Powell quarterback Deuce Rodgers ran for three touchdowns to break open a game that was close at the half as the Panthers beat Clinton 59-28 on Friday in the Dragons’ homecoming game.
The Panthers improved to 7-1 overall and 6-0 in Region 2-5A.
DeZion Jackson returned two Dragon kickoffs for TDs, and Johonauan Moore ran for a 71-yard score as Clinton fell to 2-6, 1-5.
Dragon senior receiver Bryson Maddox, in his final home game, caught seven passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 32 career TD receptions.
Maddox broke J’Quan Thomas’ all-time TD catch mark of 29 with his score against South-Doyle the week before.
Anderson County’s Jayzon Thompson rushed for 347 yards and six touchdowns in the Mavericks’ 49-27 win over South-Doyle. - Tony Cox
A mistake-riddled performance left Anderson County High School’s football team in a dogfight Friday night in South Knoxville.
But senior running back Jayzon Thompson played the hero for the Mavericks, powering them to a 49-27 victory over South-Doyle in a key Region 2-4A contest at Billy K. Nicely Stadium.
Thompson rushed for 347 yards and six touchdowns to propel Anderson County (6-2 overall, 5-1 in the region) back into the win column against the Cherokees (4-5, 2-4).
He opened the scoring by hauling in a touchdown pass from freshman quarterback J.D. Gillum.
The Mavericks never trailed, but several turnovers and special teams miscues allowed South-Doyle to stay within striking distance.
Anderson County surrendered a kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Cherokees added two more scores on interception returns.
Anderson County’s Kate Swisher (10) controls the ball under pressure from a Greeneville defender during the 2025 TSSAA girls soccer sectional. The Lady Mavericks battled through two extra sessions before falling 1-0, closing out a strong postseason run. - Tony Cox
The 2025 season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion for the Anderson County High School girls soccer team Saturday night.
The District 4-AA and Region 2-AA champion Lady Mavericks and Greeneville were locked in a scoreless tie after 80 minutes of regulation and nearly 20 minutes of extra time before the Lady Devils scored inside the final two minutes.
The decisive goal came off a corner kick as Greeneville punched its ticket to the Class AA state tournament for the 11th-consecutive year with a 1-0 victory at ACHS.
“We’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride,” Lady Mavericks Coach Chris Curtin said.
“This was tough. They score off a corner kick where you have a bunch of players around the net, and somebody breaks free and puts the ball in the back of the net.”
The Norris Lady Senators notched their first win of the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday beating Clinton Middle Lady Hawks 40-26.
After a rebuilding 2024-25 campaign, the Norris Middle School girls basketball team opened its new season in impressive fashion, collecting two victories in the Anderson County preseason tournament at Anderson County High School.
On Saturday, the Lady Senators notched a 40-26 win over Clinton.
“When we played this game last year, I think we lost by 14 points,” Norris Coach Derek Wallace said. “We both had a lot of girls coming back, so we’ve definitely improved.”
Against the Lady Hawks, Addie Blevins recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Avery Goehring added eight points, sixth grader Sadie Housley chipped in seven, and Addison Willoughby finished with six.
Norris opened the tournament earlier in the week with a 60-8 rout of Lake City, showcasing a balanced offensive attack.
“Our scoring was pretty balanced,” Wallace said.
Blevins led with 18 points. Willoughby scored 11, while Housley and Goehring added eight apiece. Arya Wallace contributed seven.
The Lady Senators’ depth has already been a strength early in the season.
“This year we have depth,” Wallace said. “Jayden Mooney is back — she didn’t score this week, but she’s our glue girl and played great defense—and we have Esa Minor.”
JV team starts strong
The Norris junior varsity squad also opened its season with a pair of wins, rolling past Lake City 37-6 and defeating Clinton 31-12.
Housley scored 11 points and Ava Hughett added six against Lake City. In the Clinton matchup, Housley tallied 10 points, Arya Wallace scored seven, and Montgomery Bingham added five.
Ja’Rell Jemerson avoids a tackle in the Oak Ridge win Friday at Farragut. - Kirah Colston | ORHS Sports Media
In its first season competing in Class 6A football, Oak Ridge High School owns a perfect record and is exactly where it wants to be heading into the final week of the regular season.
The Wildcats (9-0 overall, 5-0 in Region 2-6A) will play for a region championship Thursday night when they travel to Blount County to face Maryville (9-1, 5-0) at Jim Renfro Field.
Coach Derek Rang said his team must be confident that it can finish the job.
“We’ve got to go down there and believe,” said Rang, now in his third season leading ORHS. “Maryville is going to make some big plays, and we’re going to make some big plays, because we’re both good football teams.”
Oak Ridge picked up a huge confidence boost Thursday night, routing Farragut 45-21 at Bill Clabo Field before a regional television audience — avenging last year’s loss to the Admirals (2-7, 2-4).
Madelyn Frazier attempts to move the ball down the field in the district semi-finals at Bearden Tuesday. - Gloria Rust | ORHS Sports Media
Oak Ridge High School’s girls soccer team saw its 2025 season end early last week — but not before restoring the program’s regional relevance.
The Lady Wildcats closed a strong campaign with a 4-0 loss to perennial power Bearden in the Region 2-AAA Tournament semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Turner-Allender Field in West Knoxville.
Despite the defeat, Oak Ridge Coach Trenna Underwood said she was proud of her team’s effort and growth.
“If you look at this senior class, the biggest thing is from where we are and from where we came from — we’ve made the program relevant again, not only in the district but in the region,” Underwood said. “We had a good year, and that win over Bearden earlier in the season was history-making for us.”
A balanced offensive attack helped the Norris Middle School boys basketball team open its season with a victory over the weekend.
The Senators battled foul trouble, but edged Clinton Middle School 37-33 on Saturday in the Anderson County preseason tournament at Anderson County High School.
“I had three of my starters foul out,” said first-year Norris Coach Trey Bingham. “We had some guys who really stepped up. We had guys come off the bench and I really liked seeing that. We have a physical team and I like the physicality, but we foul a lot.”
Norris, which saw its other tournament game canceled, didn’t have a player score in double figures but had a balanced scoring effort.
Cooper Downs, the only returning player on the Norris roster, scored seven points. Hayden Thompson also had seven, while Eli Lindsay and Cam Wilcox added six each.
The Senators will return to action Monday, Nov. 3, when they travel to Knoxville’s Fountain City Community to face Gresham. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Norris will then visit Powell on Thursday, Nov. 6.
“We have a young team,” Bingham said. “We have one player with varsity experience, three or four JV guys, and some new players. We even have four guys who have never played basketball before.”
