The foundation is being laid for the new 400-seat bleachers at George Templin Memorial Field in Rocky Top, part of an extensive makeover of the ballfield’s amenities. - G. Chambers Williams III
The foundation is being poured this week for the new bleachers at George Templin Memorial Athletic Field, City Manager Mike Ellis told the Rocky Top City Council during its meeting last Thursday.
Ellis said they will replace the ones removed in April as work began on a major upgrade of the city-owned and operated ballpark.
The council in December approved a $904,090 contract for modernizing the ballpark, which includes the bleachers and attached press box, a concessions stand, and some restroom upgrades.
First Place Finish, Inc., an Oak Ridge-based contractor, was awarded the contract for the project, for which the city has received a state recreation grant of up to $566,000.
The city must match the amount of grant funding dollar for dollar, and will do so using a U.S. Department of Agriculture low-interest loan.
Phil Russell is eagerly anticipating the next chapter of his coaching career, and that journey has brought him to East Tennessee and Clinton High School.
Russell, who has coached football in Kentucky for more than two decades, was recently named the Dragons’ special-teams coordinator and head junior varsity coach.
He joins one of Tennessee’s youngest head coaches in Jake Dawson, who will begin his second season at Clinton when the Dragons open the 2026 season at Heritage High School in Maryville on Friday, Aug. 21.
“That’s one of the things that got me excited,” Russell said. “Jake is a great young coach. When I was in Kentucky, I was 47 years old and I was the youngest coach on the staff. I love our staff, and Friday nights in East Tennessee are special.
“I have family in Knoxville,” he said. “My wife is from Knoxville, and I brought her to Kentucky. Now we’re coming back. We’ll have a house in Knoxville in the Pleasant Ridge area. My wife has family down here.”
Anderson County High School’s football team is now on a break from the rigors of offseason summer workouts as schools across Tennessee observe the TSSAA-mandated two-week dead period, which began Monday and runs through July 5.
Before the break, however, the Mavericks competed in a 7-on-7 tournament at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
Anderson County posted a 4-1 record at the event on Tuesday, June 16. The Mavericks defeated Powell, Knoxville West, Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett, Graham High School of Virginia and Maiden High School of North Carolina.
Their lone loss came against Asheville High School of North Carolina.
“We had a 4-1 record,” Anderson County assistant head coach Gary Terry said. “We lost to the Asheville Cougars, and they were a pretty good team. We played Powell, Kingsport D-B, Graham High School in Virginia, Maiden from North Carolina and Knoxville West.”
The trip also proved productive for sophomore quarterback John David Gillum, the son of Mavericks head coach Davey Gillum.
Gillum received a scholarship offer from East Tennessee State while in Johnson City.
He also visited Alabama and Vanderbilt last week. He already held an offer from the Commodores.
Anderson County goalkeeper Bria Willis secures a high ball during a Lady Mavericks soccer summer workout. Willis returns for her senior season after helping Anderson County post a 14-6-3 record in 2025 while winning the District 4-AA regular-season championship, District 4-AA tournament title and Region 2-AA tournament championship. Her experience in goal will be a key asset as the Lady Mavericks pursue a state tournament berth in 2026. - Tony Cox
For years, the Anderson County High School girls soccer team has been knocking on the door.
The Lady Mavericks have reached the state sectional round in each of the past three seasons, but they are still seeking an elusive berth in the state tournament.
In 2026, Anderson County and longtime Coach Chris Curtin hope to change that.
“We want to make it to the state (tournament) this year,” Curtin said. “We’ve made it to the substate the last three seasons, and we’ve made it to the substate in six of the 10 years that I’ve coached.”
The past three seasons have featured plenty of success and memorable moments, but each has ended in heartbreak as the Lady Mavericks fell in the state sectional by the slimmest of margins.
In 2025, Anderson County posted a 14-6-3 record and completed a perfect run through the District 4-AA regular season to claim the league championship.
The Lady Mavericks also captured the District 4-AA tournament and Region 2-AA tournament titles.
The Anderson County Mavericks pause for a team photo during a summer basketball tournament in Nashville. The Mavericks wrapped up a busy summer schedule that included games against top competition from across the state as they prepare for the 2026-27 season. Coach Jordan Jeffers said the summer gave the team an opportunity to develop new players, define roles and build chemistry heading into the fall. - Submitted
The Anderson County High School boys basketball team will have a brief break as schools across Tennessee observe the two-week TSSAA-mandated dead period, which began Monday.
Before the hiatus, however, the Mavericks wrapped up a busy summer schedule Friday that included a trip to Middle Tennessee, where they faced several strong opponents, including powerhouse Milan.
“We played some teams that we usually don’t get to see,” Anderson County Coach Jordan Jeffers said. “We played Milan, and they’re a good team from out west. They’re good in all of their sports.
“We saw some good teams, and we played Jellico. We didn’t really want to play each other because we play each other a lot, but we played anyway. We also played White County down there, and they’re always in the mix. We won more games than we lost, and that’s always good.”
The Coal Creek 18U baseball team closed out its schedule before the TSSAA-mandated dead period with a pair of victories last week.
Coal Creek swept a doubleheader against the Oakdale Eagles at home on Monday, June 15, routing Oakdale 13-2 in the opener before edging the Eagles 7-6 in the nightcap.
In the first game, Coal Creek pounded out nine hits to snap a four-game losing streak.
Eli Ledford led the offense, going 3-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored. Cooper Downs finished 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs scored and three RBIs.
