It wasn’t another shutout by the Admiral defense, but a strong defensive showing along with explosive play by the offense lifted the Admirals to 2-0 on the season, with a 47-7 victory over the Cherokees of McMinn County.
The Ads started off the game by forcing a Cherokee three-and-out, then quickly marched down the field and saw a Daniel Bethel connect on a 27 yard field goal try that gave the Ads a 3-0 lead with 7:26 to play in the first. The next drive saw the Farragut defense again stand strong after a 40 yard McMinn pass and forced anther Cherokee punt.
When Farragut got the ball back they would lead a 14-play, 71 yard drive that was capped off by a 15 yard Kyle Carter touchdown run. This extended the Admiral lead to 10-0 with 11:30 to play in the 2nd.
The Cherokees would however answer three plays later, on a 76 yard touchdown pass of their own to cut the Farragut lead to 10-7 with 10:34 to play in the 2nd.
A 53 yard kick return on the ensuing kickoff by Wyatt Lucas gave the Admirals the ball at the McMinn 43 yard line. Farragut would need just 4 plays this time to punch it in, as Isaiah Gibbs did so on a 6 yard touchdown run that extended the Farragut lead to 17-7 with 9:24 to play in the 2nd. Another three-and-out by the Ad defense and a 35 yard Wyatt Lucas punt return, setup another Daniel Bethel field goal opportunity, this time from 41 yards. Bethel drilled the kick and gave the Ads the a 20-7 lead with 6:03 to play before halftime.
The fourth three-and-out by the Cherokee offense in their first five drives, thanks in large part to an 8 yard Eli Purcell sack on the first play, gave the ball back to Farragut’s powerful offense. A 7 yard Jake Evans to Alec Keathley touchdown pass capped off a nine play, 69 yard Admiral TD drive that made the score 27-7 at halftime.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the second half began just as the first ended, with fireworks from the Admiral offense. This time however, Jake Evans found Tanner Corum for a 19 yard Farragut touchdown just four plays into the half. The touchdown gave the Ads a 34-7 lead with 10:26 left in the 3rd quarter.
In even more familiar fashion, the Farragut defense stopped the Cherokees on a fourth down conversion attempt by forcing a fumble that gave the ball back to the Admiral offense. After an 18 yard Kyle Carter run and a 20 yard Hunter Shopovick completion, Gavin Wilkinson found Alec Keathley for his second touchdown reception of the night and extended the Farragut lead to 40-7 with 6:10 to play in the 3rd.
The Admirals would get the ball back with 2:53 left in the 3rd after another stellar defensive series. A 60 yard Jake Evans to Matt White pass would setup a 1 yard keep by quarterback Jake Evans pushed the score at 47-7 with 1:39 left in the 3rd and put the game on a running clock.
The fourth quarter saw wholesale changes for the Admirals as many of the starters were pulled and the younger Ads were given valuable Friday night snaps. The opening defensive series saw sacks by Caleb Kuhn and Gabe Hensley end yet another McMinn County offensive series. The fourth quarter would fly by as the clock continuously ticked. The Admirals would however bring on the punt team for the first time all night, which resulted in a 47 yard punt by Daniel Bethel.
As the Admiral defense took the field, there was time for one last play by the Cherokees before the clock ran out.
After an incomplete pass and time expired, the Admirals improved to 2-0 after an explosive 47-7 win over McMinn County. Farragut will be on the road for the first time this season next we as they travel to Burke-Toney Stadium to face Morristown West at 7:30pm.
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.
OFFICIAL GAME STATS
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