Thompson’s five-touchdown, 275-yard outburst powers Anderson County past Volunteer and into Round 2
by Ken Lay
Jayzon Thompson (6) cuts through Volunteer High School defenders in a steady rain Friday night at Anderson County. Thompson powered the Mavericks’ 37-21 first-round playoff win with 167 rushing yards, 108 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Anderson County hosts Stone Memorial in the second round Friday. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School opened the Class 4A playoffs with a 37-21 victory over Volunteer Friday night, and the Mavericks did enough to survive and advance against Volunteer at ACHS.
They defeated the Falcons (7-4), who completed their best football season in recent memory. But Mavs Coach Davey Gillum said his team must play better as it moves forward.
“Overall, it was a sloppy night; we were our own worst enemies,” Gillum said. “We moved the ball fairly easy, but turned the ball over five times. Two of (the turnovers) went for touchdowns for them.
“Not taking care of the ball made the game closer than it should have been.”
Jayzon Thompson powered Anderson County’s offense throughout the night, accounting for five touchdowns as the Mavericks controlled the matchup with the Falcons, who finished fourth in Region 1-4A.
Thompson accompished four rushing scores, and added another touchdown through the air while totaling 108 receiving yards.
The Norris Middle School boys basketball team kept its perfect start alive with a pair of road wins last week in North Knox County.
The Senators (3-0) capped the week with a nail-biting 27-26 victory Thursday night at Powell Middle School, handing the Panthers (4-1) their first loss of the season.
Earlier in the week, Norris defeated Gresham 45-37 on Monday.
Thursday’s game stayed close throughout as both defenses kept scoring in check.
Norris’ Eli Lindsay delivered the game-winner late in the fourth quarter, grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back to give the Senators a 27-25 lead.
Powell’s Dennis Frazier, who finished with nine points, had a chance to tie it with 2.8 seconds remaining. He missed the first of two free throws but hit the second to make it 27-26. The Panthers got one last chance after forcing a turnover, but the Senators’ defense held firm to preserve the win.
“That game could’ve gone either way,” first-year Norris Coach Trey Bingham said. “We rebounded well, and some guys stepped up who hadn’t been doing that. We’ve got players who have never played basketball before, and they really did a good job. This is a tough place to play.”
Cooper Downs led Norris with 10 points, including two clutch 3-pointers. Lindsay added six points, and Hunter Wade chipped in five.
Powell Coach Tyler Howell credited his young team’s effort despite the narrow loss.
“I thought our guys played hard,” Howell said. “We were 4-for-11 from the free-throw line, and that will kill you in a close game. We also had a few half-court sets where we didn’t execute.”
Earlier in the week, the Senators picked up a 45-37 win over Gresham in Fountain City. Downs poured in 19 points, while Lindsay added 13 as Norris continued its strong start to the season.
Lady Senators Kaylee Matchette had two points and five rebounds against Powell on Thursday night.
Playing short-handed, the Norris Middle School girls basketball team stayed unbeaten with a pair of road victories in Knoxville last week.
Center Addie Blevins missed both games — Monday, Nov. 3, at Gresham and Thursday at Powell — but the Lady Senators still claimed wins over the Lady Gladiators and Lady Panthers.
Norris opened the week with a 45-37 win over Gresham before notching a 31-20 victory Thursday night at Powell Middle School. The Lady Senators jumped out to a 16-4 halftime lead and never trailed on the west side of Emory Road.
“I thought we played well at times,” Norris Coach Derek Wallace said.
“But without Blevins, we’re playing to our competition.”
Powell, despite being overmatched, made a push after halftime and outscored Norris 11-6 in the third quarter to close within 22-15 by the end of the frame.
Anderson County’s Ava Moody leads the field during the Norris Dam Invitational earlier this season. The senior standout capped her stellar 2025 campaign by winning her second straight TSSAA Class AA state championship Thursday, Nov. 6, at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis.
Ava Moody is going out on top.
The Anderson County High School senior culminated her high school cross country career late last week by winning her second consecutive TSSAA Class AA state championship.
Moody threw down a time of 18 minutes, 20.45 seconds to complete the 5,000-meter course at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis on Thursday, dominating the field and helping the Lady Mavericks post a Top 10 team finish in the state meet.
“She had a 20-second lead over the second-place finisher,” Anderson County Assistant Coach Harrison Calhoun said of Moody. “She’s worked extremely hard.
“She’s probably worked harder than she ever has, and you can look back from when she started until now and you can see how hard she’s worked over the last four years.”
Sophomore Jordan Walker posted a Top 20 individual finish for the Lady Mavs, who came in ninth in the team standings.
Clinton’s Cooper Bostram made his second-consecutive trip to the TSSAA Class AA state championship meet in Memphis. Bostram finished the 5,000-meter course with a time of 17:48.82.
Three Clinton High School runners closed out the 2025 cross country season on the Volunteer State’s biggest stage late last week.
Two members of the Dragons’ boys team and one from the Lady Dragons competed in the TSSAA Class AA state championships at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis.
Junior Cooper Bostrom, making his second-consecutive trip to state, finished 45th, completing the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 48.82 seconds.
Freshman Baylor Cool capped his debut high school season by placing 109th with a time of 19:13.80.
Freshman Lily West represented the Lady Dragons and came in 95th, clocking 24:07.56.
Clinton Coach Tim Kumes said he was proud of his athletes for how they handled the competition and the conditions.
“Baylor and Lily were there for the first time and they had their eyes wide open,” Kumes said. “And Cooper looked like a grizzled veteran, but he was a nervous wreck.
“It was a great experience for these kids, and Cooper beat some kids who had beaten him all year,” he said. “When we pulled into the parking lot, we all went up and went in together. It was just amazing to see all the athletes. But the conditions were tough — it was hot, and our race window was brutal.”
Wayne Gibson pushes through the Science Hill defense to gain a first down for the Wildcats. - ORHS Sports Media
After cruising through much of the regular season, Oak Ridge’s storybook run as a Class 6A football team ended in heartbreak Thursday night.
The Wildcats, who opened the year with nine straight wins, were eliminated from the playoffs after a 35-31 loss to Science Hill at Blankenship Field.
The defeat came just a week after Oak Ridge’s 34-0 loss to Maryville in the Region 2-6A championship game.
Oak Ridge (9-2) appeared poised to advance after taking a 24-14 halftime lead.
The Wildcats never trailed until the final minute, when Hilltoppers quarterback Lane Clement threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Austin to put Science Hill (8-3) ahead for good.
The Wildcats still had one final chance. Quarterback Blaine Stansberry launched a desperation heave from the Science Hill 31-yard line that appeared to land in the hands of wide receiver Adam Washington amid a crowd of players. But officials ruled an interception, ending Stansberry’s standout high school career and sealing the Hilltoppers’ victory.
Oak Ridge’s Amaijah Bishop was the top Lady Wildcats runner to complete the TSSAA Class AAA state championship course at Shelby Farms in Memphis. Bishop finished with a time of 19:54.21. - Tony Cox
Both Oak Ridge High School cross country teams wrapped up the 2025 season on the state’s biggest stage last week.
The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats competed in the TSSAA Class AAA state championships at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, with the boys finishing 16th in the 32-team field and the girls placing 17th.
For the Oak Ridge boys, senior Mason Greenhalgh led the way with a 29th-place finish, clocking 16 minutes, 31.15 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Rhett Hovater followed in 71st place (16:57.30). William Hetrick finished 130th (17:29.08), Ben Greear came in 161st (17:59.16), and Julien Kelley crossed right behind him in 162nd (17:59.20).
On the girls’ side, junior Amaijah Bishop paced the Lady Wildcats, taking 45th overall with a time of 19:54.21. Kenda Hurt placed 104th (21:02.78), while Brooke Roessner finished 113th (21:12.02). Natalie Adams was 140th (21:49.74), and Elly Hartman rounded out Oak Ridge’s top five in 184th (22:41.36).
It marked a strong conclusion to the fall campaign for both Oak Ridge squads, who each qualified for state after top-three finishes at the sectional meet in Knoxville.
