more…]

Boys basketball game rescheduled to Sunday

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats had been scheduled to play West in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game today (Saturday, February 23), but the game has been rescheduled to Sunday as heavy rain causes flooding and road closures across the area.

The elimination basketball game is now scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School.

Football: Oak Ridge Wildcats 6-1 so far this season

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats walk down the stairs at Jack Armstrong Stadium before a 41-12 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats walk down the stairs at Jack Armstrong Stadium before a 41-12 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

 

The Oak Ridge football team is 6-1 so far this season.

The Wildcats have had three wins and no losses in Region 3-5A. They have defeated Campbell County at home and West and Karns on the road.

Their other three wins were in non-regional games, with victories at Hardin Valley, at home against Dobyns-Bennett, and at Sevier County.

Their one loss, a non-regional game, was to Farragut on Blankenship Field.

All three games remaining in the regular season are regional games: Clinton (1-5, 0-2); Powell (6-1, 3-1); and Fulton (5-1, 2-0).

Oak Ridge is off this week. They play at Clinton on Friday, October 12. Their final two games, against Powell and Fulton, will be at home on October 19 and 25.

Here is a summary of the first seven games. [Read more…]

Tennis: Three Wildcats advance to regional tournament

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Pictured are Oak Ridge Wildcat brothers Ethan and Andrew Brady, who will play the number one-seeded Bearden doubles team of Grayson Marlow and James Eaves in a regional semifinal on Monday afternoon, May 14, 2018, at Tyson Park in Knoxville. (Submitted photo)

Pictured are Oak Ridge Wildcat brothers Ethan and Andrew Brady, who will play the number one-seeded Bearden doubles team of Grayson Marlow and James Eaves in a regional semifinal on Monday afternoon, May 14, 2018, at Tyson Park in Knoxville. (Submitted photo)

 

Three Oak Ridge Wildcats have advanced from the district tennis tournament to the regional tournament.

The three tennis players will compete in regional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. today (Monday, May 14) at Tyson Park in Knoxville. They face the number one seeds from West and Bearden high schools, Oak Ridge Coach David Bowman said.

Two of the three players are Wildcat brothers Ethan and Andrew Brady. They will play the number one-seeded Bearden doubles team of Grayson Marlow and James Eaves. [Read more…]

Football: Wildcats improve to 4-2 with win over Sevier County

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Oak Ridge senior linebacker Adarius Simpson (24) makes a tackle against West at home on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. In the background is senior linebacker Cobe Angel (22). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior linebacker Adarius Simpson (24) makes a tackle against West at home on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. In the background is senior linebacker Cobe Angel (22). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats improved to 4-2 for the season with a 30-14 win over Sevier County at home on Blankenship Field on Friday.

The Wildcats are now 2-0 in Region 3-5A. Their remaining four games are all region games.

After their season-opening win at home against Hardin Valley, the Wildcats:

  • lost 28-25 in a non-region game at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on August 25,
  • won 17-15 in their first region game at Campbell County on September 1,
  • were shut out 41-0 at Farraugt, a non-region opponent, on September 8, and
  • won their second region game, 23-13, over West at home on September 15.

The win over Sevier County this past Friday night was the second straight win for the Wildcats.

Here are the four games remaining, all Region 3-5A games:

  • at home against Karns (2-4, 0-3) on Friday, September 29;
  • at home against Clinton (2-3, 0-1) on Friday, October 13;
  • at Powell (5-1, 2-1) on Friday, October 20; and
  • at Fulton (4-1, 2-0) on Friday, October 27.

All games start at 7:30 p.m.

Here are highlights of the season so far: [Read more…]