The 2024 season was the debut for Clinton Athletic Club tackle football. Registration for the 2025 season has been extended due to Clinton Optimist’s cancellation of the 2025 season. Other area youth programs have also extended registration.
The Clinton Optimist Club has suspended its youth football program, but several area leagues have extended registration to ensure young players can still take the field this fall.
Clinton Athletic Club will keep registration open for the near future, while Lake City will accept players until July 14.
Norwood Boys & Girls Club will take new players until Friday. NAGAF has closed its registration but will respond to inquiries through its Facebook page.
“We’ve worked with our uniform vendors to make sure we have enough gear for the kids who come in, so we have new uniforms,” Clinton Athletic Club spokesperson Kayley Holloway said. “We have enough equipment to accommodate every kid who wants to play.”
The 2024 season was the debut for Clinton Athletic Club tackle football. Registration for the 2025 season has been extended due to Clinton Optimist’s cancellation of the 2025 season. Other area youth programs have also extended registration.
As the 2025 high school football season looms, Oak Ridge High School faces a new set of challenges.
But challenges are nothing new for the Wildcats, who boast one of the most tradition-rich programs in the Volunteer State.
Oak Ridge, the two-time defending Region 3-5A champion, won’t get the chance to capture another title in that league. The Wildcats have been reclassified and will compete in Class 6A this season, with third-year Coach Derek Rang leading the way against some of Tennessee’s top teams.
After a slow start in 2024, Oak Ridge finished 9-5, completed an undefeated region run, and advanced to the Class 5A semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Sevier County.
The Wildcats return a deep roster of starters from last season, including three-year starting quarterback Blaine Stansberry, and will be the first area team to open the season.
Jim Lawler can’t wait to get started at Clinton High School.
“I just moved here about a month ago from Denver, and I’m really super excited,” said Lawler, who was named strength and conditioning coach for the Dragons football team.
“How can you not be motivated when you’re around Coach (Jake) Dawson?”
Lawler plans to begin implementing his program when the team returns from the TSSAA-mandated dead period on Monday, July 7.
“I met with some of the guys, and we worked on some fundamentals,” he said. “I had to take a week off to move my daughter to the University of Mississippi, where she’ll intern as a strength and conditioning coach. I didn’t think it was fair to start my program before I did that.”
When the Dragons return, Lawler knows it will be time to prepare for the upcoming season, which kicks off Friday, Aug. 22, when Clinton hosts Heritage at Dragon Stadium.
“When we get back, it will be full-speed ahead,” he said.
Four area high school track and field athletes were honored by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association when the organization released its All-State teams recently.
Anderson County High School’s Luke Dark and Vance Laster were both named to the Class AA boys team.
Dark, a junior shot put standout for the Mavericks, earned a spot on the team after winning the state championship in the event for the second consecutive season with a mark of 62 feet, 1 inch at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Laster, a senior distance specialist, finished second in the 1,600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 4 minutes, 26.80 seconds at the Midstate in May.
Ava Moody earned all-state recognition in two events in 2025. She won the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:26.48 and also finished as runner-up in the 1,600-meter run, clocking in at 5:03.71.
Oak Ridge High School junior Mason Greenhalgh also received all-state honors after finishing second in the Class AAA boys 800-meter run with a time of 1:54.51.
The USA North 2008 girls soccer team recently captured the 2025 U.S. Youth Soccer Southern President’s Cup title in Plano, Texas, earning a berth in the upcoming national tournament in Tampa, Florida.
The event will take place July 11-15.
The team, which features players from Knox, Anderson and Blount counties, advanced to the national stage despite entering the regional championship short-handed.
Three players from Oak Ridge made significant contributions during the season and the tournament.
Lilah Kim scored three goals in pool play for USA North, while Noel Norstedt anchored the defense. Rose Pelletier was a force in the midfield before suffering a season-ending injury.
Coach David Scarbrough praised his squad’s resilience as the team prevailed despite limited numbers, traveling with just 15 players and finishing the event with 13.
Former Anderson County High School girls basketball Coach Nicky Anosike will be inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class later this summer.
The induction ceremony is set for Aug. 21 at the Knoxville Expo Center, with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
The event will begin at 5 p.m., and tickets are $200 per person or $3,000 for a table of 10. Former Tennessee men’s basketball player Ron Slay is scheduled to serve as keynote speaker.
Anosike starred for the Lady Vols from 2005-08 under legendary Coach Pat Summitt, helping Tennessee capture back-to-back national championships in 2007 and 2008. She was named to the 2005 SEC All-Freshman Team and played in 146 games during her career, averaging 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
