Wildcats fine-tune game for districts
Oak Ridge High School’s boys golf team experienced a little bit of everything last week, from a three-stroke battle on its home course to a tougher test on the road.
The Wildcats competed in a pair of matches, opening the week Tuesday, Aug. 11, when they hosted Bearden and Kingston in a three-way match at Oak Ridge Country Club.
Bearden’s Bulldogs won the match with a team score of 150, edging the host Wildcats (153) by three strokes.
The Kingston Yellow Jackets finished with a 158.
Oak Ridge had three golfers break 40 as Britten Luttrell and Kaleb Jackson each shot 37.
Braxton Pemberton carded a 38, while Titus Petrucci finished with a 41.
The performance came while one of Oak Ridge’s young early contributors battled back problems.
Jonah Wolfe was forced to leave the course in the middle of the match.
Jackson, meanwhile, turned in one of his best rounds of the season and provided one of the day’s highlights when he made an eagle on a par-5 hole.
“Kaleb played well,” Oak Ridge Coach Scott Hinton said. “He eagled a par-5. And Braxton played well. He’s a senior, and we need him to shoot like that.”
Hinton is still looking to give different players on his roster opportunities to compete as the Wildcats work toward establishing their postseason lineup.
“We’re still in August, and we’re still looking at some things,” he said.
“But by Sept. 1, we’ll need to have our lineup set and getting ready for the district tournament.”
Lady Wildcats take third
The Oak Ridge girls finished third in their home match last week at Oak Ridge Country Club.
Bearden won with a team score of 86, followed by the Lady Jackets (93) and the Lady Wildcats (95).
Lilli Grace Langenberg led Oak Ridge as she shot a 47. Marissa Patch finished with a 48.
On Thursday, the Wildcats made the trek to Loudon and Tennessee National to face Maryville and Christian Academy of Knoxville.
CAK prevailed with a team score of 146, followed by the Rebels (154) and the Wildcats (178).
Luttrell, a freshman, again led the way for Oak Ridge as he fired a 38. Pemberton finished with a 44, while Jackson and Petrucci each carded a 48.
CAK tops Lady Wildcats
The Lady Warriors defeated Oak Ridge 84-105 Thursday in Loudon.
Langenberg shot a 50 for the Lady Wildcats, while Brynn Green finished with a 55.