Anderson County’s multisport speedster, Waylon LaRue, tacks on yards after the catch during last Thursday night’s opening round of the Knoxville Classic. The Mavericks defeated Oneida 20-14 in opening play. - Tony Cox
Competing in one of the area’s top 7-on-7 tournaments, Anderson County High School’s football team had a successful run.
The Mavericks went 6-1 in the two-day Knoxville Classic, which was held Thursday and Friday at Powell High School.
The Mavericks went 2-1 in pool play Thursday night.
They lost to Webb School of Knoxville 13-12. But they would bounce back to defeat Oneida 20-14. They closed pool play with a 42-6 win over Farragut.
Anderson County returned to Northwest Knox County on Friday and won four consecutive games. In their second tournament game against the Admirals, the Mavericks toppled Farragut 35-14.
ACHS then edged Gibbs 20-14 before beating Grace Christian Academy 28-21. The Mavs would then defeat the host Panthers 28-14.
“We had a great time over there,” Anderson County Assistant Head Coach Gary Terry said. “(Powell) Coach (Matt) Lowe always does a great job.
Braden Hensley is joined by family as he signs his letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky.
Clinton High School baseball player Braden Hensley will continue his athletic pursuits on the diamond.
He finalized his college plans when he signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, during a ceremony Thursday night.
Hensley becomes the third Clinton baseball player to play at the school, joining Adam Sharp and Austin Pemberton.
He said the small class size appealed to him.
“What I liked ... was that it was a really small school,” Hensley said. “The school is its own community. The college is the town, if that makes sense, and it’s a really beautiful campus.
“There are only about 600 students, so the student-to-teacher ratio is 14-1,” he said. “That was important to me because when I was Clinton, I could go through the hallway and see my teachers, past and present, [who] would interact with me.
“Another thing that appealed to me was that it’s a Christian school, and that was important to me,” he said.
“I’m going to major in sports management and I’m going to minor in Christian Studies.”
Hensley said that he originally intended to pursue his college education closer to home. But he also wanted to play baseball.
“There really weren’t any baseball opportunities close,” he said. “I want to be a coach, so I wanted to play baseball.
“So, I made the decision to play baseball and go a little further away from home,” he said.
“I made the decision that I would rather be alone and have this opportunity, and I’m only about three hours away, so I can come home on the weekend if I need to.
Coal Creek, River Boys meet in ETBD Tournament championship
by Ken Lay
Jeremiah Owens pitched in the opening game of the ETBD postseason tournament at Christenberry Elementary School. - Tony Cox
For the second consecutive summer, the Coal Creek Bulls have won the East Tennessee Baseball District postseason tournament.
Coal Creek, the No. 3 seed, swept through the tournament and defeated its crosstown rival, the River Boys, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at Christenberry Elementary School.
The Bulls (14-14) and the River Boys (8-14-1) will play in the summer World Series later this week.
The tournament will likely begin Thursday. The bracket was not set at press time, but games will likely take place at Christenberry, Heritage High School, Anderson County High School and Gibbs.
“(Tournament director and Broadway Hawks’) Coach Buzz McNish told us that everybody in our league better be prepared to host games,” Coal Creek Coach Josh Boynton said. “So, games will probably be here, Gibbs, Heritage and (Christenberry). I know Clinton can’t host games because of the fair.”
Coal Creek entered the tournament with 17 or 18 players, and Boynton made it clear that he had some high expectations.
Coal Creek, River Boys meet in ETBD Tournament championship
by Ken Lay
Brent Schaffer gets a double against the Townsend Mountaineers during the ETBD postseason tournament in North Knoxville. - Tony Cox
The River Boys 18U baseball team finished second in the East Tennessee Baseball District tournament over the weekend in Knoxville.
The team played for the tournament championship Sunday at Christenberry Elementary School, losing to crosstown rival Coal Creek 5-2 on a sultry afternoon in North Knoxville.
The River Boys (8-14-1) took an early 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Brennan Tipton in the top of the first inning, but the lead didn’t last long.
The Bulls tied the game in the bottom of the opening frame on a two-run single by Blake Lowe.
After allowing two first-inning runs, Coal Creek pitcher Hayden Ault settled in on the mound and kept the River Boys off the scoreboard for six innings.
He allowed two runs, eight hits and three walks in seven innings. He finished the contest with five strikeouts.
Lowe went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Easton Beaty was 2-for-3 with a triple, a run and a stolen base.
For the River Boys, JP Robbins was 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Jackson Webb went 1-for-2 with a run scored, Tipton went 1-for-3, driving in both runs for the team.
The River Boys advanced to the championship game with a 16-2 victory over the top-seeded Townsend Mountaineers.
With the victory, the River Boys avenged a heartbreaking walk-off loss to the Mountaineers on Friday night.
Rang: ‘We wanted to give our kids a chance to get out in the sun and have a little fun’
by Ken Lay
Trenton Javins finds some running room after making the catch in the Wildcats’ 7-on-7 matchup against Hardin Valley Academy last Thursday. - Tony Cox
Oak Ridge High School’s football team hit the gridiron late last week in the Knoxville Classic 7-on-7 Tournament.
The Wildcats played five games at Powell High School and had some success.
But Coach Derek Rang wasn’t concerned about wins and losses or even final scores.
“We used this as more of a tool,” said Rang, who begins his second season as the Wildcats’ head coach.
“We wanted to give our kids a chance to get out in the sun and have a little fun.
“We played five games and we gave our kids a chance to get some reps,” he said.
“What you do in 7-on-7 is not what we do, but if you’re a team that throws 50 or 60 times a game, and we have a few of those in the area who do that, then it is important for your preparations.
“We also got the chance to give our younger guys some reps, and that’s important because we don’t have a lot of seniors this year.”
The Wildcats will look to have a balanced offensive attack in 2024.
The 2024 high school girls soccer season unofficially kicks off with the 26th annual KIL Jamboree in Knoxville.
The event takes place on Saturday, July 27, and will be hosted by West High School.
Matches will be played at West High’s Bill Wilson Field and at the UT Recreational Fields on Sutherland Avenue.
Teams will play 30-minute games. Oak Ridge and Anderson County will participate.
The Lady Wildcats will play their first match at 9 a.m. at West against the host Lady Rebels. Oak Ridge will move to the UT field to play Farragut at 9:30 a.m.
Oak Ridge will also bring its junior varsity team, which will play West High’s JV side at 10 a.m. at West High. The Lady Wildcats will take on Hardin Valley Academy’s JV team at 10:30 a.m. on the UT field.
After a skills competition, Anderson County will play Webb School of Knoxville at 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Mavericks will play Morristown West at 1:30 p.m.
Anderson County High School’s football team has been sanctioned for minor recruiting violations by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association.
In December, the team posted a photo on social media after ACHS students gathered with student-athletes playing for other schools, to play football.
The school then posted the picture, which wished all current, former and future Mavericks players a Merry Christmas.
The post was reported to the TSSAA and was deemed a violation.
Anderson County, after being informed of the violation, then, self-imposed a penalty.
The disciplinary action will result in the Mavericks forfeiting a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 6 and three spring practice sessions in 2025.
The TSSAA accepted the penalty and commended the school for its cooperation in the matter.
