Wildcats send four to sectionals in debut season
Oak Ridge’s Adam Englehardt (150) advanced to the TSSAA Class AA Sectional Championship on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Northeast High School. Shipp is joined by Joey Marin Shipp (215), Sebastian Acevedo (126) and Nick Englehardt (106) as sectional qualifiers for the first-year Oak Ridge Wildcats wrestling program. (photo:Kaylin Dimmer | ORHS Sports Media )
The Lady Wildcats also produced a sectional qualifier as freshman Haylee Rackcleff advanced from the regional tournament at Knoxville Halls on Friday night.
Coach Bam Thomas said the Wildcats have enjoyed a successful inaugural season, but he emphasized the program is still chasing more.
“If the season was over today, we could be happy,” Thomas said. “We finished third in the district and we had five sectional qualifiers, but we’re never satisfied.”
For the Wildcats, senior A.J. Englehardt (150 pounds), freshman Sebastian Acevedo (126), sophomore Joey Marin Shipp (215) and junior Nick Englehardt (106) all advanced from the Region 2-AA Tournament at Farragut’s Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium on Saturday.
Oak Ridge made steady progress throughout the 2025-26 season, though the Wildcats encountered a rough stretch around Christmas that prompted the coaching staff to adjust its approach.
“We decided we were going to scale down and go back to fundamentals, and that seemed to pay some dividends,” Thomas said. “I’m really proud of these kids, and I’m happy they’re going to have this opportunity in our first season.”
