Alex Bond earned the win over Cocke County on Friday night. Bond pitched seven innings for Anderson County, striking out eight batters and giving up only one run. - Tony Cox
For the first time since 2022, Anderson County High School’s baseball team is the Region 2-AAA champion.
The Mavericks claimed the title with a 2-1 road victory over tournament host and District 3-AAA champion Seymour on Monday night.
The Eagles outhit Anderson County (29-10) 6-5.
The Mavericks committed three errors, but once again, pitching paved the way to victory.
Anderson County, which also captured the District 4-AAA title with an undefeated tournament run, has now won five straight and nine of its last 10 games.
Wil Ridenour delivered ACHS’s fifth complete game of the postseason, tossing seven innings and allowing just one run and six hits. He struck out six.
Addie Gamble (black uniform) eludes the grasp of Paighton Liles in the Friday night scrimmage against the Knoxville Hellcats. Gamble scored as a receiver and also spent some time as quarterback for the Lady Dragons. - Tony Cox
Girls flag football — the newest and fastest-growing scholastic sport — has arrived at Clinton High School.
The Lady Dragons, under the direction of Coach Brittany Siler, played their first-ever game Friday night against the Knoxville Hellcats.
Clinton will officially begin play in spring 2026 in a TSSAA-sanctioned league.
In the exhibition game, Taylor Mitchell connected with Addi Gamble on a 70-yard touchdown pass. Gamble and Charli Riggs also came up with interceptions on defense.
Bailey Burroughs added a touchdown, and Riggs converted a two-point play for the Lady Dragons.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” Siler said. “I think we played well, and we all had a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to our first season next spring.”
The 2025 high school softball regular season is in the rearview mirror, and several local players were recently recognized by the District 4-AAA coaches with all-district honors.
Anderson County High School, which finished second in both the regular-season standings and the league’s postseason tournament, had three players selected to the All-District 4-AAA Team.
Kaycee Baldwin, Alli McKamey and Reece Brock earned all-league recognition for the Lady Mavericks.
Clinton High School, which posted a 24-16 overall record this season, had two seniors named to the team.
Taylor Sherwood and Lynnlee Adkins were each honored for their standout performances during the 2025 campaign.
Tegan Bunch had a single and scored a run in the Lady Dragons’ Tuesday, May 6, matchup against the Lady Mavericks. - Tony Cox
After three consecutive trips to the Region 2-AAA tournament, Clinton High School entered the 2025 softball season with high expectations.
The Lady Dragons won 24 games, but their campaign ended just short of a fourth-straight regional berth.
They were eliminated by crosstown rival Anderson County 12-2 in five innings last week at Clinton High School.
Senior Lynlee Adkins closed out her career with two hits and two RBIs against the Lady Mavericks.
Fellow senior Taylor Sherwood walked and scored in her final game. Sara Bishop singled and scored for Clinton (24-16), which opened the District 4-AAA tournament with a win over Scott on Monday, May 5.
Clinton also notched a 9-8 walk-off victory over Union County. McKenley Osborne delivered the game-winning hit with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning. She finished with two hits, a run, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Anderson County’s Cindle Justice threw 78 strikes over six innings against Clinton in the Lady Mavericks’ first of two district tournament meetings against the Lady Dragons. - Tony Cox
Anderson County’s magical 2025 softball season came to an end Monday night with a 7-0 loss to Cocke County in the Region 2-AAA semifinals in Newport.
The Lady Mavericks (24-13) were limited to just two hits in the game, as Reece Brock and Miranda McCracken each singled.
Although the final score appeared lopsided, the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning.
That’s when Cocke County — which defeated ACHS for the third time this season — broke through with four runs. The home team added three more in the sixth to seal the win.
Anderson County advanced to the region tournament after finishing as runner-up in the District 4-AAA tournament.
The Lady Mavericks dropped two games to Gibbs, the defending Class AAA state champion, including a 10-0 loss in the title game Friday and an 11-0 shutout in the winner’s bracket final on May 7.
The road to Murfreesboro and the Class 4A baseball state tournament runs through Oak Ridge.
The Wildcats, who reached the state tournament for the first time in more than 50 years last season, are now just two wins away from making a return trip to Spring Fling.
They will host a best-of-three Class 4A state sectional series at Bobby Hopkins Field.
Oak Ridge (32-7), which set a school record for wins this season, will face Science Hill in the series that opens today (May 14) at 6:30 p.m. Game 2 is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, with a third game to follow if necessary.
The Wildcats earned home-field advantage by capturing the Region 2-4A championship Saturday with an 11-2 win over Maryville.
The Oak Ridge High School softball team saw its 2025 season come to an end last week in the District 3-4A tournament at Knoxville Halls.
The Lady Wildcats had a brief postseason run, dropping both of their tournament games.
Oak Ridge’s season finale came Wednesday, May 7, in a 10-1 loss to Karns, which plated six runs in the fourth inning.
The Lady Beavers clinched a Region 2-4A tournament berth with the victory and finished as district runner-up behind tournament champion Halls.
Senior Morgan Perry closed out her high school career with two hits and scored the Lady Wildcats’ lone run. Leah Curran also had a strong outing at the plate, recording a double and a triple.
In their opening-round matchup Monday, May 5, the Lady Wildcats fell to Powell 11-1 after committing six errors. Amaiyah King had two hits in that contest. Brenna Bradshaw, who also had a hit in her final game against Karns, went 1-for-3 against Powell.
Oak Ridge finished the season with a 6-19 overall record.
Three Lady Wildcats earned All-District 3-4A honors from the league’s coaches for their regular-season performances.
Perry, King and Kaylee Hickman were recognized for their contributions.
After 10 successful seasons at the helm, Paige Taylor is stepping down as Oak Ridge High School’s girls basketball coach.
Taylor leaves behind a legacy of excellence, having guided the Lady Wildcats to 10 consecutive district tournament championships.
During her tenure, she amassed 259 victories and led Oak Ridge to four appearances in the TSSAA state tournament.
The 2024-25 campaign was one of Taylor’s finest, as she coached the Lady Wildcats to a 30-4 overall record. Oak Ridge swept the District 3-4A regular-season schedule with a perfect 10-0 mark, captured the tournament title, and won the Region 2-4A championship.
The Lady Wildcats’ postseason run ended with a narrow 52-50 loss to eventual state runner-up Bartlett in the opening round of the state tournament.
In 2016, Taylor guided the Lady Wildcats to the state championship game. Her departure marks the end of an era for one of East Tennessee’s premier girls basketball programs.
After a slow start to the season, the Oak Ridge High School boys soccer team rallied to win another District 3-AAA tournament championship.
The Wildcats secured the title with a 3-1 victory over Knoxville Halls on Friday night at home.
Three different players scored in the championship match for Oak Ridge (9-9-1), which surged late in the season to earn the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Evan Cantu, Eli Pearson and Ayden Clements each netted goals in the win.
Following a first-round bye, the Wildcats defeated Karns 3-1 in a semifinal match Wednesday, May 7, at home.
Daniel Perez-Rodriguez scored twice, while Cantu added a goal for Oak Ridge.
The Wildcats opened Region 2-AAA tournament play at home Tuesday night against District 4-AAA runner-up Hardin Valley Academy, but results were not available at press time.
Oak Ridge entered the regional elimination match on a three-game winning streak. Hardin Valley (13-3-3) was coming off a 5-1 loss to defending Class AAA state champion Bearden in the District 4-AAA title match Friday at Turner-Allender Field in West Knoxville.
Oak Ridge High School’s Mason Greenhalgh has earned the chance to defend his Class AAA state title in the 800-meter run at the upcoming Spring Fling in Murfreesboro.
Greenhalgh, who won the 800 state championship in 2024, secured his return trip to the Midstate by placing second at the Class AAA State Sectionals in Johnson City. He crossed the finish line in 1 minute, 56.21 seconds.
He also helped the Wildcats’ 4x800-meter relay team earn a state berth. Greenhalgh teamed with Nolan Riden, Rhett Hovater and Patrik Vodopiven to place third in the event with a time of 7:58.57.
The Lady Wildcats’ 4x800-meter relay team also earned a trip to state.
The team of Lily Tice, Emily Edwards, Dylan Job and Amaijah Bishop took third place with a time of 9:40.09.
Oak Ridge’s mixed 4x400-meter relay team of Ella Sharp, James Phillips, Vanelle Wandji and Tyree Porter placed fourth in 3:48.27.
Anderson County’s Waylon LaRue took first place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.99. LaRue qualified for a repeat trip to the state championship meet in Murfreesboro. - Tony Cox
Three Anderson County High School athletes will have the opportunity to defend their Class AA state championships at the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro next week.
Vance Laster, Ava Moody and Luke Dark all secured return trips to the Midstate after standout performances at the sectional championships Saturday at the University of Tennessee’s Tom Black Track.
Laster, the 2024 state champion in the 1,600-meter run, finished second in the event with a time of 4 minutes, 25.97 seconds. He also placed second in the 3,200-meter run (9:35.81) to earn a second state berth.
Dark, who won the 2024 shot put state title, will also get a chance to defend his crown. He placed second Saturday with a throw of 58 feet, 6.25 inches.
Moody, the Lady Mavericks’ distance specialist, won both the 1,600 and 3,200 in Knoxville, claiming sectional titles in each event. She will return to defend her two 2024 state championships and may also qualify for the 800 meters as a wild card.
Clinton High School’s boys soccer team saw its 2025 season come to a close in the District 4-AAA tournament.
The Dragons, who finished the campaign with a 4-7 record, were eliminated after a 6-0 semifinal loss to top-seeded Gibbs on Monday, May 5, at Ernest Whited Stadium in Corryton.
Gibbs went on to win the tournament title with a 5-1 victory over Scott on Wednesday, May 7.
Clinton advanced to the semifinals after notching a 2-0 win over Union County in a district quarterfinal match played Thursday, May 1.
In that contest, Osmar Vasquez and Angel Venegas scored for the Dragons, who avenged a 2-1 regular-season loss to the Patriots on April 22.
Goalkeeper Ben Tackett made several key saves in the shutout victory to help preserve Clinton’s postseason hopes.
“It was a good win for us,” Dragons Coach Filip Leander said.
The Maverick Basketball Skills Camp will be held May 18-19 at the Anderson County High School gym.
Open to boys and girls in grades K-5, the camp will run from 5-8 p.m. each night. Registration is $50 per player and includes a free camp T-shirt. Guest speakers will appear each evening.
Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball star Chris Lofton will serve as a special guest speaker.
Lofton, who played for the Vols from 2004-08, was named the Associated Press SEC Player of the Year for the 2006-07 season. He scored 2,131 points during his career and made 431 three-pointers. Lofton was an All-SEC selection in each of his final three seasons and was named All-America three times.
For more information, contact ACHS boys basketball coach Jordan Jeffers at jjeffers@acs.ac.
Wyatt Jeffers, center, became the first student in Anderson County to earn an e-sports scholarship. Jeffers will continue his academic and e-sports career at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
A Clinton High School senior recently made history by signing a national letter of intent to compete in collegiate e-sports.
Wyatt Jeffers will attend Winthrop University in South Carolina, where he will join the school’s competitive gaming team.
“I may be the first person in the Southeast Region to sign to compete in e-sports, and I am the first to sign in the county,” Jeffers said. “Sometime between June and August, I will move to South Carolina and start playing.”
Winthrop awarded Jeffers a $4,000 scholarship and waived his out-of-state tuition because he is from Tennessee.
Anderson County High School’s boys soccer team saw its 2025 season come to an end with a 6-2 loss to Scott in the District 4-AAA tournament semifinals at home recently.
The Highlanders got off to a fast start, scoring the first three goals of the match before halftime.
“They had three or four goals in the first half and we just didn’t match their intensity,” Mavericks Coach Chris Curtin said.
Anderson County, which finished second in the regular-season district standings, had previously shut out Scott 1-0 in the final district match of the regular season, thanks to a goal by Jimmy Rivera.
The Mavericks ended the season with a 5-9-1 overall record and a second-place finish in the District 4-AAA regular season.
