Anderson County senior Luke Dark stands atop the podium after winning the shot put at the Penn Relays on Friday, April 24, at the University of Pennsylvania. Dark recorded a winning throw of 63 feet, 7.75 inches. He is joined by Coach Maggie Longmire following his victory in the elite meet. - Submitted
Anderson County High School’s track teams had a big day Friday, led by a monumental victory on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Mavericks shot putter Luke Dark won his competition at the prestigious Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania, recording an effort of 63 feet, 7.75 inches.
“This was a big win for Luke, and I can’t understate that,” Anderson County Coach Harrison Calhoun said. “This is quite an outstanding feat, and it’s one of the biggest things to happen in our program.
“He threw it 63-7.75, and he won it. When it comes to recognizing something like this, we want to tell as many people as possible. We told our kids when we found out he won, and then I called our athletic director.”
Dark, however, is no stranger to competing and winning on the big stage. He is a two-time defending Class AA state shot put champion. But this may be the biggest victory of his career.
Shelley (Sexton) Collier handling the ball as at UT Lady Vol vesus Alabama. The Lake City native and Hall of Fame player and coach announced her coaching retirement at a Lenoir City School Board Meeintg on April 9. She had coached for 39 years. - Submitted
Few, if any, East Tennesseans have accomplished more in basketball than Rocky Top native Shelley (Sexton) Collier.
A high school All-American guard, Collier helped legendary Coach Pat Summitt capture her first national championship at Tennessee during Collier’s senior season in 1987.
She was a three-year starter for the Lady Vols.
“I had recruiting interest from over 100 Division I schools,” Collier said.
After her playing days at UT, Collier spent two years as a graduate assistant coach under Summitt before launching a 38-year high school coaching career.
She won six state championships and finished as state runner-up four times, all at Webb School of Knoxville, where she coached for 25 years, including coaching her four daughters.
As a young head coach, she led the Clinton Lady Dragons to the program’s first state tournament appearance in school history during her four years at CHS.
Clinton’s JP Robbins drives through a pitch during the Dragons’ Friday night matchup at Seymour. Robbins went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored in the Dragons’ 21-13 win over Oliver Springs on Thursday, April 23. - Tony Cox
Aden Golden powered Clinton High School’s baseball team to a wild win in the final week of the regular season.
Golden’s big night at the plate helped the Dragons outlast Oliver Springs 21-13 in a slugfest Thursday, as Clinton split four games to close the regular season.
Against the Bobcats, Clinton pounded out 19 hits and was opportunistic as it also took advantage of five Oliver Springs errors.
Golden provided a big offensive spark for the Dragons as he went 3-for-4 with four runs, two RBIs, a home run and a double.
Will Brooks was 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and a run. Jackson Webb went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. Camden Britton knocked in three runs and scored twice.
JP Robbins went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs, while Peyton Douglas had two hits, three runs and an RBI. Brennan Tipton came up with three hits, two RBIs and a run.
Lilian West (7) battles through the pack during the 3,200-meter run at the South-Doyle Invitational on Saturday, April 11. The Clinton freshman placed third at the Spartan Challenge at Webb School of Knoxville, posting a time of 13 minutes, 32.38 seconds, breaking the school record. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s track and field teams are in the midst of their most successful seasons in Coach Tim Kumes’ tenure at the school.
The Dragons and Lady Dragons opened last week at the Spartan Challenge at Webb School of Knoxville, where a pair of school records fell Tuesday, April 21, in West Knoxville.
Lady Dragons distance specialist Lilian West finished third in the 3,200-meter run, crossing the finish line in 13 minutes, 32.38 seconds to break the school record.
“Lily, our freshman, broke our school record in the 3,200,” Kumes said. “That was a great effort for her. She’s going to the sectionals. She’s already qualified for the sectionals in two events.”
Senior Kenzlee Hutchison broke her own school record in the shot put, posting an effort of 34 feet, 8.5 inches.
Clinton sophomore Addison George delivers a pitch during a game against Powell on Wednesday, April 22. George worked two innings in the circle, throwing 25 strikes while facing 11 batters. - Tony Cox
It was a week of mixed results on the diamond for the Clinton High School softball team as the Lady Dragons split four games and had a pair of contests rained out at the Region II Challenge, an annual tournament at Farragut High School’s Bellamy Field.
The Lady Dragons (19-12-2) will be the No. 1 seed in the District 4-AA Tournament, which opens Monday at Anderson County.
Clinton opened last week on the north side of Knox County, edging Knoxville Halls, 4-2, on Monday, April 20.
Maddisyn Reynolds had two hits to lead the offense against the Lady Devils. She doubled, scored one run and drove in another. Elizabeth Graham had a double and two RBIs, while Tegan Bunch singled and knocked in a run.
Oak Ridge High School’s softball team closed out the regular season last week with mixed results, highlighted by a dominant win to open the final stretch.
The Lady Wildcats, enjoying their best season in recent memory, entered the District 4-4A Tournament with a 10-16-1 overall record.
Oak Ridge opened the week in emphatic fashion with an 18-1 victory over Midway on Monday, April 20.
The Lady Wildcats needed just three innings, collecting 16 hits. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before erupting for 10 runs in the second and adding five more in the third.
Bay Hensley, batting leadoff, went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Oak Ridge High School’s baseball team won two of its three games last week to close the regular season on a high note.
After a District 4-4A loss at home to Farragut, where a comeback bid fell just short, the Wildcats avenged that defeat with an 11-4 victory at John Heatherly Field at The Ballpark in Farragut.
Oak Ridge then capped the regular season with a 6-0 win over Class AAA power Gibbs on Friday afternoon at Morgan Wallen Field in Corryton.
On Monday, April 20, the Wildcats fell 5-4 to four-time defending Class 4A state champion Farragut at Bobby Hopkins Field.
Last week was a busy one for Oak Ridge High School’s track and field program.
The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats celebrated senior night on Wednesday, April 22, and several athletes turned in winning performances.
Alani Mitchell dominated the throwing events for the Lady Wildcats, winning the discus with a throw of 114 feet, 3 inches, and the shot put with a mark of 37-1.
Chloe Gunter won the long jump with a leap of 16-1. Natalie Adams prevailed in the 800-meter run, posting a time of 2 minutes, 33.52 seconds. Elly Hartman was second (2:34.79), Madelyn Frazier came in third (2:41.32), and Kenda Hurt was fourth (2:45.16).
Jayden Jones won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.95.
For the Wildcats, Tyree Porter won the 100-meter dash (11.336 seconds), while Rhett Hovater won the 400-meter dash (54.82) and finished second in the 800-meter run (2:03). Mason Greenhalgh won the 800 in 2:00.89.
Ifeoluva Abiodun-Adeniwi won the 1,600-meter run (5:23.91). Liam Gerber won the 300-meter hurdles (43.90), while Brendan Oliver swept the throwing events, winning the discus (122-0) and the shot put (39-9).
In the sectional pentathlon, Lady Wildcats standout Amaijah Bishop finished fifth with 2,380 points.
Longtime crosstown rivals Clinton and Anderson County renewed acquaintances on the soccer pitch last week.
Before the match, the Dragons and Mavericks were headed in different directions.
Anderson County was mired in a long losing streak, while Clinton was enjoying one of its most-successful campaigns in recent years.
But streaks are made to be broken, and the Mavericks found their way back into the win column with a 2-0 victory as Jimmy Rivera scored two goals and Andrew Wilson dished out a pair of assists.
Anderson County goalkeeper Brandtley Barrett recorded a clean sheet.
Anderson County High School baseball will be the No. 1 seed and host the District 4-AAA Tournament, which opens Thursday.
The Mavericks (21-17) will have a first-round bye, but the 2026 regular season likely did not end the way Anderson County would have liked, as the Mavs dropped four consecutive games last week heading into the postseason.
Anderson County opened the week with a 9-5 loss to Karns on Tuesday, April 21.
Nolan Benson, the Mavericks’ leadoff hitter, went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
He also scored two runs. Daniel Unthank went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored.
Jackson Harris doubled and scored a run against the Beavers.
Against Hardin Valley Academy, the Mavs had just one hit in an 11-4 loss. Levi Skeen doubled in the contest against the Hawks.
The Mavericks also lost, 10-2, to Webb School of Knoxville and closed the regular season with a 9-4 loss to Knoxville West on Saturday afternoon.
Jeremiah Owens went 2-for-4 against the Rebels, who are now under the guidance of former Clinton Coach Rob Stacy.
The Norris Middle School boys golf team finished the district golf match in second place. Pictured are (from left): Blaine Williams, Coope0r Mayes, Brady Riggs. Isaac Pyatt, Lofton Jones and coach Dallas Cole. - Submitted
Three area middle school golf programs had teams competing in the district championships at The Greens at Deerfield early last week.
The Norris Middle School girls repeated as district champions. The Lady Senators finished with a combined team score of 86 and had the top two finishers on the par-35 front nine.
Evie Chambers captured low medalist honors as she finished with a 3-over-par 38. Norris’ Liza Sickau was the second-best individual finisher, carding a 48. The top two finishers comprise the team score. Addison Price shot 51, and Kimbree Rains finished with a 52.
“We repeated as district champions,” Norris Coach Dallas Cole said. “These girls have all worked hard, and we were excited to do it again.”
Anaya Witkowski hauls in a pass during Anderson County’s game against Coalfield earlier this season. Witkowski caught the Lady Mavericks’ lone touchdown pass from Carly Whitson last week against Fulton. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School’s flag football team endured some hard times last week as it lost two games.
The Lady Mavericks opened the week with a 14-6 loss to Fulton in what was possibly a showdown for the region championship.
The Lady Falcons held ACHS’ high-scoring offense to just one touchdown, a scoring pass from Carly Whitson to Anaya Witkowski.
Later in the week, a fatigued Lady Mavericks squad made the trip to Cleveland and came up on the short end of a 46-0 decision.
“We played Fulton to a 14-6 game, and then we went to Cleveland and we couldn’t do anything on offense or defense,” Anderson County Coach Jonathan Cotton said.
“We were just exhausted, and you could see it when we got off the bus,” he said. “They had a team that had a lot of depth, and now, every game is a must-win for us.”
Owen Webb placed second in softball throw and fourth in 25-meter wheelchair race. He also was a torch bearer for the opening ceremonies. He is a fourth-grader at Clinton Elementary School. - Submitted
Clinton City Schools students posted strong performances across multiple events at a recent Special Olympics track and field competition.
The Area 5 Traditional and Unified Track and Field Competition took place April 6 at Hardin Valley Academy and featured athletes from Knox County, Anderson County and Oak Ridge. Students from Clinton Elementary School and North Clinton Elementary School won or placed in relays, long jump, softball throw, running and assisted walking events.
“We are extremely proud of our students and the success that they experienced at the Special Olympics,” CCS Director Kelly Johnson said. “This is always a highlight of their year, and it was heartwarming to see the joy on all their faces as they crossed the finish lines.”
