From tutoring at their school to volleyball at a nursing home, a group of Lake City Middle School students are leading activities to help their school and the Rocky Top area.
Frank Newcomb, LCMS guidance counselor, recently addressed the Anderson County Board of Education about the program.
“It’s great to have some adult voices, but we need to hear from our students and figure out what they want, how our school can be successful academically, but also the culture of the school,” Newcomb said.
So, the school formed The Laker Leaders, a group of eighth-grade students, with five boys and five girls.
Newcomb said they “exemplifiy great leadership skills not only in school but in their homes and their communities.”
He said the Laker Leaders work with staff and other students.
Last year, he said, they had weekly meetings about “concerns, ideas and plans for success in academics and the culture of Lake City Middle School.
Anderson County’s Israel Small (4) looks for open field after making a catch during Friday night’s away game against Seymour. The Mavericks scored 42 points in the first half of the 56-12 win over the Eagles. - Tony Cox
As Anderson County and Seymour entered their Region 2-4A football game Friday night, they were headed in opposite directions.
The Mavericks had won 40 consecutive region games, going undefeated in league play since 2017. The Eagles, meanwhile, were in the midst of a 20-game losing streak, having not won a game since 2022.
The two teams remained on their respective courses as the Mavericks routed the Eagles 56-12 at Seymour High School.
Anderson County (4-0 overall, 2-0 in the region) put this one away early, scoring 28 points in the opening frame.
It took the Mavericks just four plays from scrimmage and one minute, 21 seconds to get on the board, as Waylon LaRue gave them a 6-0 lead with a short touchdown run. Jackson Payne added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 10:39 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mavericks added three more touchdowns before the end of the first stanza, as Cody Miller had a scoring run and quarterback Landen Hensley threw touchdown passes to Israel Small and Trent Strickland.
Anderson County’s Avian Laster finished Saturday’s Cherokee Classic at Chero- kee Park in Knoxville with a time of 19:09.82. - Tony Cox
Anderson County’s Ava Moody had another stellar performance on the cross-country course last week.
Moody, a junior for the Lady Mavericks, won the Cherokee Classic in South Knoxville on Saturday.
She completed the course in 18 minutes, 56.79 seconds, and was the only runner to finish in less than 19 minutes.
Oak Ridge High School’s Dylan Job finished second. at 19:00.28.
The Lady Mavericks finished 13th in the team standings.
Morgan Haire placed 77th with a time of 20:23.09. Sydney Day came in 97th at 24:00.56. Marley Caldwell finished 103rd, completing the course in 24:12.79.
Morgan Lindsay recorded a time of 27:21.73 to finish 172nd. Emma Downs placed 174th at 27:23.05, and Wren Wilson came in 183rd with a time of 27:42.05.
The Anderson County boys also finished 13th at the Cherokee Classic, with a pair of athletes posting finishes inside the Top 20.
Vance Laster took 10th place at 16:44.66, and John Cutler came in 19th at 17:06.90.
Avian Laster finished 105th with 19:09.82. Michael Mattson placed 129th at 19:45.91.
Ethan Bolton was 137th at 19:52.91, Zander Vo was in 155th place at 20:36.60, and Toby Day finished 158th at 20:43.42.
Last week brought mixed results for the Anderson County High School volleyball team.
The Lady Mavericks (14-8 overall, 5-1 in District 4-AA) split a pair of league matches, opening the week with a loss at Alcoa.
The Lady Tornadoes claimed a 25-19, 25-20, 26-24 victory at home on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Alcoa avenged a five-set loss to the Lady Mavericks in Clinton earlier this season.
Anderson County Coach Jayme Smith praised the Lady Tornadoes’ performance.
“I thought Alcoa played a phenomenal match, and I thought we were sloppy,” Smith said.
Shelby Kelly and Alyssa Meier, Anderson County’s two seniors, led the team in hitting.
Kelly finished with 16 kills, 15 digs, and one block.
Meier had seven kills and 15 digs. Khloe Wilkerson added four blocks against the Lady Tornadoes.
On Thursday, Anderson County traveled to South Knox County to face South-Doyle, where the Lady Mavericks secured a 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 victory.
“I’m going to use this win and this loss moving forward,” Smith said. “Against South-Doyle, we came out a little sluggish, as the score in that first game would indicate.”
The Lady Mavericks played Loudon on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
They conclude district play Thursday against Sequoyah.
Things will heat up for Anderson County as the team competes in a tournament in Bristol on Saturday before closing out the regular season next week.
The Lady Mavericks will play Clinton on Monday and Hardin Valley Academy on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
They wrap up the regular season Oct. 3 with a doubleheader against Bearden and Webb School of Knoxville.
“Our competition will really get tougher on Saturday,” Smith said.
Clinton running back Aalijah Davidson (2) picks up yardage behind the blocking of teammate Donnie Humphrey (62) against the Powell defense last week. - Dwayne Wilder
The Clinton High School football team showed a brief spark after a first-half quarterback change, but the visiting Powell Panthers still coasted to a 48-8 victory Friday.
The non-region game between the longtime rivals was held on homecoming night at City of Clinton Stadium. Powell, ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press in Class 5A, improved to 4-1 with the win, while Clinton fell to 2-3.
The Panthers are the third ranked team Clinton has played in 2024.
“It’s a tough schedule, but we’re not going to use the schedule as an excuse,” said Clinton Coach Jason Hamock.
“That’s the hand we’re dealt, and we’re going to just fight,” he said.
The Panthers rushed for 235 yards and outgained Clinton 407-69 yards overall.
Connor Wheeler led the Powell ground game with 98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, all in the first half.
Panther quarterback Deuce Rodgers went 12-for-17 passing for 166 yards and two TDs, and rushed for another score. Powell didn’t really hurt itself with its 14 penalties for 145 yards.
Camden Nelson relieved Clinton starting quarterback Jaylon Benjamin in the second quarter and led the Dragons to their only touchdown.
Nelson finished 7-for-12 passing for 49 yards, with a TD and two interceptions.
“We couldn’t connect, just couldn’t execute early,” Hamock said. “I felt like they punched us in the mouth first, and we kind of sat back and took it for a while. It took us too long to wake up.
Oak Ridge Wildcats Wayne Gibson (4), JT Gormly (38) and Qhyvez Wlliams (10) bring down the opposing quarterback in last Friday night’s game against McMinn County at Blankenship Field. The Wildcats won the contest 31-6. - Barry Houchin
For the second consecutive week, the Oak Ridge High School football team has found its way into the win column.
The Wildcats used a fast start to rout McMinn County 31-6 on Friday night at Blankenship Field. Oak Ridge took control early, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, and didn’t waste any time dominating the contest.
They took a 7-0 lead with 10:35 remaining in the opening frame as Blaine Stansberry connected with Will Pressley on a 66-yard touchdown pass.
Eli Pearson added the extra point, and Oak Ridge was off running.
Oak Ridge (2-2) extended its lead shortly after a turnover by the Cherokees. Following an interception, Damillyan Porter made it 14-0 later in the first quarter with a touchdown run. He added a 1-yard scoring plunge early in the second quarter to push the score to 21-0.
Oak Ridge Coach Derek Rang was pleased to see his team start fast and force the Cherokees (2-4) into two turnovers.
Oak Ridge sophomore Natalie Adams placed 31st in the Cherokee Classic cross-contry meet Saturday. She completed the 5,000-meter course at Cherokee Park in Knoxville in 21:33.30, scoring 25 points for the Lady Wildcats. - Tony Cox
A weekend trip to Cherokee Park in Knoxville netted a pair of third-place finishes for the Oak Ridge High School cross-country teams.
The Wildcats and the Lady Wildcats both competed in the Cherokee Classic Saturday.
The Lady Wildcats had a pair of athletes post Top 10 finishes.
Dylan Job came in second as she completed the course in 19 minutes, 00.28 seconds. Lilly Tice took ninth place as she recorded a time of 20:25.29.
Emily Edwards finished 27th (21:33.30). Natalie Adams was 31st (21:39.29). Elly Hartman came in 88th (23:36.05). Brooke Taylor was 116th (24:44.05) and Robyn Greenhalgh was 140th (25:50.06).
Mason Greenhalgh was the top finisher for the Wildcats. He was fourth at 16:26. 47.
Rhett Hovater came in 11th (16:45.15). Evan Biewer finished 40th as he recorded a time 17:45.65.
Nolan Riden completed the course in 18:11.41, taking 59th place. William Hentrick was 66th (18:19.03). Patrik Vidoepivec was 67th (18:19.05) and Zachary Ibanez came in 79th (18:39.34).
Oak Ridge High School’s volleyball team, despite ongoing struggles in 2024, closed out last week with a key District 3-AAA victory over Knoxville Halls on Thursday night at Wildcat Arena.
The Lady Wildcats won in straight sets, posting a 25-10, 25-23, 25-16 victory over the Lady Devils.
With the win, Oak Ridge (6-13 overall, 5-3 district) avenged an earlier loss to Halls in North Knox County on Aug. 27, when the Lady Devils won in three sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-19).
This week, the Lady Wildcats will play three road matches.
They played at Farragut on Monday and traveled to Knoxville Central on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
Oak Ridge heads to Clinton on Thursday for another key district match.
The Lady Wildcats will look to avenge an earlier loss to the Lady Dragons at Wildcat Arena.
Last week, Oak Ridge lost two of its three home matches. The Lady Wildcats fell to Knoxville West (25-22, 25-18) on Monday, Sept. 16, and Bearden (25-19, 23-25, 25-14) on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats had a tough week on the soccer pitch, which ended on a sour note Thursday in the Fountain City community of North Knoxville.
The Lady Wildcats faced defending District 3-AAA champion Knox Central and left Dan Y. Boring Stadium with a 6-2 loss Thursday night.
“That loss was really disappointing,” Oak Ridge Coach Trenna Underwood said after watching her team fall to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in district play.
“I really felt like we had the better team, but the better team doesn’t always win,” she said.
“We got down 3-0 at halftime, and it’s tough to overcome that, but we came out after halftime and scored two goals,” the coach said.
“We definitely had the opportunity to score four more, but we didn’t.”
Clinton’s Cooper Bostrom competed in the Cherokee Classic cross-country meet on Sat- urday, Sept. 21. The sophomore runner completed the 5k course with a time of 19:45.14. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s cross-country teams were in action over the weekend, competing in the Cherokee Classic at Cherokee Park in Knoxville on Saturday.
Clinton’s top finisher in the boys race was Cooper Bostrom, who placed 128th with a time of 19 minutes, 45.14 seconds. Caleb Holt finished 156th, posting a time of 20:37.42.
Lucas Gates came in 226th (22:47.57), Max Bostrom placed 243rd (23:53.03), and Gideon Follett finished 270th (26:31.44).
The Lady Dragons had three entries in Saturday’s race.
Alli Hollifield was Clinton’s top finisher in the girls’ race, placing 81st with a time of 23:24.80. Kenzlee Hutchison took 207th (29:20.31), while Eva Allen finished 227th (31:16.82).
Area golfers opened postseason play Monday at the District 4-AA championships, and will continue their runs on Oct. 1 at the Region 2-AA championships.
The Anderson County boys took third Monday at Beaver Brook Golf and Country Club in North Knox County’s Halls Crossroads community.
The Mavericks’ top scorer was senior Caden Williams, a transfer from Powell High School. He finished 3-over-par, firing a 73 and placing fourth in the individual standings.
Peyton Warwick carded an 82, while Luke Baldwin and Gavin Drake both shot 86.
The Mavericks will advance as a team to next week’s region championships, which will be held at Oak Ridge Country Club.
“It was a great day for us today,” Anderson County Coach Patrick Leverton said.
“Our boys finished third in the district, and all three of our girls advanced to the region as individuals,” he said.
“I’m proud of them. Team-wise, the boys and girls have worked super hard, and they’ve all improved year over year,” Leverton said.
Three Senators post Top 100 finishes at Schumpert Park
by Ken Lay
Area middle school cross-country runners were in action early last week in North Knox County’s Halls Crossroads community.
The athletes competed at Tommy Schumpert Park on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
The Norris girls had a stellar showing as Ella Tyler finished seventh in the 2-mile run, completing the course in 12 minutes, 25.18 seconds. Harper Baines was 29th, posting a time of 13:29.53. Tesa Patrick was 77th (14:57.16), and Eloise Doepkner was 96th (15:30.69).
Leah Nichols came in 130th (16:46.71), while EllaGrace Skidmore was 131st, clocking in at 16:46.71. Addison Price was 134th (17:00.09), and Kimbree Rains was 155th (18:11.53). Nya Presson also finished 155th (18:11.53), and Ahleya Hancock was 177th (19:21.58). Sarah Lane was 178th (19:21.96), and Abigal Day came in 215th (23:30.64).
The Senators had three runners post Top 100 finishes in the boys’ race. Bentley Ellis took 54th (13:00.07), Mason Ellis finished 55th (13:04.19), and Fisher Clark was 80th (13:30.26). Gillen Gossett finished 82nd (13:33.98).
Clinton High School volleyball Coach Lorri Johnson said her team was in top form in its District 3-AAA match against Knoxville Central last Thursday night.
Sure, it might have taken four sets for the Lady Dragons to put away Central, but that didn’t seem to matter.
“This was our best district match of the season, even though it went four,” Johnson said after Clinton outlasted the Lady Bobcats, 25-15, 22-25, 25-10, 26-24, in Fountain City. “They have some really good young kids, and they’ve gotten better.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish the second half of the district schedule and don’t lose again,” Johnson said. “Of course, they have to play Oak Ridge again, and we’ll have to play them again, too.”
Thursday night’s match was the second meeting between Clinton and the Lady Bobcats. The previous contest, played at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium, also went four sets.
Johnson also credited Central Coach Susan Davidson for putting up a valiant effort on their home floor during a Pink Out match played to support those fighting cancer.
The first match in Clinton was also a Pink Out match.
“That was some great volleyball, great volleyball on both sides,” Johnson said.
Robertsville Middle School’s football team secured the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference regular-season championship with a decisive 42-7 victory over crosstown rival Jefferson at Blankenship Stadium, also earning the Oak Ridge City Championship.
Despite the dominant performance, Robertsville first-year head Coach Ron Gray emphasized that the Rams still have something to play for as they prepare to face defending conference champion Norris on Thursday night at Anderson County High School.
The Rams (6-1, 5-0 in the conference) may meet the Senators again in the opening round of the playoffs, but Gray made it clear he isn’t planning to stand down.
“People asked me if I’m going to rest my starters, and I’m not resting my starters,” Gray said.
“We’re going to play. I want that conference championship.”
Robertsville got off to a fast start, building a 36-0 lead by halftime and invoking the mercy rule.
Kamoni Willis starred on both sides of the ball for the Rams, with a 44-yard interception return and a 60-yard touchdown reception.
Josiah McClure rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on three carries, while Le’Meire Porter added 59 yards and a touchdown.
Jaxon Billingsley contributed 25 yards on five carries.
Jefferson’s coach, Rodney Ellison, whose team fell to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference, acknowledged his team’s struggles but highlighted some positives.
“We turned the ball over,” Ellison said.
“We’ve got a young team, but the future is bright. We had a sack shared by eighth-grader Dylan Manley and sixth-grader Isaac Hernandez, so our future is bright.”
Jordan Samuelson scored Jefferson’s lone touchdown on a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Anderson County goalkeeper Emily Martin blocks a goal attempt by Clinton during the Lady Mavericks’ match against the Lady Dragons last Thursday night. - Tony Cox
Anderson County now sits alone atop the District 4-AA girls soccer standings.
The Lady Mavericks (8-6 overall) are a perfect 3-0 in league play after defeating crosstown rival Clinton 5-1 Thursday night on the road.
Anderson County will now be idle until Saturday when it hosts the Lady Dragons in a scrimmage match on Senior Night. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at ACHS.
“Clinton was gracious enough to come over here and play us so we could have a Senior Night,” Lady Mavericks Coach Chris Curtin said. “I’m extremely grateful to Coach Suzanne Stout and her girls for agreeing to come over here and play us again.” This match does not count in the standings.
On Thursday, Emma Leander had a hat trick for Anderson County. Megan Shock and Roxana Aguilar also found the back of the net for the Lady Mavericks.
Sadie Haney had Clinton’s goal, tallying off an assist from Elly Leander.
Anderson County also notched a 5-1 league win over Gibbs on Sept. 17. Emma Leander had a hat trick against the Lady Eagles. Aguilar scored a goal and dished out an assist, while Natalie Sellers also had a helper for ACHS.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Lady Dragons (7-3-1, 2-1) dropped a non-district match against South-Doyle. Haney scored the lone goal for Clinton in that match.
The Lady Dragons hosted Gibbs on Tuesday. Results were not available at press time. Clinton plays at Rockwood on Thursday.
Ace Hensley leads the Clinton Optimist Junior Hoppers onto the field before the little Dragons’ homecoming game against the Cumberland Gap Panthers Junior Hoppers. - Tony Cox
