Oak Ridge Today

Tennis: Freshman is undefeated

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School freshman Andrew Lee is undefeated in his first season playing tennis as a Wildcat. Lee is pictured above kneeling in the front row with his teammates before their match with Central High School this month. Pictured in the back row from left to right are Ben Bussell, Blaise Ochs, Mikolai Zolnierczuk, Levi Parish, Justin Blanchard, Anhaar Ajaz, Stuart Dorman, and Andrew Brady. (Photo courtesy David Bowman)

Oak Ridge High School freshman Andrew Lee is undefeated in his first season playing tennis as a Wildcat.

Lee, who is playing at number one singles and doubles, has won won 18 singles and doubles matches against Maryville, Hardin Valley, and seven District 3 tennis teams, Coach David Bowman said.

“His sportsmanship and record has established him as a leader on the courts, plus he is humble and a great teammate off the courts,” Bowman said. “ORHS looks forward to having him represent the Wildcats in East Tennessee’s TSSAA tournaments starting the second week of May at Tyson Park.”

The Oak Ridge tennis teams have one home match left this season to play. It’s at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, against Powell High School.

[Read more…]

After finishing second in region, Wildcats’ season ends at Sevier County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished as runner-up in Region 2-AAA with a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished as runner-up in Region 2-AAA with a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge finished second in Region 2-AAA after a 65-51 loss to Bearden in the championship game on Thursday, and the Wildcats’ season ended with a 62-57 loss at Sevier County in a sectional game on Monday.

Oak Ridge (26-7) trailed in both games from start to finish, although the Wildcats narrowed the Smoky Bears’ lead to one point in the final minute before Sevier County (25-6) pulled away on free throws in the Class AAA sectional game on Monday.

The sectional games determine which teams go to the state basketball tournaments at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro this month. The winners of the sectional games advance to the state tournaments, and the season is over for the teams that lose.

It’s Sevier County’s first trip to the state tournament since 1991. The Smoky Bears are one of only eight teams in Division I, Class AAA, to play in the state tournament. Bearden is another.

Oak Ridge last went to the state tournament in 2017, when the Wildcats were eliminated 63-60 by Memphis East in a semifinal game. [Read more…]

After win over Catholic, Wildcats play for Region 2 championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were led by senior guard Marcus Smith (2), pictured above during a district tournament game on Feb. 18, 2019, with a game-high 23 points against Catholic in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 26. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were led by senior guard Marcus Smith (2), pictured above during a district tournament game on Feb. 18, 2019, with a game-high 23 points against Catholic in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 26. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge will play Bearden in the Region 2-AAA boys basketball championship at Wildcat Arena this evening (Thursday, February 28).

Oak Ridge (26-5), the District 3 champion, advanced by defeating Knoxville Catholic 65-58 in a semifinal elimination game at home on Tuesday.

Bearden (27-5), the District 4 champion and defending Region 2 champion, advanced by beating Maryville 55-43 in the other semifinal game at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday.

The Wildcats were led by senior guard Marcus Smith with a game-high 23 points against Catholic. Senior guard Herbert Booker scored 16 points, and he had at least five steals. Senior guard JaVonte Thomas added 15, and he had at least five rebounds.

The Fighting Irish (25-7), the District 4 runner-up, were led by 6-foot-9 junior forward Akeem Odusipe, who scored 19 points and had at least seven rebounds and three blocks. Freshman Presley Patterson added 13 points, including on three three-point shots, and senior Ryan MacDonald and freshman Brian Edwards each scored 10 for Catholic. Edwards also had at least eight rebounds. [Read more…]

Wildcats win district championship, then beat West in regional game

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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…]

Higgins one of few former Oak Ridge athletes to win national collegiate championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wildcats Tee Higgins Catch at Ooltewah Nov. 13, 2015

Oak Ridge’s Tee Higgins (5), who was then a junior, makes a leaping catch during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Oak-Ridge-Higgins-Clinton-Aug-18-2016-Web

Oak Ridge’s Tee Higgins (5), who was then a senior, talks to a television reporter after a 56-21 rout at Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Higgins had two touchdown receptions and two interceptions that set up Wildcat scores. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Former Oak Ridge wide receiver Tee Higgins is one of a few former Wildcats to win a national championship in a college sport. Higgins, who was a football and basketball star in Oak Ridge, is probably the first former Wildcat with a touchdown catch in a national championship game.

Higgins is a sophomore wide receiver for the Clemson Tigers, who crushed the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 44-16 championship win in Santa Clara, California, on Monday. It was Clemson’s third national championship and second in the past three years, both over Alabama. It was the first national championship for Clemson since Higgins, the team’s leading receiver who has impressed fans with his catches, joined the Tigers.

Higgins had three catches for 81 yards on Monday, including a five-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, the final Clemson touchdown.

Clemson is the first college football team to go 15-0 since Penn in 1897. Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers’ freshman quarterback, was impressive Monday, finishing 20-for-32 for 347 yards and three touchdown passes. He became the first true freshman starting quarterback to win a national championship since Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985. [Read more…]

Basketball: Bench provides lift in Wildcats’ win over Clinton

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge trailed by seven points early in a Thursday night game against Clinton, but three Wildcats came off the bench and helped flip the lead.

Clinton had taken an early lead and widened it to 15-8 halfway through the first quarter in a district game at Wildcat Arena.

But Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green put in three bench players: senior forward Shemar Smith, junior guard Jack Replogle, and sophomore guard/forward Jonathan Stewart.

The Wildcats then went on a 13-0 scoring run in the next 3.5 minutes to take a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.

They never trailed after that. [Read more…]

Basketball: Mavericks stun Oak Ridge with last-second win

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith (2) scored a career-high 34 points during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith (2) led all scorers with 21 points during a 65-64 district loss to Anderson County at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. Smith is pictured above during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge boys hadn’t lost a basketball game to Anderson County in more than eight years.

That changed Friday. The Mavericks, who trailed by 12 points with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, scored on a game-winning layup with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat the Wildcats 65-64.

It was a stunning comeback victory and the first Anderson County win over Oak Ridge since February 24, 2010. That’s when the Mavericks won the third-place game, 61-53, in the District 3-AAA playoffs.

Since then, the Wildcats had won 17 straight games in the series. Oak Ridge had won nine of those by 30 points or more. The Wildcat’s most recent win was a 69-61 victory in the district tournament semifinal at Halls in February.

Anderson County senior Stanton Martin, a two-time Mr. Football finalist as Mavericks quarterback, scored the winning layup from the left side of the lane in the Friday night game at Wildcat Arena. Oak Ridge was unable to score in the final 1.2 seconds, and the Mavericks erupted into a celebration on the floor at the final buzzer. [Read more…]

Basketball: Smith scores career-high 34 as Wildcats sweep Karns

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Marcus Smith (2) scored a career-high 34 points during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith (2) scored a career-high 34 points during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith scored a career-high 34 points as the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats swept Karns at home on Tuesday.

Smith also had eight rebounds and five assists during the 82-65 win over the Beavers at Wildcat Arena.

“I was really proud of Marcus,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Eleven of his points were from the free throw line, where Smith was 11-of-15.

Oak Ridge senior guard JaVonte Thomas scored 18 points for the Wildcats (6-1, 3-0 District 3-AAA) and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior guard Joe Kesterson added 10 points, with nine of those on three-point shots. Junior guard Isaiah Johnson scored eight, and sophomore forward Jeremy Miller had six points and 10 rebounds. [Read more…]

Basketball: Oak Ridge boys win at Campbell County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

JACKSBORO—The Oak Ridge boys basketball team picked up their second district win of the season in a 81-67 victory at Campbell County on Friday night.

The Cougars took an early lead, but the Wildcats led 22-12 by the end of the first quarter.

Oak Ridge (5-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) outscored Campbell County 48-29 in the next two quarters to widen the lead to 70-44.

But the Cougars (0-7, 0-2) scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, compared to 11 for the Wildcats, to narrow the final score to 81-67. [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge football season ends with quarterfinal loss to Catholic

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham (8) runs during a 20-14 loss to Farragut on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham (8), pictured here during the Sept. 7, 2018, game against Farragut, ran for four touchdowns during a 42-40 quarterfinal loss to Catholic on Blankenship Field on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. (File photo by Barry Houchin)

 

Note This story was last updated with photos at 3 p.m. Nov. 17.

For the second year in a row, the Oak Ridge football season ended with a state quarterfinal loss to Knoxville Catholic on Blankenship Field.

Last year’s final score was 37-28 in favor of the Fighting Irish. Catholic went on to win the Class 5A state championship.

This year’s final score in Oak Ridge was closer, 42-40, but Catholic prevailed again.

The Wildcats (9-3) led by 13 points, 27-14, at halftime of the Class 5A quarterfinal on Friday. They widened their lead to 33-14 early in the third quarter when senior Jordan Graham scored his fourth rushing touchdown, his second four-TD performance in two weeks.

But after that score, the Fighting Irish (10-3) rallied with three touchdowns on three drives to take a 35-33 lead at 1:26 in the third quarter. They tacked on one more touchdown early in the fourth quarter to widen their lead to 42-33. [Read more…]

Basketball: Wildcats open season with wins at Meigs County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats opened the 2018-2019 season with wins in non-district games at Meigs County on Tuesday.

The boys won 72-27, and the girls won 56-38.

It was the first time the Oak Ridge and Meigs County boys teams have played against each other, according to broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com. The girls last met in 1994. [Read more…]

Updated: Graham’s four TDs help propel Wildcats to state quarterfinals

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham (8) runs behind the blocking of junior Tyrell Romano (21) during a 54-28 win at Clinton on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (File photo by Barry Houchin)

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham (8) runs behind the blocking of junior Tyrell Romano (21) during a 54-28 win at Clinton on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (File photo by Barry Houchin)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m.

The four touchdowns of senior Jordan Graham helped propel Oak Ridge to a 40-23 win in a second-round playoff game at Soddy-Daisy on Friday and a rematch with Knoxville Catholic in a quarterfinal game at home next Friday.

The Wildcats (10-2) did not score on their first possession on Friday, but then they scored on their next four drives to take a 27-3 halftime lead. Graham, who finished with 134 yards on 10 carries, had two touchdowns in that half. He added two more in the second.

Soddy-Daisy (6-5), which won a first-round matchup against Clinton last week, was more successful in the second half on Friday when senior quarterback Gavin Chambers played. They scored on two of their first three drives in the third quarter. Chambers threw for 170 yards and had two touchdown passes to narrow the margin to 40-23. The Trojans had no passing yards in the first half when senior wide receiver Spencer Gore was quarterback, according to preliminary statistics by Mark Haste.

Chambers did not start due to an injury from three weeks ago against Signal Mountain, and the Oak Ridge defense took advantage of the senior’s absence in the first half, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. Soddy-Daisy Coach Justin Barnes told the newspaper that the Trojans, unsure of how Chambers was feeling, wanted to stick with what they’ve been doing the past few weeks because it had worked before Friday. [Read more…]