Clinton’s Mia Jennings (21) breaks into the open field after a busted pass play as Carter defenders give chase during the Lady Dragons’ flag football game. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s flag football team played its first-ever home game early last week.
The Lady Dragons faced a formidable opponent as Carter visited Dragon Stadium on Tuesday, March 3.
Things didn’t go well for Clinton’s varsity squad, which fell 54-0 to the Lady Hornets, a team that reached the state tournament in 2025.
“We were excited to play our first home game, but Carter is a good team and I knew that was going to be a lick,” Lady Dragons Coach Brittany Siler said. “They went to the state tournament last year.”
Clinton has already had to make adjustments to its schedule. Games against Rhea County on Friday and South-Doyle have been canceled.
Anderson County’s Chloe Freeman had three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown during Friday night’s home flag football game against South-Doyle. - Tony Cox
A fast start helped the Anderson County High School flag football team go undefeated through the first two games of the 2026 season.
The Lady Mavericks scored 26 points in the first quarter of a 38-19 home victory over South-Doyle Friday night.
Anderson County (2-0) also featured a stingy defense as the Lady Mavericks’ first unit kept the Lady Cherokees off the scoreboard in the first half.
ACHS led 38-0 at halftime before clearing the bench early in the third quarter.
Quarterback Keianna Gillum threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in the win over the Lady Cherokees.
She also added a pair of conversions. Gillum finished 11-for-13 passing for 189 yards.
“She had a great game,” Lady Mavericks Coach Jonathan Cotton said. “Any time your starting quarterback has a hand in five touchdowns, that’s really good.”
Explosive bats power Anderson County to four opening-week wins
by Ken Lay
Blake Lowe (13) of Anderson County connects for a home run during the Mavericks’ game against The King’s Academy on Saturday, March 7, in Seymour. Lowe drove in two runs with the blast during a five-run third inning as Anderson County defeated the Lions 12-8. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School made a trip to the Class AAA state baseball tournament in 2025.
But the Mavericks had a short stay, losing their first two games at Spring Fling.
The Mavericks have aspirations to return to the Midstate, and they’ve opened the 2026 campaign by winning four of their first five games, while playing a tough schedule.
The Mavericks (4-1) opened the season with a pair of wins as they began with a 5-0 shutout at Greenback on Monday, March 2.
They were on the road again the following day, where they outslugged Powell 14-6 at Danny T. Maples Field in Northwest Knox County.
After a day off on Wednesday, Anderson County traveled to North Knox County’s Halls/Crossroads community, where it was blanked 3-0 for its first loss of the season.
The Mavs, however, bounced back to rout Maryville Christian School 14-1 in their home opener Friday night.
Tristian Lundy goes up for a layup as a Fulton defender falls to the floor during the Dragons’ home matchup Thursday, March 5. Lundy finished with eight points and three assists in the game. - Tony Cox
The 2025-26 season came to a heartbreaking end for the Clinton High School boys basketball team Monday night as the Dragons fell just short of reaching the Class AAA state tournament.
“Man, I wish we were going to Murfreesboro,” Clinton Coach Chris Lockard said after his team fell to Tennessee High 49-48 in Bristol in the state sectional round of the TSSAA playoffs. “This one hurts. I thought our kids played their guts out.
“That should be us down there celebrating — actually, we should be at home celebrating — but I’m not taking anything away from Tennessee High, and I’m not taking anything away from Fulton in the Region 2-AAA championship game,” he said. “ They’re both very good basketball teams. But this one is going to hurt for a few days.”
The contest was a rollercoaster ride as the Vikings (29-7) and Dragons staged an epic battle for the right to make a trip to the Midstate.
Clinton (29-9), which won the District 4-AAA regular-season title with a perfect 8-0 league record and later captured the district tournament championship, led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Oak Ridge Coach Jeremy Gill congratulates Hadley Gardner and Skylar Hensley after a successful inning during a Lady Wildcats softball game - Allen Etheridge | ORHS Sports Media
The Clinton Middle School Hawks baseball program officially opened its spring season Saturday evening at Dragon Field, where the Hawks’ junior varsity squad faced an early test with a doubleheader against Sweetwater’s JV Wildcats and the Norris JV Senators.
Saturday marked the first of four JV Play Days, and the Hawks showed flashes of identity and resilience throughout the evening.
Clinton dropped the opener 4-2 to Sweetwater before battling Norris to a hard-earned 5-5 tie in the nightcap, demonstrating the competitive edge the program hopes will define the season ahead.
Sweetwater struck early in Game 1, using timely hitting to build a lead the Hawks worked to chip away at throughout the contest. Hudson Lowe started on the mound for CMS, allowing three runs over 3⅓ innings while keeping the Wildcats within reach. Behind him, the Hawks turned in a clean defensive performance, committing no errors. Cole Sellers handled six chances in the field.
Offensively, Corbyn Miller drove in a run while Miller, Sellers and Keaton Miller each recorded hits.
As the team opened the 2026 softball season, Clinton High School Coach Leonard Sams believed his players would be able to hit.
The Lady Dragons wasted little time proving him right.
Clinton pounded out 13 hits in a 12-1 road victory over Hardin Valley Academy in Northwest Knox County in its season opener Tuesday, March 3. The game was called after five innings due to the TSSAA mercy rule.
“We had an approach at the plate and we got on her early and we didn’t let her get deep in the count, and that worked,” Sams said. “And we hit the ball well pretty much up and down the lineup.”
The Lady Dragons showcased a potent attack and received a stellar performance from leadoff hitter Sara Bishop.
After dropping its first two games of the 2026 season, Clinton High School’s baseball team moved into the win column for the first time this year.
The Dragons received a big spark from the bottom third of their lineup in an 8-4 victory over Cumberland County in Crossville on Saturday afternoon.
Peyton Douglas led the way at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. He scored one run and drove in another.
Colton Wright, Clinton’s No. 9 hitter, went 2-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base, while Bryson Douglas doubled, scored a run and stole a base. He also drove in a run for the Dragons, who finished with eight hits and scored four runs in the top of the second inning.
JP Robbins had a hit and drove in two runs for Clinton, while Jackson Webb singled, stole a base and scored twice.
On Thursday, the Dragons fell 11-4 to Northview Academy.
Will Brooks had two hits and scored a run, while Robbins doubled and drove in a run. Camden Britton also doubled in the contest, while Webb singled and scored two runs.
Clinton opened the season with a 10-6 loss to Lenoir City.
Brooks went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs, while Britton doubled and scored. Webb singled and scored twice, while Robbins singled and scored against the Panthers.
In an early-season track meet in North Knox County, both Anderson County teams posted strong performances.
For the Lady Mavericks, Mattie Lively recorded a top-five finish in the shot put. She had a throw of 24 feet, 11 inches to place fifth at the Tom Dever Invitational at Halls High School Thursday night.
For the Anderson County boys, three distance specialists finished in the top 10 in the 800-meter run.
John Cutler led the way with a second-place finish, crossing the line in 2 minutes, 6.51 seconds.
Cameron Hardy was eighth with a time of 2:11.25, while Avian Laster finished ninth in 2:18.28.
That trio also posted strong finishes in the 1,600-meter run, which was won by Cutler in 4:34.67. Hardy placed third in 4:52.25, while Laster came in sixth with a time of 5:01.15.
Luke Dark, a senior, captured the shot put with a winning mark of 59 feet, 4 inches. Charles Humphrey finished sixth with a throw of 36-6.
The Clinton Middle School girls softball team opened the month of March in a big way Thursday night at home.
The Lady Hawks made quick work of Soldiers Memorial Middle School as Kailyn Martin kept opposing bats silent, hurling a no-hitter in a 10-0, five-inning victory.
Soldiers Memorial managed only seven base runners in the contest as the Lady Hawks committed two errors in an otherwise crisp and efficient performance.
In the circle, Martin struck out 10 and walked five while tossing a complete-game gem for Clinton.
Martin also made her presence felt at the plate as she blasted a three-run home run over the right-field fence during a decisive 10-run fourth inning.
She finished 2-for-3 with the homer, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Loila Atwater and Mac Lawson also collected three hits apiece and each scored a run.
Atwater drove in two runs, while Lawson added an RBI.
