Clinton piles up runs, earns victories at Eastman Classic
by Ken Lay
Clinton senior Elizabeth Graham squares up a pitch and drives it deep into left field during the Lady Dragons’ matchup against Union County on Thursday, March 26. Graham went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, two RBIs and a run scored to lead Clinton to a 4-2 victory. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School softball Coach Leonard Sams makes no secret that his team plays one of the area’s toughest schedules.
He also makes no secret that it’s by design.
The Lady Dragons were in the Eastman Classic over the weekend, where they competed against some of the state’s top teams. And Clinton’s longtime head coach couldn’t have been much happier with the results.
“Our kids played so darn good,” Sams said Sunday after returning home from the long trip. “We played well against some great teams.”
While in northeast Tennessee, the Lady Dragons picked up a pair of wins against Greeneville.
They closed out their stay with a narrow 4-3 loss to West Ridge.
Mandy Chambers went 2-for-2 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in the tournament finale for Clinton. Elizabeth Graham also had a pair of hits. She drove in one run and scored another, while Sara Bishop singled and scored.
A busy week on the baseball diamond opened on a high note for Clinton High School as the Dragons began District 4-AAA play with a doubleheader sweep of Scott on Monday, March 23.
Clinton (6-8 overall, 2-0 in the district) took the opener 16-1, and won the nightcap 14-4.
In Game 1, JP Robbins had two hits, including a double, drove in two runs and scored another, while Jackson Webb went 4-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Brennan Tipton went 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Jake Rittenberry tripled and drove in three runs.
In the second game, Aden Golden swung a hot bat, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. He had four RBIs and scored two runs.
Robbins was 1-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Will Brooks went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Colten Wright was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs.
Clinton defeated William Blount 6-2 in the Clinch River Classic, scoring five runs in the third inning.
Webb gave the Dragons a solid performance on the mound, throwing a complete game. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four.
Robbins finished that contest with two hits, an RBI and a run scored.
In their final two games of the tournament, the Dragons dropped a 15-3 decision to Sevier County and lost to Powell 10-0.
Anderson County’s Tanner Hollifield got the start on the mound in the Mavericks’ 5-4 win over Soddy Daisy. He struck out three batters over 2-1/3 innings. - Malinda Wood | The Courier News
The 2026 baseball season continued last week as Anderson County High School endured another busy stretch on the diamond.
The Mavericks (11-9 overall, 3-1 in District 4-AAA) opened the week by splitting a crucial league series against Gibbs.
The Eagles won the opener 5-4 at Morgan Wallen Field in Corryton.
In that game, Nolan Benson and Wil Ridenour both singled and scored, while Reese Young doubled and scored. Jeremiah Owens added a single and an RBI.
Anderson County bounced back the following day with an impressive 6-1 win at home as senior left-hander Daniel Unthank tossed a one-hitter.
He allowed only one unearned run, walked four and struck out 10 over seven innings. He also went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Ridenour went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored, while Blake Lowe doubled, scored and drove in a run.
Clinton’s Addi Gamble rises above two defenders to haul in a pass during the Lady Dragons’ home game against Hardin Valley Academy on Friday, March 27. Gamble finished with three touchdown receptions and 109 receiving yards in Clinton’s 44-6 victory. - Tony Cox
The newest sports team at Clinton High School is off to a successful start, as the Lady Dragons’ flag football team is 3-1.
Last week, Clinton won a pair of league games against Hardin Valley Academy and Powell.
In its latest outing, the Lady Dragons rolled to a 44-6 victory over the Lady Hawks.
Clinton quarterback Lanee Carmichael threw for 236 yards and five touchdowns.
“That was a good one for us,” Lady Dragons Coach Brittany Siler said.
Addi Gamble starred on both sides of the ball for Clinton. She had three touchdown receptions, finished with 109 receiving yards and added a two-point conversion.
Defensively, Gamble also came up with an interception.
Josie Moody had two touchdown catches and 104 receiving yards.
Anderson County’s Andrew Wilson, a Mavericks team captain, plays the ball ahead after working free from a defender. - Tony Cox
It was a tough week on the pitch for the Anderson County High School boys soccer team.
The Mavericks (2-5) dropped four matches last week, but Coach Chris Curtin said his squad showed progress to close out the Smoky Mountain Cup in Gatlinburg despite a 2-0 loss to Giles County.
“I think we played one of our best games of the season against Giles County,” Curtin said. “We did a good job holding them down.
“They beat Kingston 2-0, so I was worried about that game, but our guys played well. That was really a 1-0 game, but we had a mistake that cost us a goal.”
In two other matches in Gatlinburg, the Mavericks lost to
The struggles continued on the softball diamond for Oak Ridge High School last week as the Lady Wildcats dropped three games, including two district contests.
Oak Ridge (1-8 overall) opened the week Tuesday, March 24, with a 5-3 league loss to Lenoir City.
The Lady Wildcats then fell to Farragut 13-0 on Thursday before dropping an 11-6 decision to Powell’s First Baptist Academy on Friday.
“We just aren’t putting all three phases of the game together right now,” Oak Ridge Coach Jeremy Gill said. “We just can’t put it together right now.
“Against Lenoir City, we played pretty well, and Farragut is Farragut. We’re just not going to compete with them right now, and I hate that we lost to First Baptist.”
Against the Lady Panthers, Leah Curran had two hits, while Amaiyah King, Taryn McGuire and Kaylee Primm collected one hit each. Primm also had a stolen base against Lenoir City.
Against the Lady Admirals, Oak Ridge managed just one hit, a single by Anslee Douglas.
Against the Lady Eagles, the Lady Wildcats had their best offensive effort of the week.
Douglas went 3-for-3 with a double, while Kylie Martin had two extra-base hits. She went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Primm was 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Bay Hensley went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. King doubled and drove in a run.
It was a week of mixed results on the pitch for the Clinton High School boys soccer team as the Dragons split a pair of matches and suffered their first loss of the 2026 campaign.
Clinton (3-1 overall, 0-1 in District 4-AA) opened the week with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Scott in its district opener on Tuesday, March 24. In that match, the Dragons had a potential game-tying goal disallowed.
“The Scott loss was a tough one because we thought we had a tie, but then we had a goal called back,” CHS Coach Filip Leander said. “Then, in the waning moments, we had a 1-on-1 against Scott’s goalkeeper, and the goalkeeper made a great save.
“The Scott loss was a tough loss for our team, especially considering how close we were,” he said. “I’m proud of the team. They’re doing great.”
Andrew Vargas scored Clinton’s lone goal against the Highlanders.
Christian Honeycutt was credited with an assist.
The Dragons showed resilience as they bounced back to capture a 4-1 victory over Rockwood.
Angel Venegas and Vargas scored two goals each against the Tigers, while Matt Johnson picked up his first career assist in the match.
“The boys shook it off, and now we’ll be ready for our next district match,” Leander said.
Clinton played Union County on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
The Clinton Middle Lady Hawks softball team opened district play last week with a strong showing, earning a decisive win before running into a tough Rutledge squad later in the week.
Clinton now sits at 2-1 in district play and continues to show signs of a balanced and aggressive team early in the season.
The week began Tuesday with an 11-3 victory over Cherokee, powered by a dominant first inning and a big day at the plate from Tora Beeler.
Beeler drove in four runs on two hits, including a two-run single in the second inning and a run-scoring double later in the game, leading an offense that wasted little time setting the tone.
The Lady Hawks erupted for seven runs in the first inning behind timely hitting and aggressive baserunning.
Clinton Football Club continued its winning ways last week.
The club, a co-ed soccer team comprising student-athletes from Clinton Middle School, remained undefeated with a 12-3 victory over Gresham Grey on Thursday night at John Tarleton Park in Knoxville’s Marble City community.
“We played well, but they were a worthy opponent,” CFC Coach Jake McMurray said. “They played hard.
“It was a close game early. It was 3-1 at halftime, and then things just kind of went our way.”
Samuel McMurray had a hat trick and an assist for Clinton, while Juan Zorro scored twice and added an assist. Backup goalkeeper Tadeo Hernandez saw time in the field and scored a goal.
“My backup keeper scored a goal when he was playing in the field, and that was big for him,” McMurray said.
Jordan Cuevas scored twice. Lucas Metchikoff, Osman Amaya and Fabio Espinoza also scored for CFC. Tucker Nielson added an assist in the match for Clinton.
All three local high school track and field programs had a busy weekend.
Anderson County and Oak Ridge competed in the Hardin Valley Invitational, while Clinton was in action at Loudon High School.
At Hardin Valley Academy, Lady Mavericks distance specialist Ava Moody finished second in both the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs, with a time of 2 minutes, 23.52 seconds in the 800 and 5:10.72 in the 1,600.
For the Anderson County boys, Luke Dark won the shot put with a mark of 62 feet, 4.25 inches. He was sixth in the discus (137-4).
Cameron Hardy finished second in the 3,200-meter run (10:06.48), and Joseph Hall won the long jump with a leap of 22-4.50.
Upon its return from spring break, the Anderson County High School flag football team found its way into the win column last week.
The Lady Mavericks ran past Samuel Everett in their latest outing, posting a 21-6 victory.
It was Anderson County’s first game since a 30-2 loss to rival Clinton last month.
“It was good to get that taste out of our mouths,” Lady Mavericks Coach Jonathan Cotton said.
Anderson County’s defense scored first as Chloe Freeman recorded a safety when she stopped a Samuel Everett player in the end zone in the second quarter.
The Lady Mavericks extended their lead to 8-0 when quarterback Ella Clark threw a 35-yard touchdown pass. Clark completed 17 of 29 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown.
Marissa Valero made it 14-0 when she scored on an 11-yard run for Anderson County, which scored its final touchdown on defense as Jocelyn Amos returned an interception for a score. Carly Whitson added the conversion to make it 21-6.
Defensively, Freeman had five tackles and two sacks, while Witkowski recorded five tackles.
Freeman was Anderson County’s leading rusher with five carries for 18 yards. Witkowski was the Lady Mavericks’ leading receiver with nine catches.
CMS Track and Field at the first meet of the season at Northview Academy - Submitted
The Clinton Middle School track and field teams turned in a strong all-around performance this week at the Northview Junior Academy Cougar Classic in Kodak.
Clinton made its biggest statement in the boys’ 100-meter dash, where the Hawks placed two runners on the podium. Levi Braden led the way with a second-place finish in 12.98, followed closely by Bishop Demott, who took third in 13.13.
Braden added another top-three finish in the 200-meter dash, placing third in 26.49 to cap a strong day on the track.
In the field events, Matthew Crowe delivered a standout performance in the long jump, finishing second with a mark of 15 feet, 10 inches. Jacob Deel added a fifth-place finish in the same event, while Uriyah Pickett earned third in the discus and Uriah Mounce placed fifth in the shot put to round out a strong showing for the Hawks.
The Norris Middle School baseball and softball teams were busy last week as the Senators and Lady Senators returned from spring break.
The Senators won all three of their games, defeating Oneida 13-3 on Monday, March 23.
Norris then edged Christian Academy of Knoxville 7-6 on Wednesday, March 25, before closing out the week with a 10-0 victory over Oneida.
In the first game against Oneida, Cam Wilcox hit a home run and drove in two runs, while Cooper Downs went 2-for-2 with a triple and a run scored. Hunter Wade went 1-for-3 with a triple and scored four runs.
Wade also had a home run and a double against the Warriors.
In the second contest against Oneida, Wade went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.
The Lady Senators dropped two games last week, falling to North Middle School 10-5 and Cherokee 8-1.
The Clinton Hawks experienced the full spectrum of baseball last week: an offensive explosion, a heartbreaking loss, and a dominant bounce-back performance.
The CMS Hawks Varsity opened the stretch Monday with a 21-9 win over the Rutledge Pioneers, powered by a huge day from Pearson Lollar.
Lollar drove in four runs on two hits and a walk, setting the tone for a Clinton offense that erupted for 14 runs in the second inning. The Hawks capitalized on timely hitting and patience at the plate, finishing with 10 hits, 12 walks, and seven stolen bases.
Rylan Boshears, Bryce Slaven, Kole Sliger, and Canyon Long all contributed key hits during the big inning as Clinton seized control early and never looked back.
The week took a dramatic turn Wednesday in a district matchup at Horace Maynard.
