Anderson County’s Luke Dark uncorks a throw in the shot put. Dark continued his dominance in the throws, winning both the shot put and discus at Karns on Saturday, March 21. - File Photo
Despite not having its full complement of athletes, the Anderson County High School track and field program had success Saturday at the Karns Invitational.
Both the Mavericks and Lady Mavericks posted strong marks against tough competition.
“We saw some great competition,” Anderson County Coach Harrison Calhoun said. “We didn’t have half of our team. This was a spring break meet, so it was an optional meet, and I’m very satisfied with how we performed.
“The biggest thing for us is living up to our expectations.”
For the Lady Mavericks, distance specialist Ava Moody won the 800-meter run in commanding fashion with a time of 2 minutes, 23.67 seconds.
“Ava was first in the 800, and she won that by a pretty good margin,” Calhoun said.
In the sprints, Bralee Hall finished eighth in the 200-meter dash for the Lady Mavericks with a time of 29.47 seconds.
Brooks, timely bats lead Clinton to wins over break
by Ken Lay
Clinton’s Will Brooks delivers a pitch during the Dragons’ game against Oliver Springs. Brooks turned in a complete-game effort, allowing one unearned run on six hits while striking out seven in seven innings against the Bobcats. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School might have been on spring break last week, but its baseball team was anything but idle.
The Dragons (3-5) won two of their three games, defeating Oliver Springs 3-1 on Thursday before topping Cumberland County for the second time in 2026, 7-4, at Jaycee Park.
Against the Bobcats, Will Brooks turned in a masterful performance on the mound. He allowed one unearned run on six hits in a complete game and struck out seven over seven innings.
He also contributed at the plate with two hits, a run scored and an RBI.
JP Robbins went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Jackson Webb walked and drove in a run, while Brennan Tipton went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
On Friday against the Jets, Clinton scored six runs in the fourth inning and worked its way into the win column despite collecting just three hits.
Camden Britton went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored, while Webb finished 1-for-2 with an RBI. Colton Wright added a hit and scored a run.
Wil Ridenour rounds the bases in stride for Anderson County, delivering at the plate with two hits, two runs and two RBIs in the Mavericks’ win over Leon. - File Photo
Anderson County High School’s baseball team endured a tough spring break trip to Florida’s Gulf Coast last week.
Things started well for the Mavericks (8-5), who won their first two games in Panama City Beach.
They defeated Leon 11-7 on Monday, March 16.
Daniel Unthank had a hit and two RBIs, while Jeremiah Owens went 1-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Clay Fletcher added a single, two RBIs and a run scored, and Nolan Benson had a hit and an RBI. He also scored two runs. Wil Ridenour added two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
Anderson County also picked up a 15-4 win over Covenant School of Jacksonville.
Unthank went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored and a stolen base. Lee Goins was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Elijah Johnson went 1-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
After being shut out in its first match in March, Anderson County High School’s boys soccer team bounced back in impressive fashion with a pair of shutout victories last week.
The Mavericks headed into spring break on a high note as they blanked Stone Memorial 5-0 on Thursday, March 12, at ACHS.
Jimmy Rivera and Andrew Williams each scored two goals and added an assist in the victory over the Panthers.
Ethan “Money” Braden also tallied a goal for the Mavericks, while Bryce Wade added an assist.
Stone Memorial usually contends for its district title, but the Panthers are in rebuilding mode in 2026.
A busy week on the baseball diamond produced four wins for Oak Ridge High School.
The Wildcats, however, suffered their first loss of the season as they split their first District 4-4A series against Hardin Valley Academy.
Oak Ridge (11-1 overall, 1-1 in the district) closed out the week with three games in the Playing for the Cure Tournament in West Knoxville.
The Wildcats won a pair of games Saturday at John Heatherly Field at Farragut High School as they outlasted Providence Academy, 6-3, and routed Jefferson County, 8-2.
Against the Lions, Parker Free hit a home run and had two RBIs, while Jaiden Cheaverton went 1-for-3 in the contest. He doubled, drove in one run and scored another.
The Wildcats opened the day with an 8-2 victory over the Patriots as Warren East went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Mikee Teasley was 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored, while Joe Webb doubled and drove in a run.
On Wednesday, March 18, the Wildcats won their first-ever District 4-4A game as they cruised past Hardin Valley Academy.
East and Brooks Poteet each singled, stole a base and scored a run, while Free and Webb each had two hits, drove in a run and scored. Carson Feagan had two hits and drove in a run.
Teasley gave the Wildcats a stellar performance on the mound as he pitched five innings. He allowed two hits and recorded 10 strikeouts. He also singled and stole a base against the Hawks.
On Thursday, Oak Ridge came up on the short end of a 3-2 decision against HVA despite getting a home run from Webb in the contest.
Leah Curran stands poised and locked in on the moment after driving in a run for the Lady Wildcats during Friday night’s game against Hardin Valley Academy. - ORHS Sports Media
The Oak Ridge High School softball team saw its struggles continue last week, dropping a pair of District 4-4A games.
The Lady Wildcats fell to Hardin Valley Academy Friday night, suffering a 6-5 walk-off loss on the road.
“At Hardin Valley, we jumped on them a little bit and scored two runs in the first inning, and then they came back and went ahead, 5-2,” Oak Ridge Coach Jeremy Gill said.
“We came back and tied it 5-5, and then they got a run in the seventh on a walk-off.”
HVA secured the win on Erika Champion’s RBI single.
Against the Lady Hawks, Bay Hensley tripled and scored, while Amiyah King went 1-for-3 with a double. Taryn McGuire finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Oak Ridge (1-5 overall, 0-4 in District 4-4A) opened the week with a 9-4 loss to Bearden on Tuesday, March 17.
Hensley went 2-for-3 with a double, while McGuire added a hit, scored a run and drove in two for the Lady Wildcats.
“Bearden came out and just jumped on us,” Gill said. “Their top pitcher had been hurt and out all year, and she came out against us. But we’re competing, and I’m happy with that.”
After opening the 2026 season with four consecutive wins, the Anderson County High School softball team made a spring break trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Things didn’t quite go as the Lady Mavericks would have liked, as they dropped four of five games. They did, however, close their stay on a high note, notching a 4-2 victory over Pleasant Valley.
In that game, Bella Brummett, Alli McKamey and Marlea Finstad all had two hits. Brummett also scored a run, while Finstad had two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. McKamey finished 2-for-5.
In the circle, pitcher Addison Grooms had a solid outing as she threw six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. She finished with five strikeouts.
The 2026 season is underway for Clinton Football Club.
The soccer team has picked up a pair of impressive wins out of the gate.
The club, a coed squad made up of male and female student-athletes from Clinton Middle School, opened the 2026 campaign Wednesday, March 11, with a 7-3 victory over Oak Ridge in the Clinton-Oak Ridge Derby at Dragon Stadium.
“It was a great way to start our season, and it was a dominant win,” CFC Coach Jake McMurray said. “We’re a year older and a year more experienced than we were last year.
“We ran a high press, controlled possession for 63 percent of the game, played a high line and kept shooting.”
Samuel McMurray scored two goals in the season opener for CFC, while Juan Zorro had a goal and an assist. Jordan Cuevas, Osman Minaya, Fabio Espinosa and Lucas Metchikoff also scored for Clinton, which also got a pair of stellar saves from Tadeo Hernandez, including a one-on-one stop.
The CAREacter Star Athlete Program has announced its high school winners for the 2025-26 basketball season.
The program honors student-athletes not for their athletic ability, but for their character.
During the season, CARE 365 selects players from local teams — nominated by their coaches — who exemplify the program’s five-point criteria: attitude, character, academic performance, community service and on-court contributions.
The award winners for the 2025-26 basketball season are:
• Anderson County Boys: Kingsten Evans, Braxton Foust and Elijah Johnson.
• Clinton Boys: Eli Slaven, Logan Hill and Brendan Hayden.
• Oak Ridge Boys: Charlie Taubenheim, JaRell Jemerson and Eli Peters.
• Anderson County Girls: Jaycee Phillips, Carly Whitson and Natalie Sellers.
• Clinton Girls: Josie Moody, Kyleigh Gallaher and Addi Gamble.
• Oak Ridge Girls: Paige Lawing, Evelyn Eubanks and Honesty Thompson.
