Anderson County’s Brayden Sharpe stretches the ball toward the goal line as Fulton’s Jett Byrge tries to bring him down during Friday night’s game. Sharpe caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown as the Mavericks rolled to a 41-18 victory over the Falcons. - Tony Cox
Anderson County may have stumbled out of the gate Friday night, but once the Mavericks found their footing, they were tough to stop.
ACHS overcame that sluggish start and pulled away in the second half to defeat Fulton 41-18 on Sept. 4, giving the Mavericks their first victory of the season.
“We were a little sloppy on both sides of the ball at the beginning,” Anderson County Coach Davey Gillum said. “And then, in the second half, we just cleaned some things up, kind of pulled away offensively.”
Quarterback J.D. Gillum led the charge, throwing five touchdown passes and compiling 385 yards through the air.
“Receivers were playing pretty good, our line was solid. J.D. had a big game,” Davey Gillum said.
Anderson County piled up 477 yards of total offense, with several Mavericks making big plays.
“Offensively, we played well,” Gillum said. “I think all of our starters played real well. Elijah Johnson, he ended up with three TDs and 121 yards receiving. He had a couple of long runs on a couple of catches and broke some tackles, running away from people. I thought he really had a good night.
The Clinton Dragons jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and went on to a 42-22 victory over William Blount on Friday in their home and Region 2-5A opener.
Clinton’s trio of quarterback Mason Eckerson, receiver/running back Will Young, and receiver Austyn Phillips helped the Dragons (1-2, 1-0) outgain the Governors 491 yards to 378.
Eckerson completed eight passes in 15 attempts for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for a game-high 122 yards and two TDs. Young scored on a 5-yard run and caught five passes for 147 yards and two more tallies.
Phillips recorded three catches for 89 yards and a TD. Manny Ortiz went 6-for-6 on extra-point kicks for the hosts.
Charlie Turbyville led the Dragon defense with 13 tackles. Aiden Campbell added nine stops, and Jaxson Alcorn, Ziyer Oliver, and Torpedo Rodriguez made seven tackles apiece. Phillips recovered his fourth fumble of the season.
The Dragons were stymied by penalties, getting flagged 17 times for 121 yards.
William Blount (0-3, 0-1) ran the ball for much of the game. Josh Lima led the Governors with 16 rushes for 94 yards and a TD.
The Clinton Fire Department and the Clinton Utilities Board saved the evening for Dragon and William Blount football Friday after a transformer fire behind the press box led to a 52-minute delay at halftime.
The Dragons’ game against the Governors, earlier in the week, had its kickoff pushed back 30 minutes to 7:30 p.m. because of high heat in the forecast. The halftime clock had ticked down from 20 minutes to 3:18 when an announcement was made for fans to evacuate the stadium because of the transformer issue.
The stoppage occurred right at 9 p.m. Crews repaired the damage as the home-side stadium lights and electrical power to the press box were temporarily off, leaving much of the field in darkness. The crowd cheered at 9:50 p.m. as the lights came back on. Two minutes later, the teams returned to the field as a 20-minute warmup period was put on the scoreboard clock.
The game resumed and ended at 11:13 p.m., making it a late evening for fans, but the CUB workers kept the game from being canceled or suspended with their halftime heroics.
The Dragon marching band, having its halftime show nixed by the emergency situation, performed after the game.
Anderson County senior wing Lily Trent races upfield with a Kingston defender in pursuit during Thursday night’s home match. Trent delivered the Lady Mavericks’ final goal in a 3-2 victory over the Yellowjackets. - Tony Cox
After picking up its first district victory of the season, the Anderson County girls soccer team passed a tough test Wednesday, Sept. 3, edging Kingston 3-2 at home.
“Kingston’s a tough team; they’re well coached, and they’re always a good barometer for us about where we are,” Lady Mavericks Coach Chris Curtin said.
“It’s always a tough game between them and Gibbs. They are probably the two closest opponents to us in the 2A classification that we will play in the regular season.”
Kingston struck first for a 1-0 lead, but Anderson County senior striker Roxana Aguilar quickly provided the answer.
“Roxana Aguilar scored within the first minute or so after their score,” Curtin said.
Freshman Reagan Bedwell provided the assist.
“She’s a freshman, and yeah, you’ll hear her name quite a bit over the next couple years,” Curtin said.
The Lady Mavericks’ second goal came on a free kick from senior center back Makayla Prinkki.
Senior wing Lily Trent accounted for Anderson County’s final goal, scoring off an assist from Kate Swisher.
At the other end of the field, senior goalkeeper Bria Willis helped the Lady Mavericks preserve the narrow victory.
“Bria Willis did a great job in goal,” Curtin said. “I don’t know exactly how many saves she had, but it was a bunch.”
The Lady Mavericks opened district play at home against Union County on Tuesday, Sept. 1, cruising to a 9-0 victory.
Clinton senior libero Hannah Harvey receives a serve during the Lady Dragons’ 3-0 sweep of Halls on Thursday, Sept. 3. Harvey helped steady Clinton’s back row with six digs and two assists while adding an ace in the victory. - Tony Cox
Lorri Johnson was quite happy with her Clinton Lady Dragons volleyball team after last week’s three matches.
“Oh, we had a good week. We’ve gotten better — yeah, we’ve gotten better,” Johnson said after Clinton won three matches without dropping a set, improving to 12-6 overall and 4-2 in district play.
“We started Monday with South-Doyle at home, and then we had Gibbs (Tuesday, Sept. 1) and then Halls (Thursday, Sept. 3),” Johnson said. “We just executed very well this week. We made it look easy at times.”
Clinton capped its perfect week by sweeping district foe Halls 25-13, 25-15, 25-8.
Senior outside hitter Maggie Moke finished with six kills, while senior setter/opposite Jallie Rodd served six aces and added 11 assists and six digs. Sophomore setter/opposite Alaina Staudenmaier had five aces, four assists, four kills and six digs.
Oak Ridge running back Damillyan Porter breaks into the open field and races toward the end zone during Friday night’s win over Lenoir City at Blankenship Field. Porter rushed for 93 yards as the Wildcats rolled to a 56-7 victory. - ORHS Sports Media
Running its unbeaten record to 3-0, Oak Ridge football enjoyed “a complete team effort” in a 56-7 blowout victory over Lenoir City at Blankenship Field on Friday night, Sept. 4, Wildcats Coach Derek Rang said.
“You know, we have kind of been in a unique spot to where we’ve had a couple of games in a row where there’s been a running-clock situation,” Rang said, also referencing an easy Week 2 home victory over rival Clinton.
“You know, it was kind of unique offensively; we had five different players catch a touchdown pass.
“We had Brody Sparks, our starting quarterback,” he said. “You know, he accounted for three touchdowns, two passing, one rushing.
Oak Ridge High School golf featured a career-best performance during a pair of matches last week.
The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats opened the week Monday, Aug. 31, at Avalon Golf Course in Loudon County, where Oak Ridge competed against Hardin Valley, Farragut and Knoxville Central.
Oak Ridge Coach Scott Hinton used the match to give some of his less-experienced golfers an opportunity to compete.
“I took more of my B lineup than I did my A players,” Hinton said. “We shot 177 as a team. Senior Jonah Wolfe led us with a 40.”
The Lady Wildcats posted a team score of 109, led by sophomore Brynn Green, who shot a 54.
Oak Ridge returned to the course Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Green Meadow Country Club in Alcoa, competing against Christian Academy of Knoxville and Maryville.
That’s where junior Lilli Langenberg turned in the week’s biggest highlight for Oak Ridge.
Langenberg fired a career-best to lead the Lady Wildcats, who finished with a team score of 93.
“She had a career-low match. She shot 45,” Hinton said. “I’m really proud of her.”
The Oak Ridge boys posted a team score of 166 at Green Meadow, with freshman Titus Petrucci leading the Wildcats.
With several starters back from injury, Jefferson Middle School’s football team has found its stride, winning three straight games.
The latest was a 34-8 victory over Ocoee Middle School on Thursday, Sept. 3, in Bradley County.
“We’re 3-2 now, and we’re 2-2 in our conference,” Jefferson Coach Sean Jessie said.
Nic Fletcher powered the Jefferson offense with a big night.
“Nic Fletcher led us on offense for sure,” Jessie said. “He had four carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns — and he had two receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.”
Krishaun Lee added a 16-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Braylon Knipp went 4-for-4 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Brycen Stott converted four of five extra-point attempts.
Jefferson piled up 312 yards of total offense.
The defense also turned in a strong performance, with strong safety Tyson Helle leading the way.
“He had five tackles, one interception and two pass breakups,” Jessie said. “Krishaun Lee, an outside linebacker, also had five tackles.
“Linebackers Isaac Hernandez and Nic Fletcher, they both had four tackles. Braylon Knipp, also a defensive back, had an interception.”
Jefferson will look to extend its winning streak when it plays Spring City at 6 p.m. Thursday at Blankenship Field.
Freshmen were prominent among the top finishers for Oak Ridge High School’s varsity cross-country teams at the Victor Ashe Park Fall Classic on Saturday morning, Sept. 5.
The Lady Wildcats finished sixth, while the Oak Ridge boys placed ninth.
Freshman Connor Morgan led the Wildcats with a 45th-place finish in 18 minutes, 17.5 seconds.
Junior Tommy Sauer was 58th (18:41.0), followed closely by sophomore Finnian Wessels in 59th (18:46.3).
Freshman Chase Bolin placed 72nd (19:01.3), freshman John Coleman was 87th (19:32.5), freshman Logan Dornburg took 99th (19:48.8) and freshman Eli Holdsworth finished 104th (19:59.9).
Junior Julian Kearns placed 114th (20:11.5), sophomore Jacobi Miller was 137th (20:42.8), sophomore Chi Kirk finished 165th (21:32.0), sophomore Eliam Hermann was 175th (21:47.8) and senior Elijah Watson took 176th (21:48.3).
Senior Jayce Smith placed 190th (22:10.8), freshman Brian Gentry was 191st (22:11.8), sophomore Connor Squibb finished 197th (22:28.5) and junior Ifeoluwa Abiodun-Adeniyi was 212th (22:53.6).
With the postseason approaching, Anderson County High School’s golf teams appear to be finding their stride.
The Mavericks enjoyed a successful week on the course, with the boys winning both of their matches and the Lady Mavericks posting a pair of runner-up finishes.
On Monday, Aug. 31, at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge, the Anderson County boys shot a 148 to finish first in a field of five teams. Christian Academy of Knoxville finished second.
Leading the way for the Mavericks were senior Luke Baldwin and junior Maddox Tackett, who each shot 36. Seniors Hoyt Chadwell and Hunter Turpin each carded a 38.
“Yeah, that was one of our best matches we’ve had so far this year,” Anderson County coach Dallas Cole said. “Oh wow, wow, wow.”
Clinton High School’s boys golf team has its lineup set as the Dragons prepare for postseason competition.
Defending district champion Grant Hannah, a senior, holds the No. 1 spot.
“He was medalist last year, and I expect him to do that again,” Clinton Coach Matt Cain said. “My No. 2 is senior JP Robbins. My No. 3 is junior Eric Newport. And my No. 4 is senior Aden Golden.”
For the Lady Dragons, junior Reece Hollifield has played her way into the postseason lineup after making significant strides this season.
“She didn’t play in the district last year, but she’s improved enough this year that she is going to play in the district, and I think she’ll probably advance to the region,” Cain said.
Clinton’s boys were in action Monday at Three Ridges Golf Course in North Knox County, competing against Gibbs, Campbell County and Gatlinburg-Pittman.
“I didn’t play my varsity team. It was the JV team that played, and we still beat Campbell County and Gatlinburg-Pittman, but we lost to Gibbs,” Cain said.
Clinton shot 179 as a team, with Cal Kirkpatrick leading the way with a 40.
Finn Pridemore carded a 44, Isaiah Williams shot 45, and Zander Ford and Jarred Pacinos each finished with a 50.
A “very young team” pleased Clinton High School cross country Coach Tim Kumes after competing in the Victor Ashe Park Fall Classic on Saturday morning, Sept. 5, at Victor Ashe Park.
Behind the team’s top finishers, the Dragons and Lady Dragons got strong efforts from several freshmen.
Tylin Cook finished second on the Clinton boys team in 24 minutes, 11 seconds, while Joe Patton was the Dragons’ third finisher. Caroline Jones was second for the Lady Dragons in 28:11.1, followed by fellow freshman Adah Freels in 30:14.5.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids who are just trying to figure things out,” Kumes said. “It’s hard to come from middle school to the high school level, to be honest. These kids are in their first season of trying to figure that out, getting used to the 3-mile race that happens at the high school level.
Following a decisive 42-0 win over LaFollette on Thursday, Sept. 3, which improved the Clinton Middle School football team’s record to 4-0, head Coach Eric Woodard praised some of his unsung players.
“That was the second start for a young quarterback,” he said. “He’s playing really well, Jaxson Sherwood, a seventh-grader.
“So that makes me feel good about the future,” Woodard said.
Christian Frazier hauled in two touchdown passes from Sherwood, including a 93-yard strike and an 18-yarder.
Following a safety, Westin Glandon caught an 11-yard touchdown pass as Clinton built a 26-0 halftime lead.
Jacob Deel caught a 5-yard scoring pass from Sherwood in the second half before Sherwood connected with Stone McKenzie for a 40-yard touchdown.
Luke Whitt caught a 2-point conversion pass, while Reese Adkins rushed for a pair of 2-point conversions. Kooper Bayliss and Glandon also ran for conversions.
“Our offensive line is playing really, really well: Reece Adkins, Jaxon Betts, Mason Reynolds, Owen Griffith and Nathan Nichols,” Woodard said.
