Clinton’s Austyn Phillips shakes free from a William Blount defender and turns upfield for extra yards Friday night in Blount County. Phillips hauled in five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown as the Dragons piled up 431 yards of total offense in a 48-35 loss to the Governors. - Tony Cox
Despite big numbers from quarterback Mason Eckerson and receiver Bryson Maddox, the Clinton Dragons could not keep pace with high-scoring William Blount in a 48-35 loss Friday in the Region 2-5A opener for both teams in Maryville.
Eckerson completed 24 of 35 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns, two of them covering 64 and 11 yards to Maddox. The Dragons (0-2) made huge gains on short passes to the sideline, as Eckerson would make the toss and the receivers would do the rest.
Maddox ended the game with seven catches for 137 yards. Will Young added five catches for 101 yards for Clinton, including another 64-yard score, a short catch-and-run like Maddox’s long TD play.
Austyn Phillips caught five passes for 48 yards and a TD, and Braylen Hayden reeled in three for 48 yards for the Dragons. Ryin Jones caught the other Clinton TD on a 25-yard play.
The last quarterback for Clinton to put up similar numbers was Joshuah Keith in 2022, when he threw for 402 yards in an overtime win over Gibbs and five TDs in a 54-12 triumph over Cherokee.
Deameion Leavell assumed the quarterback duties for the Mavericks during Friday night’s home matchup with Fulton. The senior tossed for 135 yards and three touchdowns, and also added 78 rushing yards and a 1-yard touchdown run. - David Woods
Anderson County High School’s football team wasted little time erasing the sting of its loss to Knoxville Catholic.
The Mavericks opened Region 2-4A play in dominant fashion Friday night, rolling past Fulton 46-0 at home.
Anderson County (1-1, 1-0) piled up 23 first-quarter points — including a safety — and never looked back, extending a region winning streak that dates to 2016.
Senior running back Jayzon Thompson set the tone with a touchdown scamper on the Mavs’ first possession. Mason McMillan then forced a safety with a tackle in the end zone, and Reese Russell recovered a fumble to keep the pressure on.
“I thought we played well,” Anderson County Coach Davey Gillum said. “The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage.
It was a week of mixed results for the Anderson County High School volleyball team.
The Lady Mavericks (6-7 overall, 4-2 District 3-AAA) split four matches in a weekend tournament and went 1-1 in league play.
After dropping a heartbreaker at Knoxville Central early in the week, Anderson County bounced back Thursday night with a sweep of Campbell County, 25-9, 25-9, 25-11.
Khloe Wilkerson and Lilly McCormick led the charge against the Lady Cougars. Both tallied seven kills, with Wilkerson adding 15 service points and three aces. McCormick notched three blocks as the Lady Mavericks rolled.
After stumbling out of the gate in District 3-AAA play, Clinton High School’s volleyball team is finding its championship form again.
The two-time defending district champion Lady Dragons (13-4 overall, 4-2 district) have rattled off four consecutive league victories, including a pair of sweeps last week.
On Thursday, Clinton overpowered Knoxville Halls on the road 25-8, 25-10, 25-13. The Lady Dragons’ serve was lethal, piling up 13 aces in the win.
“We’re getting better and I’ve had a more-settled lineup,” Clinton Coach Lorri Johnson said. “Some of the younger girls are playing better.”
Parker McGhee finished with nine kills and a block, while Josie Moody had seven kills and 10 assists. Claire Barrett added three kills and three blocks.
Anderson County High School’s girls soccer team had just one match last week, and the Lady Mavericks made the most of it.
ACHS edged Knoxville Halls 2-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with both goals coming from the Swisher sisters.
Kate Swisher scored off an assist from Olivia Madron, while Millie Swisher provided the game winner on a penalty kick.
“I’m really excited with where we’re at right now,” Anderson County Coach Chris Curtin said. “This was a tough match. We got a couple of breaks and we were able to hang on.”
The Lady Mavericks (2-1-1) opened District 4-AA play Tuesday night against crosstown rival Clinton. Results were not available at press time.
Anderson County’s Ava Moody (3242) leads a runner from Webb School of Knoxville during the Cherokee Classic 5K at Cherokee Park in Knoxville on Saturday. Moody placed third overall with a time of 18:17.50 to help lead the Lady Mavericks to a sixth-place team finish with 165 points. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School’s cross country teams found their stride Saturday against stiff competition on one of East Tennessee’s fastest courses.
The Lady Mavericks, led by defending Class A/AA state champion Ava Moody, claimed sixth place overall in the Cherokee Classic at Knoxville’s Cherokee Park.
Moody, a senior, opened her 2025 season with a strong third-place finish, clocking 18 minutes, 17.50 seconds on the 5,000-meter course.
She had plenty of support as Rebekah Berg (20:59.50) and Jordan Walker (21:07.50) cracked the top 25, finishing 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Sydney Day (23:03.00) and Emma Owens (25:33.70) rounded out the team’s top five scorers, while Rachel Garbes, Cate Clotfelter and Lily Franklin provided depth in a field of more than 180 runners.
Oak Ridge’s Noel Norstedt drives the ball upfield Thursday night against perennial state power Bearden. Norstedt’s effort helped the Lady Wildcats notch a historic 3-2 victory, one of the program’s biggest wins. - Kirah Colston | ORHS Sports Media
On a stormy night when most high school soccer games across East Tennessee were postponed or canceled, Oak Ridge made history.
The Lady Wildcats braved heavy rain and flashes of lightning to travel to West Knoxville, where they stunned perennial Class AAA power Bearden with a 3-2 victory Thursday at Turner-Allender Field. All five goals came in a frenetic first half.
The junior varsity match was canceled, and the varsity game, originally set for 6 p.m., was pushed back a half hour.
“I told them that we were on the road and we were coming,” Oak Ridge Coach Trenna Underwood said.
“We had some lightning, but we started about 6:30.”
Once play began, the match turned into a back-and-forth shootout.
Oak Ridge’s Christian McGinnis rises above the net to deliver a block during the Lady Wildcats’ sweep of Gibbs on Thursday night. - Kaylin Dimmer | ORHS Sports Media
Clinton freshman Piper Bostrom competes in the Cherokee Classic 5K at Cherokee Park in Knoxville on Saturday. Bostrom finished the 5,000-meter course in 24:48.70 in her debut season for the Lady Dragons. - Tony Cox
As the 2025 high school cross country season unfolds, Clinton High School Coach Tim Kumes continues to praise his team’s steady progress.
The Dragons and Lady Dragons ran the fast 5,000-meter course at the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville on Saturday, and Kumes left encouraged.
“Our kids had some good times and they just keep working hard and getting better,” Kumes said.
Clinton’s boys competed without their top runner, Cooper Bostrom.
“Cooper was on a 10-mile trail run with his dad Saturday, and I think he finished first there,” Kumes said.
