Big plays on offense, defense highlight preseason debut
by Ken Lay
Anderson County’s Cayson Kurriger breaks free from a Halls defender during the Mavericks’ preseason scrimmage Friday night at Halls High School. Kurriger showcased his speed and determination as Anderson County used the controlled scrimmage to evaluate players and prepare for the start of the 2026 season. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School’s football team got its first taste of live competition Friday night, traveling to Halls for a preseason controlled scrimmage against one of last season’s surprise teams.
The Mavericks showcased plenty of big plays on both sides of the ball, but Coach Davey Gillum said the evening was more about evaluation than the final outcome.
“These types of scrimmages, neither of us is playing it necessarily like a game,” Gillum said. “Both of us want to see blocking and tackling, and just coming out and being physical and see where you’re at and what you’ve got to fix.”
The Mavericks’ defense was solid for much of the night, but surrendered a handful of explosive plays.
Halls sophomore Knox Burton broke loose for a 54-yard run and added a 43-yard reception, while Jarrell Chandler also capitalized two missed assignments by Anderson County.
Anderson County’s Maddox Tackett studies a putt during the 2025 TSSAA state golf championships in Sevierville. Tackett posted a Top 10 finish at the 5Star Preps Masters and is expected to be one of Anderson County’s top golfers this fall. - Tony Cox
The 2026 high school golf season is underway, and the Anderson County High School teams got off to a fast start with a pair of strong performances early last week.
The season began Monday, July 27, with a four-team match at Centennial Golf Course.
The Mavericks opened the campaign with a victory, edging Karns by one stroke. Anderson County finished with a team score of 166, while the Beavers posted a 167. Clinton, playing without its top golfer, Grant Hannah, who was competing in a junior tournament in Illinois, finished third with a 177. Oliver Springs was fourth at 200.
Max Stanfil paced the Mavericks with a 38. Maddox Tackett shot a 42, while Luke Baldwin and Hoyt Chadwell each carded a 43.
Anderson County Coach Dallas Cole was pleased with the victory, but said his team still has room to improve.
Anderson County senior J.J. Cutler will help anchor one of Anderson County’s youngest cross country squads in recent years. - Tony Cox
As Anderson County High School’s cross country teams prepare for the 2026 season, they have a new coach.
Head track and field coach and former cross country assistant Harrison Calhoun takes the reins after Mollie Fox departed following two seasons.
Calhoun inherits one of the youngest programs in recent memory.
“It’s probably one of the youngest teams we’ve ever had,” Calhoun said. “We have a lot of fresh faces.”
The Mavericks have three seniors on their roster to begin the new campaign, as J.J. Cutler, Cameron Hardy and Tanner Warman return for their final season.
“It’s exciting because you’ve enjoyed watching them grow, but it’s also sad because you know this is their last year,” Calhoun said. “But we have one year left with them, and we’re going to make the most of it.”
Cutler returns after posting a 14th-place finish at the TSSAA Class AA state championships last season at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis. He completed the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 48.63 seconds.
Clinton quarterback Mason Eckerson rolls out of the pocket during the Dragons’ preseason scrimmage against Grace Christian Academy on Friday night. The Dragons used the controlled scrimmage to evaluate the team ahead of the 2026 season. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School had its first dress rehearsal for the 2026 football season Friday night.
It looked like anything but a typical first scrimmage. In fact, it more closely resembled a regular-season game.
“We were down-and-distance the whole time,” Dragons Coach Jake Dawson said after Clinton visited Knoxville Grace Christian Academy.
“Coach (Justin) Price and I both wanted to see what we looked like in third-and-long and third-and-short on both sides of the ball.”
Dawson and Price also got a look at their special-teams units.
Clinton’s lone score came when senior quarterback Mason Eckerson connected with Austyn Phillips on a 56-yard touchdown pass. Emmanuel Ortiz added the extra point in the Dragons’ 39-7 loss.
The 2026 football season is just around the corner for Clinton Middle School, and the Hawks will face an immediate challenge.
Clinton opens the season at home on Thursday, Aug. 13, against Cherokee, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The opener could be the Hawks’ toughest test of the season.
“We’re going to find out where we’re at in a hurry,” Clinton Coach Eric Woodard said. “Cherokee hasn’t lost a game in seven years, and the last time they lost was in the championship game eight years ago.”
The Hawks enter the season in a new conference, a move that pushed the start of their schedule back by a week.
High school football teams across Tennessee got their first opportunity to scrimmage last week, using the controlled settings to evaluate players, build depth and generate video for review.
Oak Ridge High School was no exception as the Wildcats closed out the week with a scrimmage at Fulton High School in North Knoxville.
“I call scrimmages competitive events,” Oak Ridge Coach Derek Rang said. “You get to go against another team, and that’s always good.
“But the big thing is that we got to see a lot of guys and give guys a lot of reps,” he said. “It was pretty basic. It wasn’t anything fancy.”
Sophomore wide receiver Lamiere Porter provided the offensive highlights, hauling in two touchdown receptions against the Falcons at Bob Black Field.
While Rang was pleased to see the offense produce, he said the most-valuable takeaway came from the opportunity to evaluate video after the Wildcats’ first week in full pads.
“Our offense was efficient,” Rang said. “But the big thing is that we have some work on film and something we can correct off of.
“We played with the 10-play pod model and we moved the ball,” he said. “But defensively, Fulton made a couple of big plays on our defense, and we’ll need to correct that.”
Oak Ridge finished 9-2 in 2025 during its first season in Class 6A.
The Wildcats closed the regular season with a loss to Maryville before being eliminated in the opening round of the TSSAA playoffs.
Oak Ridge returns to action Friday night when it travels to Cookeville for another scrimmage against the Cavaliers. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT.
Oak Ridge’s Kaleb Jackson watches his approach shot from the fairway during a match in the 2025 season. Jackson returns for the Wildcats in 2026 after opening the season at the 5Star Preps Masters, where he finished tied for 70th and closed the tournament with a second-round 75. - ORHS Sports Media
Oak Ridge High School’s boys golf team opened its 2026 season by competing in one of the state’s premier tournaments.
The Wildcats began their campaign at the ninth-annual 5Star Preps Masters at Three Ridges Golf Course in Northeast Knox County.
The two-day, 36-hole event was held July 28-29.
Oak Ridge finished 16th in the 19-team field, led by freshman Britten Luttrell, who tied for 22nd with a 36-hole total of 153.
“Britten did well,” Wildcats Coach Scott Hinton said. “For a freshman, he played really well in a big tournament like this.”
Kaleb Jackson tied for 70th with a two-round score of 165. He finished the tournament on a high note by carding a second-round 75. Jonah Wolfe tied for 86th with a 36-hole total of 173.
“Jonah broke 90 in both rounds, and that was big for him,” Hinton said.
Another freshman, Titus Petrucci, finished with a two-round total of 178 after opening the tournament with an 83.
“This was a learning experience for us,” Hinton said. “That was the first thing we talked about in practice. I wanted to see how they would perform against some of the better teams and better golfers in our area.”
The Clinton High School boys golf team got off to a slow start to the 2026 season early last week.
Playing without its top player, senior Grant Hannah, the Dragons finished third in a four-team match against Anderson County, Karns and Oliver Springs at Centennial Golf Course on Monday, July 27.
Hannah was competing in a junior tournament in Illinois while his teammates opened the high school season. Anderson County won the match with a team score of 166, edging Karns by one stroke. Clinton finished with a 177, while Oliver Springs posted a 200.
Karns’ Dax Truax earned medalist honors with an even-par 36.
In Hannah’s absence, JP Robbins paced the Dragons with a 41. Newcomer Eric Newport followed with a 42, while Aden Golden carded a 44. Zander Ford rounded out Clinton’s scoring with a 50.
Despite the season-opening loss, Dragons coach Matt Cain saw several encouraging performances.
“This is Eric’s first year and his first match, and he shot 42,” Cain said. “He went from being my No. 5 to being my No. 3. I’m really proud of him.
“JP did a great job. He led the team with a 41. He did a good job leading the team and being No. 1 with Grant not there.”
Anderson County was led by Max Stanfil, who shot a 38. Maddox Tackett carded a 42, while Luke Baldwin and Hoyt Chadwell each added a 43.
Clinton’s second match of the week, scheduled for Egwani Farms Golf Course in Blount County, was postponed because of rain.
Former Oak Ridge High School golfer Hunter Hinton recently finished as runner-up at the Sneds Tour Tri-Star Match Play Championships at Three Ridges Golf Course in Northeast Knox County.
He totaled 20 birdies over four matches during the tournament, held July 15-17.
Hinton, who will soon begin his freshman season at Tennessee Wesleyan, dropped the championship match to former First Baptist Academy standout and Walters State Community College freshman Lane Stokes.
He forced a playoff by making birdies on holes 13, 14, 15 and 16 before Stokes prevailed on the first extra hole.
Hinton advanced to the championship match with a come-from-behind victory over former Maryville High School star Leo Huddleston, who now plays at Freed-Hardeman.
He also defeated Maryville senior Will Huddleston in match play, erasing a two-hole deficit with birdies on holes 11 through 15.
