Clinton passing game soars through final preseason tests
by Dan McWilliams Special to The Courier News
Clinton quarterback Mason Eckerson gets the pass away under pressure from an Oliver Springs defender during the Roane County Jamboree on Friday night in Harriman. Eckerson and the Dragons turn their attention to the regular season as they prepare to open the 2026 campaign at Heritage on Friday, Aug. 21. - Tony Cox
The Clinton Dragons may have a strong passing game in the 2026 season after senior quarterback Mason Eckerson threw for six touchdowns over the course of two scrimmages and a jamboree.
Clinton kicks off the new season this Friday at 7 p.m. with a non-region game at Heritage.
The Dragons capped their preseason competition last Friday at the Roane County Jamboree, hosted by Harriman.
Clinton played in the evening’s last two quarters, each of which used a 20-minute running clock.
Eckerson threw a 25-yard TD pass to Will Young, and Charlie Turbyville ran 9 yards for another score as the Dragon varsity team defeated Oliver Springs 14-0.
Manny Ortiz booted both extra-point kicks in the win.
Anderson County sophomore running back Michael Ward lowers his shoulder and powers through a crowd of Kingston defenders in the red zone during Friday night’s Roane County Jamboree. Ward and the Mavericks turn their attention to the regular season as they host Powell at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. - Tony Cox
In its final tune-up for the 2026 regular season, the Anderson County High School football team notched a 14-0 victory over Kingston on Friday night in the Roane County Football Jamboree at Harriman High School.
The Mavericks’ coaching staff took the opportunity to give most of the varsity squad the evening off. But that didn’t seem to matter as Anderson County dominated the one-quarter contest.
Quarterback Maddox Tackett scored two touchdowns for the Mavericks, and the ACHS defense stifled the Yellow Jackets, who couldn’t establish any rhythm on offense.
“We scored both times we had the ball,” ACHS Assistant Head Coach Gary Terry said.
The Clinton High School cross country program is in a state of flux as the 2026 season begins, and veteran Coach Tim Kumes has hit the halls in search of runners.
“I’m leaning on our other coaches to help get some kids out,” Kumes said. “I’m hoping that kids in other sports will see that running cross country will help them with their other sports.”
For the boys, senior Cooper Bostrom returns along with senior Xander Porter. Freshman Joe Patton also enters the fray for the Dragons, who lost a key runner in Baylor Cool.
Cool transferred to Bearden after a stellar freshman campaign at Clinton that saw him qualify for the Class A state championships along with Bostrom.
Clinton senior Maggie Moke drops low to dig a Hardin Valley serve during the Lady Dragons’ season opener Monday night at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium. Clinton battled back to take the third set before falling to the Lady Hawks in four sets, 25-18, 25-17, 14-25, 25-14. - Tony Cox
A young Clinton High School volleyball team showed some early-season fight Monday night, battling back to take a set from Hardin Valley Academy before falling in four sets in its 2026 season opener.
“Our youth showed tonight,” Clinton Coach Lorri Johnson said.
“I’m small with my hitters on the right side, and Hardin Valley had two great hitters. They’re not really all that big, but they’re smart and they’re strong, and they hurt us in the first two sets.
“Obviously, we did a better job adjusting in that third set,” he said.
Clinton Middle School made quite an entrance into its new conference Thursday night.
The Hawks opened the 2026 season by knocking off Cherokee 44-38 at Dragon Stadium, ending the Yellow Jackets’ seven-year unbeaten run.
“This was a very big win for us,” Clinton Coach Eric Woodard said. “We played well on both the offensive and defensive lines. The offensive and defensive lines were absolutely tremendous.”
Clinton played Lake City at Anderson County High School on Tuesday night. Results were not available at press time.
Against the Yellow Jackets, the Hawks struck first on special teams when Christian Frazier returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown, giving Clinton a 6-0 lead with 2 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Cherokee answered a short time later when Adon Cavin scored on a touchdown run. Luke Stinnett added the two-point conversion to give the Yellow Jackets an 8-6 lead they carried into the second quarter.
The Norris Middle School football team hit its first speed bump of the young season last week, but the Senators won’t have to wait long for a chance to get back on track.
Norris fell 28-14 Thursday night to Lenoir City in a Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference matchup.
The Senators (1-1 overall, 1-1 in the TVAC) struggled to find the rhythm that carried them to a season-opening victory over Robertsville, as mistakes on both sides of the ball proved costly.
“We sort of lost our identity,” Norris Coach Richie Noe said. “We played the complete opposite ballgame than we played the week before. We had mental mistakes in our offensive and defensive alignment and responsibilities.
“And we turned the ball over a little bit.”
Despite the struggles, Lucas Eubanks provided a pair of explosive plays for the Senators, breaking loose for touchdown runs of 70 and 65 yards. Bryce Hicks added a two-point conversion for Norris.
Noe said Eubanks, Jaxon Barrett and Logan Lambert also turned in solid performances on defense.
The Senators must now turn the page as they prepare to host Christian Academy of Knoxville on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Warriors are one of the conference’s most-improved teams.
“Hopefully, we can bounce back this week against a really good CAK team,” Noe said.
CAK will come to Norris with some momentum of its own.
The Warriors rallied to nab a 20-13 victory over Jefferson on Thursday night in West Knoxville.
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.
Anderson County High School junior Maddox Tackett shows off the hardware after capping a standout archery season at the Delta McKenzie Classic in Cullman, Alabama. Tackett finished second in the season-ending tournament, a performance that secured Shooter of the Year honors in his class. - Submitted
Anderson County High School junior Maddox Tackett put the finishing touches on a standout archery season recently, turning in a runner-up finish at the Delta McKenzie Classic into the biggest prize of all — Shooter of the Year honors in his class.
The Classic, the final tournament of the campaign, was played in Cullman, Alabama.
Tackett finished second in the tournament.
But his runner-up performance was good enough to secure the season-long Shooter of the Year title.
“This was definitely the toughest tournament of the year,” said Tackett, a three-sport athlete for the Mavericks who also plays football, basketball and golf.
“I definitely struggled, and it was super dark,” he said.
Tackett entered the final tournament with the lead in the race for Shooter of the Year.
“I had an 11-point lead for Shooter of the Year in my class, and I was able to do enough to hang on for that,” Tackett said.
“It feels good to be back on top, and I’m grateful to God for blessing me with the talent to do that.
“I’m just thankful to do the things I love with the people that I love,” he said.
A fast start put Jefferson Middle School in control early last week, but a string of costly mistakes allowed Christian Academy of Knoxville to turn the game around.
The Eagles (0-2 overall, 0-2 in the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference) raced to a 13-0 lead in their first road game of the season before things unraveled late in the first half against the Warriors.
CAK appears to be one of the area’s most-improved teams, but Jefferson hurt its cause with several mistakes, including four turnovers.
The Eagles jumped ahead behind Isaac Hernandez, who broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown run before hauling in a 66-yard scoring strike from quarterback Braylon Knipp.
