The 2017 Admirals had yet another successful campaign.  Although it did not achieve it’s ultimate goal of a second straight State Championship, the team still garnered many accomplishments in route to a 9-3 season.  The Admirals were ranked in the AP Top 5 in Class 6A for eight straight weeks while riding a 19-game winning streak dating back to last season, the longest in school history.  The Admirals finished the season as the Region 1-6A runner-ups with wins over Morristown West, Jeff County, Science Hill, and Bearden, earning a home playoff game against Cleveland.  The Admirals also had impressive non-region wins over Bradley Central and Oak Ridge, both Quarterfinalists in their respective classifications.  The 2017 senior class will graduate as the winningest class in program history with 33 wins to only 6 losses in addition to the 2015 Region Championship and 2016 5A State Championship.  Due to the cumulative efforts by many players, certain individuals were recognized on the All-Region 1-6A team.

Braden Collins – Athlete of the Year – Braden led all receivers in 1-6A with his 793 receiving yards and 57 receptions.  He caught 8 passes for 200 yards versus Kingsport D-B and later tied his own school record with 13 receptions against Hardin Valley.

Jonathan Buchanan – OL Jonathan finished his Admiral career having started all 27 games the last two seasons.  Jonathan consistently graded out as one of the top performers each week on the Offensive Line.

Cade Burkey – LB  Cade led all tacklers in 1-6A with 136 tackles on the season.  He finishes his Admiral career 3rd all-time in career total tackles with 334.

 

Drew Butler – LB  Drew finished second in 1-6A with 135 total tackles and 13 tackles for loss.  Drew ends his outstanding career as the all-time leading tackler with 433 total stops.

Isaiah Gibbs – RB  Isaiah led the Admirals with 1,283 yards from scrimmage and was fourth in 1-6A in rushing.  Gibbs also accumulated 248 yards in returns as he returns in 2018 for his senior season.

Neyland Harmon – OLB Neyland was fourth for the Admirals’ defense with 79 total stops.  Other highlights include a 4-yard rushing TD to help seal the victory over Bearden.  Neyland returns in 2018 for his senior season.

Caleb Kuhn – DE  Caleb finished second in 1-6A with 9.0 sacks on the year.  He also led the team with 15.0 tackles for loss, and was third on the team with 90 total stops.  He will return in 2018 for his senior season.

Wyatt Lucas – DB  Wyatt led all defenders in 1-6A with 6 interceptions on the year.  He nabbed 2 interceptions to go along with 130 all-purpose yards in the win over Bearden.  Wyatt returns in 2018 for his senior season.

Andrew Maxey – OL Andrew completed his Admiral career having started all 39 games the last three seasons at Left Tackle.  He graded out with the highest performance grade for OL on multiple occasions.

Jacob Warren – TE  Jacob finished the year second in 1-6A in receiving yards with 659 yards.  His eight TD receptions led all receivers in the region.  His best performance was four-TD night to help defeat Bradley Central in the season opener.

Gavin Wilkinson – QB Gavin finished second in 1-6A with 2,130 passing yards and was first with 17 TD passes.  He had three 300-yard plus performances versus Mo-West, D-B, and Hardin Valley.  He returns in 2018 for his junior season.

Alex Williams – Scholar Athlete Alex finished 2017 with 66 total stops, 8 tackles for loss, and 3 INT’s.  His work in the classroom was impeccable as he narrowly bested several other of his classmates with the team’s highest GPA of 4.37 over his high school career.

The 2018 Admirals are already hard at work to carry on the success that has been laid before them and much will be expected.  The Admirals will return five players that garnered All-Region honors in addition to many others looking to build off their success in 2017.  The Admirals will carry a 14-game home winning streak into the 2018 home opener against Bradley Central on August 17th.  The rising senior class will look to extend the Admirals’ on-field success and compete for another championship next fall.

November 9, 2017 by Ken Lay, Correspondent Farragut Press

Farragut High School’s football team trailed most of the night before earning the right to advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. The Ads had their hands full with a tough Cleveland squad — while also facing a little self-inflicted adversity.

Farragut had to overcome four turnovers and a fourth-quarter deficit to notch a 42-28 victory over the Blue Raiders Friday night, Nov. 3, at Bill Clabo Field.

The Admirals [9-2] finally took the lead when senior tight end Jacob Warren hauled in a 6-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Gavin Wilkinson with 2:06 remaining in the contest to make the score 34-28.

Freshman kicker Daniel Bethel added the fifth of his six extra points to give FHS a 35-28 lead.

“That’s a play that we always have in our back pocket,” said Warren, who had eight receptions for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns, about Wilkinson’s roll right and throw left pass. “We just have to execute it.

“It’s just a matter of going out there and executing. See the ball, go get it. Focus.”

The Blue Raiders, No. 3 seed in Region 2-6A, finish the 2017 season with an 8-3 record.

“We knew that Cleveland was a good football team and we knew that we were going to have to score points,” Farragut head coach Eddie Courtney said. “[Coach Scott] Cummings has a done a great job with them offensively and they really believe in what they do on defense — and we knew that.”

The Admirals, who struggled all night, controlled the fourth quarter. After Warren gave Farragut the lead for good, it would add insurance when Isaiah Gibbs scored from seven yards out with just under a minute to play to make the score 42-28.

The game’s final touchdown was set up when senior linebacker Cade Burkey recovered a Cleveland fumble and rumbled to the 7-yard line.

It was Burkey’s second recovery of the game.

He closed the first half by scooping up a Blue Raider turnover and appeared to score a go-ahead touchdown but was ruled down by contact as the play was whistled dead.

Burkey, however, wasn’t complaining after the game.

“The best thing about a good team is that they always find a way to make plays,” he said. “We have good linebackers and when one of us is having a bad day, the other two will step up and pick the other one up.

“I’m really happy. Hat’s off to Jacob Warren for making catches that I just didn’t think we’re possible,” he added.

The final play made things even more special for Farragut. Max Travis, a senior, picked off a pass from Cleveland’s Kellye Cawood in the end zone as time expired.

Travis was slated to be Farragut’s starting quarterback but he was injured twice, dashing those hopes. But he made some big plays on defense against Cleveland.

“It felt great to get that interception,” Travis said. “It was a long time coming and it felt great.

“You don’t get to play with your brothers for 11 weeks and it’s great to finally go out there and play.”

“I’m proud for Max and I’m proud for our team,” Courtney said. “He was supposed to be our starting quarterback and he broke his hand. Then, he had an upper arm injury. But he was consistent and he stayed around. So we wanted to give him a chance to play.”

The night got off to a bad start for the Ads. Cleveland’s big play offense scored first when Cawood connected with Romeo Wykle on a 94-yard scoring strike midway through the opening frame.

The Ads answered when Warren made a spectacular catch in the end zone, making it 7-7.

Cleveland regained the lead later in the quarter on a 75-yard touchdown scamper by Keegan Jones.

Injured in the third quarter, Jones rushed for 230 yards. He also would score on a 90-yard run before being hurt, giving the Blue Raiders a 21-14 lead early in the third stanza.

Farragut scored the only points in the second stanza on a touchdown run by Gibbs.

Josh Moses scored his third touchdown of the season to make 21-21 before Cleveland scored one final time.

Gibbs made it 28-28 with 8:08 left in the game.

“At the end of the day, we just didn’t have enough to get it done,” said Cummings, a graduate of West High who led his alma mater to a Class 5A state championship in 2014. “We just didn’t execute.

“… Hats off to Farragut. They’re a great team.”

The Admirals will travel to Maryville in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

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

**Click to Enlarge**

Despite throwing 4 interceptions in the first half and trailing by 22 at halftime, the Admirals roared back to to score with 1:20 left on the clock to take their first lead of the game, 36-29. The Hawks, though, would drive down the field and score from 38 yards out with 8.2 seconds left on the clock to put the score at 36-35. Hardin Valley decided to go for 2 and were successful and won the game 37-36.

The Admirals will host Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs on November 3rd.

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

**Click to Enlarge**