With a playoff opportunity hanging in the balance, Farragut hosted Jefferson County on Friday night for the final game of the 2019 regular season. Best case, the Admirals would host a first round playoff game, worst case Farragut would be turning in their pads on Monday, but the focus was on one thing, winning.
Jeff County won the coin toss and decided to defer giving the Admirals the ball to begin the game. A fumble, however, on the opening kickoff would give the Patriots the ball on the Admiral 28 yard line. The Admiral defense would answer as a Micah Johnson interception on the first play would give the Admirals the ball right back. Farragut’s offense went to work at their own 27 yard line looking to strike first. Two quick completions for 25 yards moved the ball passed midfield, then 4 straight rushes moved the ball further down field to the Patriot 38. However, three straight incompletions followed for the Admirals and they were forced to punt the ball away. Jefferson County would take over at their own 20 and look to establish their running offense quickly. The Patriots were able to march down to the Farragut 35, but the Admiral defense was able to hold strong on 4th and 3 to turn the Patriots over on downs.
Farragut took over at their own 34, again looking to strike first. After picking up 25 yards on the first four plays of the drive, a 41-yard Eli Purcell touchdown run put the Admirals on the board first, giving the Admirals a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After a Jefferson County punt, the Admirals took over at the Patriot 49 yard line. A conversion on 4th-and-4 setup a 36-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Matt White touchdown pass that extended the Admiral lead to 13-0 with 10:53 left in the 2nd. The Jefferson County offense looked to answer, and a 45-yard run put them in prime position to do so, scoring 4 plays later from 6 yards out.
After a successful 2 point try, Farragut still lead 13-8 with 7:28 left before half. The Admirals took over at their own 31 hoping to extend the lead again. An 8-yard rush on 3rd and 6 was followed by a 52-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Alec Keathley pass that would put the ball at the 5 yard line with the Admirals looking to score. That score would come 2 plays later when Alec Keathley found the end zone from 3 yards out and extended the Admiral lead to 20-8 with 4:47 left before half. Jefferson County took over trying to score before half and cut the lead knowing they would get the ball to begin the 2nd half. Running on 7 of their first 8 plays gave way for another run, but this time it was for 39 yards and a Patriot touchdown. The Admirals still lead 20-16 at halftime.
Jefferson County carried their run heavy offense into the 3rd quarter, embarking on a 15-play, 65-yard drive that was extended by a roughing the punter penalty that gave the Patriots new life. The drive took up nearly half of the 3rd quarter and was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a failed 2 point try. The Patriots took the lead for the first time in the game, 22-20 with 6:38 left in the 3rd.
The Admirals would not trail for long, as Gavin Wilkinson found Mason Collins for a 65-yard touchdown reception, the first of Collins’ career, and gave the Admirals a 27-22 lead with 6:26 left in the 3rd. Like a boxing match that saw two fighters exchanging haymakers, the Patriots would waste no time answering. A 75-yard touchdown would put Jefferson County back on top 28-27 with 3:25 left in the 3rd. A 32-yard Jackson Fontenot kickoff return set the Farragut offense with the ball at the Patriot 40 yard line. It would take 8 plays for the Admirals to punch it in, as a 13-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Alec Keathley pass again lit the scoreboard up for the Admirals. Farragut again found themselves on top 33-28 as the 4th quarter began.
Jefferson County took over at the Farragut 21 yard line looking for a drive similar to the one that began the 2nd half for them, one that would chew up the clock and result in a touchdown. A 16-play drive would follow, seeing the Patriots rush 13 times and score on an 8-yard run. The Patriots regained the lead 34-33 with 5:03 left to play. The Admirals knew what hung in the balance as several scenarios had played out at other games throughout the region.
The season came down to the final five minutes and three seconds of this game. Scoring and stopping the Patriots would mean hosting a first round playoff game, while failing to do so meant the season would end and playoff hopes dashed. A determined Admiral offense took over at their own 29 yard line with the season lying in their hands.
A healthy mix of run and pass on the drive, along with strategic clock management, saw an Alec Keathley 10-yard touchdown run with :42 left to play give the lead back to the Admirals, 39-34. The had :42 left to play to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Patriots started possession from their own 18-yard line after great kickoff coverage by Eli Purcell. Jefferson County completed consecutive passes for 13 and 14 yards, respectively, to move the ball close to midfield. Two plays later, a Logan Foody interception sealed the Admirals fate and gave them a 39-34 win over Jefferson County.
The Admirals finished the regular season at 5-5 overall and 4-2 in region 1-6Aplay. With the win, the Admirals earned right to host Bradley County in Round 1 of the 2019 TSSAA Playoffs. Farragut and Bradley met in week 1 of the regular season this year, where the Admirals outlasted the Bears 37-30.
A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz and Ashley Wathen of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Be sure to checkout CRFOTO.com every week for a full photo gallery from Friday’s game. See a photo you like? They are also available for purchase directly from his website. Click here for this week’s photos.