KCHS names new girls basketball head coach

Knoxville Catholic High School on May 15 announced Freeman Pinkney as the new head coach for the Lady Irish basketball program. Mr. Pinkney, originally from Clarksville, played collegiately at Walters State and Bethel University. After earning his degree, he spent two years playing basketball professionally in Mexico and for several …

KCHS sports teams making move to Division II

The Fighting Irish will begin competing in the financial-aid division starting in 2019-20 By Dan McWilliams Knoxville Catholic High School sports will begin competing in Division II starting with the 2019-20 school year. The TSSAA Board of Control approved KCHS’s request for the move at its Jan. 11 meeting. Division …

Keegan Smith wins AAU Junior Olympics gold

Ten-year-old Keegan Smith, a fifth-grader at Sacred Heart Cathedral School much honored already in his running career, captured a gold medal July 31 in the 3,000-meter run for 11-year-olds at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Detroit. Keegan ran a sub-10-minute time of 9:59.36 to win by a margin of …

KCHS girls tennis team, doubles duo, repeat at state

Knoxville Catholic High School’s girls tennis team posted two repeats May 23-26 at the state tournament in Murfreesboro as sisters Erin and Sara Allen won their second straight doubles title and the team itself won a second consecutive championship. Defending champions Erin, a senior, and Sara, a sophomore, won by …

KCHS boys track team captures state title — again

The Knoxville Catholic High School boys track-and-field team proved at the state meet that a small roster can provide big results. With five runners providing most all of the scoring, the Fighting Irish outpointed Nashville Maplewood 66.5 to 55 to win their second straight state championship, against a 63-team field …

‘Historic’ KCHS boys basketball team reaches state finals

Knoxville Catholic finishes 31-2 after posting a 28-game winning streak and going wire to wire ranked No. 1 By Dan McWilliams The Knoxville Catholic High School boys basketball team’s dream of its first-ever state championship ended in the title game, but the Fighting Irish finished as one of the greatest …

Colleges come calling

KCHS seniors join long list of athletes to sign scholarships By Dan McWilliams Knoxville Catholic High School has launched many collegiate and professional athletic careers, and National Signing Day on Feb. 1 served as the latest springboard for eight student-athletes committing to colleges and universities. Highly sought-after Fighting Irish wide …

Top-ranked KCHS boys team off to 18-1 start

The Knoxville Catholic High School boys basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA through its first 19 games and had only one defeat going into game No. 20. The Fighting Irish drubbed Christian Academy of Knoxville 74-54 on Jan. 27 to improve to 18-1 overall …

Middle school football team undefeated — again

The Chattanooga Catholic football team finished the 2016 season with a perfect record, going 11-0. It was Catholic’s second consecutive undefeated campaign. Chattanooga Catholic, a cooperative middle school football program of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Jude school students, competes in the Independent School Conference. Before 2015, it …

KCHS sports staying in Division I; NDHS opts for Division II

By Dan McWilliams The diocese’s two high schools reached an athletics crossroads this fall when they had to decide whether to remain in Division I, the non-financial-aid division, or move to Division II. Each high school made a different choice. Knoxville Catholic High School opted to stay in Division I, …

St. Mary-Oak Ridge hosts NFL Punt, Pass & Kick sectional

St. Mary School in Oak Ridge hosted the East Tennessee Sectional Championship for the NFL’s Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) competition Oct. 16. Boys and girls ages 6-15 from East Tennessee competed in the free contest sponsored by the NFL and USA Football. PPK began in 1961, and continues today …

St. Mary-Oak Ridge repeats as volleyball champs

The girls varsity volleyball team at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge recently competed in the Knoxville Independent School League small-school tournament and beat Apostolic Christian Academy to win the championship at the Knoxville Christian School gym in a winner-take-all match. This year’s Lady Crusader squad won the KISL regular-season …