Anderson County’s Reese Russell (1) breaks up a late pass intended for Jamir Dean (0) of Alcoa during Friday night’s thriller in Clinton. The Mavericks’ defense held the Tornadoes out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter to give Anderson County a 31-30 victory. The win snapped Alcoa’s 11-season region win streak and clinched Anderson County’s ninth-consecutive region championship. - David Woods
Things haven’t exactly been easy for the Anderson County High School football team this season.
The Mavericks recently lost their first Region 2-4A game in nine years, falling to Gibbs at home. The 2025 campaign has been one filled with adversity and injuries, but one win was all it took to cure what ailed the Mavs.
And they got it — in dramatic fashion. Anderson County earned a hard-fought 31-30 victory over 10-time defending Class 3A state champion Alcoa on Senior Night.
The Tornadoes (9-1, 6-1) made the leap to Class 4A this fall and stormed through their first nine games, even edging Blount County powerhouse Maryville in the Battle of Pistol Creek to open the season.
The night began with the Mavericks (7-2, 6-1) honoring their seniors, and ended with the celebration of a ninth-consecutive region championship. The title was clinched when freshman quarterback J.D. Gillum connected with Deameion Leavell on a 22-yard scoring strike after eluding a sack with 1:36 left to play. Jackson Payne added the extra point to give Anderson County its first lead of the night.
Clinton High School’s girls basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with back-to-back victories — and a major personal milestone for one of its senior leaders.
Guard Josie Moody reached 1,000 career points in the first quarter of Clinton’s 51-39 win over Austin-East on Monday, Nov. 17.
She went on to post a double-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. She was one of three Lady Dragons to score in double figures in the opener.
Caylin Taylor had 12 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists, while Addi Gamble added 10 points. Gamble also stuffed the stat sheet with seven steals, four assists and a block. Jailie Rodd chipped in six points and an assist.
Clinton High School’s boys basketball team tipped off its 2025-26 campaign late last week with a Hall of Fame doubleheader at Elizabethton High School, earning a split on opening night.
The Dragons opened Thursday, Nov. 20, with a 66-52 loss to David Crockett. Clinton, one of the program’s deepest and most experienced squads in recent years, found itself in early foul trouble and never fully recovered.
“The Crockett game really kind of got away from us,” longtime CHS coach Chris Lockard said. “We got into early foul trouble, and they’re a really good team. This was a wake-up call for us. We didn’t make enough plays.”
Lockard credited the Pioneers for dictating the pace and disrupting Clinton’s rhythm.
“Crockett is really good and they played extremely hard,” he said.
Bryson Maddox scored 18 points in the opener, while Eli Slaven added 15.
Clinton regrouped quickly and responded with a convincing 64-43 victory over Happy Valley in the nightcap. Lockard said he was encouraged by the team’s resolve following the afternoon setback.
“We had a tough game, and then we turned around a couple of hours later,” he said. “I liked the way we bounced back. We got up big and did a good job. We proved we could recover.”
The Dragons built a lead that stretched to 28 points. Jaxson Alcorn powered the win with 23 points and seven rebounds as he controlled the paint. Maddox added 20 in the bounce-back performance.
Marcus Brown fights through contact for extra yards against Greeneville during Friday’s Class 4A quarterfinal. The Mavericks leaned on the senior’s tough running and a late surge from freshman quarterback JD Gillum, who nearly engineered a fourth-quarter comeback before Anderson County fell 28-21 to the Green Devils. - Tony Cox
All things must come to an end, and this was the case for the 2025 football season for Anderson County High School.
In a matchup that seems to happen every year around this time, the Mavericks made a trip to Greeneville for a Class 4A playoff game.
The game marked the fourth-consecutive time that Anderson County has tangled on the gridiron in the state quarterfinals.
As it turned out, the game would be the Mavericks’ last contest of the season as they came up on the short end of a 28-21 decision against the Greene Devils on a cool rainy night in Northeast Tennessee.
With the win, Greeneville avenged last year’s 28-14 postseason loss to the Mavs.
The Greene Devils won in 2023, prevailing 28-17.
In 2022, ACHS, at home, routed Greeneville, 38-7, on its way to a state championship and a perfect 15-0 season.
Friday night’s contest was also a tale of two halves as the defenses took center stage for the inaugural 24 minutes of the postseason tilt.
Anderson County Head Coach Jordan Jeffers maps out adjustments with his players during a timeout in the Mavericks’ home opener against William Blount on Thursday night. Jeffers, in his fourth season leading ACHS, huddles his team around the bench as they regroup and refocus in the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School opened the 2025-26 boys basketball season on the road, short-handed, playing its first two games without several key contributors who were still on the football field Friday night.
The Mavericks (1-1) were in Pensacola, Florida, earlier this week for a pair of games. They went to the Gulf Coast with just seven players.
When they return after the Thanksgiving Break, they will gradually get their full complement of players.
“After Thanksgiving, we’re going to look a lot different; I’m not saying that we’re going to be better,” said Anderson County Coach Jordan Jeffers, who began his fourth season at the helm for the Mavericks. “But we’re going to be different.”
ACHS opened its season with a 62-38 victory over Kingston in a Hall of Fame game in Roane County on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
Oak Ridge’s Nicholas Englehardt controls Clinton’s Hayden Durliat during their 113-pound bout Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Clinton High School. Englehardt earned a 14-9 decision in the first dual meet between the two programs. - Tony Cox
Last week marked a milestone for Oak Ridge High School athletics.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Wildcats wrestled in their first official match in recent memory — perhaps their first ever — launching a new chapter for the school’s storied athletic program.
The debut came against cross-county rival Clinton, a fitting opening test according to Oak Ridge Coach Bam Thomas.
“I can’t think of a better way to get this all started than to do it against a rival like Clinton,” Thomas said before the dual.
The match at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium ended in a 33-33 tie, with the Dragons taking the victory on a tie-breaker thanks to earning more pins.
Oak Ridge opened strong. Freshman 106-pounder Cole Callaghan won by forfeit, and the Wildcats extended their lead to 9-0 when Nick Englehardt earned a 14-9 decision over Clinton’s Hayden Durliat.
Oak Ridge High School’s boys basketball team is leaning heavily on its youth early in the season, and the first week showed both promise and growing pains.
The Wildcats (1-1) wrapped up last week with a 59-53 road loss at Cookeville. The Cavaliers led 35-24 at halftime and kept Oak Ridge at arm’s length as the Wildcats struggled to find rhythm.
“This was a tough game for us,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “We have a hard time getting teams to play us in Hall of Fame games, and we tried to get it at our place, but we went down there. We didn’t shoot the ball really well, and they were just more aggressive than we were.”
Senior Charlie Taubenheim scored 18 points to lead Oak Ridge in the Midstate. Eli Peters added 10, while Ethan James and Luis Soria had eight apiece.
A new era officially began for Oak Ridge High School’s girls basketball team, one of the most tradition-rich programs in the Volunteer State.
The Lady Wildcats (1-1) have a new head coach in 2025-26 as Kevin Tubbs takes the reins. He replaced Paige Taylor, who guided Oak Ridge to 10 consecutive district championships.
The team, loaded with young talent, has five new starters.
The Lady Wildcats split a pair of Hall of Fame games on back-to-back nights.
Oak Ridge won its first game under its new head coach, nabbing a 62-34 victory over Oliver Springs at Wildcat Arena.
Tubbs said he enjoyed his first game after coming over from Seymour High, where he led the Lady Eagles to a Region 2-AAA tournament appearance.
“It was great to play my first game with the team, especially with a home win,” Tubbs said. “We had a great crowd and the girls played hard.
Anderson County’s Emerie Bullock pushes past Katelyn Husband and drives to the basket against visiting William Blount on Thursday night. Bullock finished with six points and four assists in the Lady Mavericks’ home matchup. - Tony Cox
Anderson County opened its 2025-26 girls basketball season with mixed results, earning a split against Kingston and William Blount.
The Lady Mavericks, who finished second in District 4-AAA and reached the Region 2-AAA quarterfinals last season, stumbled out of the gate with a 49-26 loss to Kingston on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“We just weren’t ready to play against Kingston on Tuesday,” ACHS Coach Mitch Cupples said.
Compounding the challenge, Anderson County played without standout guard Macy Basford, who missed the opener.
Bethany Lowe led ACHS with eight points against the Lady Jackets.
The Lady Mavericks regrouped quickly, however, and shook off Tuesday’s disappointment with a 51-37 home win over William Blount just two days later.
Clinton’s Connor Lemmon works to take down Oak Ridge’s Sebastian Acevedo during their 126-pound match Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Don Lockard Gymnasium. Lemmon claimed an 18-13 decision for the Dragons. - Tony Cox
A new chapter opened for the Clinton High School wrestling program last week, and the Dragons made sure it started with some drama.
Clinton hosted Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Nov. 18, marking the debut of new Coach Carl Nielsen and the Wildcats’ first dual meet in recent memory.
The night ended in a 33-33 deadlock, but Clinton prevailed on a tie-breaker thanks to earning more pins.
Nielsen said the opener revealed areas where his young squad must sharpen its approach.
“I’m not really concerned with wins and losses,” Nielsen said. “But there were small details a lot of people didn’t see that we need to work on.
“We had a match where we were up eight points with 15 seconds left,” he said. “We could’ve secured a major decision, but we gave up a late takedown. We still won the match, but not by enough. If we get that major, we win outright and never go to a tie-breaker.”
Nielsen said the responsibility falls on him to help his team recognize those situations.
“I have to teach these guys about things like this,” he said.
