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Ads Fall to West in Thriller, 41-38

The Ads came into Friday night’s game looking to rebound from a tough loss to Beech in Week 1. The opponent, however, didn’t get any easier as Knox-West traveled to Bill Clabo Field. The Rebels were coming off a 24-2 Week 1 victory over Bearden.

West won the toss and elected to defer the option to the second half, meaning the Ads would start the game on offense. The Farragut offense started off quick, but the opening drive stalled after a pre-snap penalty on 4th and 5 forced a 43 yard Reese Keeney field goal. Keeney’s attempt gave the Ads an early 3-0 lead with 6:49 left to play in the 1st. The Rebels took over at their own 20 following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff. A 65-yard completion by the Rebels was followed by a 28-yard touchdown run that put West up 7-3 with 5:34 left in the 1st. Farragut would come out again, firing on all cylinders. On the fifth play of the Admiral drive, Dawson Moore found Landis Davila on a 36-yard touchdown pass, the marked Davila’s first varsity touchdown. With 3:26 left in the 1st, the Ads lead 10-7. West, again starting from their own 20, started their drive off hot, gaining 60 yards on the first two plays of the drive. Three plays later the Rebels found the endzone on a 3-yard touchdown run, giving them a 14-10 lead as the 1st quarter ended.

On the first drive of the 2nd quarter, the Ads drove to the Rebel 38, but a fumble on 4th and 5 ended the Farragut drive. The Admiral defense would answer on the following drive, forcing the Rebels to go 3-and-out. After trading punts and a failed fourth and one conversion attempt by the Ads, the West offense found themselves with the ball at the Farragut 35. With a short field, the Rebels found the endzone three plays into their drive, giving them a 21-10 lead with 44 seconds left before half. Looking for a quick score, the Ads’ offense would do just that on the back of a Dawson Moore to Trace Corum 80 yard touchdown pass that cut the Rebel lead to 21-17 at the half.

West received the kickoff to open the second half, but a mistake on their first play saw the Ads recover a fumble. With the ball on the Rebel 17, the Ads looked to retake the lead early in the second half. Elijah Gibbs found paydirt from four yards out on the fourth play of the drive, giving Farragut a 24-21 lead with 10:45 left in the 3rd. Another Reese Keeney touchback gave the Rebels the ball back at their own 20-yard line. A nine-play drive was capped off by a 4 yard Rebel touchdown run. Following a blocked extra, the Rebels lead 27-24 with 7:07 left in the 3rd. The following drive, the Ads would embark on a long drive of their own. The 13-play drive, consisting of 8 runs and 5 passes, was capped off by a 10-yard Schumann Xie touchdown run and gave the Admirals a 31-27 lead as the fourth quarter began.

On their first drive of the 4th quarter, on the 12th play, the Rebels scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. With 8:48 left in the game, West lead 34-31. The Ads returned the ensuing kickoff to the 17 and were looking to retake the lead from West. On the fourth play of the drive, after a third-down conversion, another Dawson Moore to Trace Corum touchdown connection, this time for 73-yards, would put the Admirals ahead 38-34 with 7:23 left to play. West would come out hot again, scoring on a 57-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the drive. This gave the lead back to the Rebels 5:48 left in the game. The Ads took over at their own 20 looking for points. On play 11 of the drive, facing 4th and 4, an incompletion would end the drive. The Rebels took over with 50 seconds left, but with three time outs, the Ads’ defense would hold strong and force a punt. With the ball at their own 39, one timeout, and 29 seconds to play, the Ads needed at least a field goal to force overtime. Farragut would pick up 7 yards on first down and 19 yards three plays later. This setup a 52-yard Reese Keeney field goal attempt with 3 seconds left to play, but the kick fell short.

The Ads fell to West 41-38 and to 0-2 on the season. Next week the Ads will host another team named the Rebels, but this time from Maryville. Maryville is coming off a 52-31 win over Powell in Week 2. The kickoff is set for 7:00 pm on Friday night.

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Be sure to check out 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.

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Ads Lose Tough One to Beech, 20-7

The Ads kicked off the 2021 campaign with a 2.5 hour trip to Beech High School. This marked the first time these two schools had met on the football field. Beech is coming off a 10-2 quarterfinal run in 2020, while the Admirals are coming off a 7-4 season last year.

The Ads won the coin toss and elected to defer their option to the 2nd half. Beech received the opening kickoff and a Reese Keeney touchback meant they took over at their own 20. The Bucs embarked on a 14 play drive that covered 80 yards and was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run. At the half, the Admirals trailed Beech 7-0.

The Ads looked to start the 2nd half after receiving the opening kickoff, but a three and out ended those dreams. The Farragut offense took the next drive to the Beech 4 yard line, but an unexpected snap rolled 10 yards behind quarterback Dawson Moore and an intentional grounding penalty made it 4th and goal from the 31-yard line.

Following the Admiral turnover on downs, the Bucs took over at their own 10. Five plays into the Beech drive, the Admiral defense would come up with a fumble recovery to set up a short field for the Admiral offense. The Ads took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring 6 plays later as Dawson Moore found Trace Corum on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the 3rd.

Farragut and Beech remained tied until late in the fourth quarter. Following a fourth-down stand by the Admiral defense, a pass that looked to be incomplete was ruled a fumble, and Beech would scoop the ball and return it 32 yards for a touchdown. This gave the lead back to Beech, 14-7, with 2:24 left to play. Another late touchdown by Beech made the final 20-7.

The 0-1 Admirals come home in week 2 to host the Knox-West Rebels at Bill Clabo Field. The 1-0 Rebels are coming off a 24-2 victory over Bearden in week 1. The kickoff is set for 7:00 pm on Friday, August 27th. Click here to purchase your tickets for the Week 2 home opener against Knox-West.

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Be sure to check out 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.

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SEASON FAST APPROACHING FOR THE ADMIRALS

The Admirals are days away from opening the 2021 Fall Camp. The annual kickoff picnic will be held on July 25th, meaning that camp opens the following day. The Admirals will start camp with one week of two-a-day practices, but unlike previous seasons, will not have a preseason scrimmage scheduled for the first week. Instead, the first scrimmage will come the second Thursday of fall camp on August 5th, when the Ads travel to Cookeville High School to scrimmage the Cavaliers in what has been an annual fall tradition between the two 6A schools.

Fall camp will continue into the week of August 9th, the first day of school for students. On Tuesday of that week, the Ads will host a scrimmage against 5A powerhouse Powell. This will be the first meeting of the two teams in full pads since 2016. Capping that week off, on August 13th, the Admirals will participate in the annual KOC Kickoff Classic at Neyland Stadium, the final dress rehearsal of the fall. The Admirals will take on the Central Bobcats, who have won two of the last three 5A state championships, in the fourth quarter of the evening.

The following week is when the Admirals will put all their offseason training to the test in Week One of the season. This year the Admirals will travel to face an unfamiliar opponent, the Beech Buccaneers, who have moved up to Class 6A in 2021. The Admirals and the Buccaneers, located just north of Nashville in Hendersonville, have never met on the gridiron before. Beech is coming off a 10-2 season in 2020 and a quarterfinal run in the playoffs.

Week Two will be the Admirals’ first game at Bill Clabo field and the first of a three-game homestand. Farragut will host Knox West, a very familiar and perennial foe for the Admirals, with 2021 marking the 30th meeting of the two schools. The Rebels are coming off a 12-2 season last year that ended in the quarterfinals.

The Maryville Rebels will travel to Bill Clabo Field in Week Three to take on the Admirals. The Rebels, a perennially nationally-ranked program, will be the first region game of the year after regions were realigned in Region 2-6A before the 2021 season.

Week Four will find the Wildcats from Oak Ridge coming to Bill Clabo Field. Fresh off their first state championship game appearance since 2005, Oak Ridge will be looking to avenge their 2020 loss to the Admirals. This will be the 46th meeting between these two storied programs.

The Admirals will travel to Cleveland and take on the Raiders in Week Five, the first of a three-game road stand for the Admirals. Cleveland is coming off a 5-6 2021 campaign that saw them make the 6A playoffs. While the two schools have met three times before, this will mark the first regular-season meeting between them and also the first time the two schools will meet as Region 2-6A foes.

In Week Six, the Admirals will travel to South Knoxville to take on the South-Doyle Cherokees. The Cherokees are hot off their 2020 state semifinal appearance and a 10-4 record. Farragut and South Doyle last met in the 2016 state semifinals of the playoffs.

A Region 2-6A game will follow in Week Seven as the Admirals will travel to Hardin Valley to take on the Hawks. Due to the proximity of the two schools, every year this is a bitter rival game for both schools. The series record between the two schools is 3-3 so the Admirals will be looking to get ahead in this series.

The Admirals will have a deserved bye week in Week Eight, as they rest up for the final three games of the season.

In Week Nine the Admirals will return to Bill Clabo Field to take on the Bradley Central Bears in another Region 2-6A matchup. The Bears are coming off an 8-4 record which also saw them end the Admirals’ 2020 season in the first round of the playoffs.

The final non-region game of the season will take place in Week Ten when the Admirals will travel to Broadway to take on the Fulton Falcons. The Falcons will be looking to rebound off a 4-7 record last year that saw them lose in the first round of the playoffs. Farragut and Fulton have met nine times, the last being in 2014. The Admirals’ lone win in the series came in 1972, so they will be looking to update that stat.

Week Eleven will conclude the regular season for the Admirals as they play host to the Bearden Bulldogs. Bearden’s 4-7 record in 2020 allowed them to reach the playoffs but were put out in round one. The 63rd meeting of these two perennial rivals promises to be another great as the two schools will be looking to hurdle each other in the final Region 2-6A matchup of the season.

The 2021 season will mark the 75th season for the Admirals on the gridiron. You can see the entire 2021 schedule and plan to follow the Admirals in another exciting season this fall. One thing of note for the 2021 season, all games kick off at 7:00 pm. Season pass information can be obtained by contacting the Booster Club. We look forward to seeing you on Friday nights!

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National Signing Day 2021

Wednesday, February 3rd, was National Signing Day at Farragut High School and a ceremony was held to recognize 13 student-athletes in the class of 2021. Six former Admirals’ football players got to sign their letters of intent to the college or university of their choice to pursue their academic and athletic careers. These six young men have been key contributors to the Farragut Football program over the last four years not just for their efforts on the field but also for their work in the classroom and community.

Kicking off National Signing Day from Farragut High School this morning. @Madison4Blevins via Twitter

The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly altered the landscape of recruiting for everyone. Coaches were not allowed to visit the recruits at school or in their homes, and the recruits were not able to take traditional visits to college campuses as in the past. Recruits were subject to meet with college coaches and take virtual visits to campuses via Zoom or other forms of virtual communication. Additionally, recruits are seeing fewer opportunities for scholarships in 2021 as the NCAA approved a one-year waiver for all current student-athletes to not count a year of eligibility against them. Having endured all of this, we could not be more proud of these six student-athletes in the football program for the manner in which they’ve handled this process and made decisions about where to continue the next phase of their careers.

Bridges Coffey- Bridges will enroll at Tennessee Tech University in the Ohio Valley Conference this summer. He has signed a partial scholarship to join the Eagles’ defensive secondary. Bridges finished the 2020 season with 40 tackles from his strong safety position. The Eagles are excited to have Bridges join their program this summer.

Logan Foody- Logan will enroll at The University of Dayton in Dayton, OH, and rejoin former teammate Alec Keathley on the Flyers’ roster. He has signed a partial scholarship to join the Flyers’ defensive secondary. Logan picked off 3 passes in addition to 40 tackles from his cornerback position in 2020. The Flyers are excited to sign Logan to help them compete for a conference championship in the Pioneer League.

Canaan Jackson- Canaan has signed an academic agreement and partial scholarship with Missouri Western State University as a long-snapper. Canaan was near perfect on all snaps this season while handling both field goal and punt snapping duties. MWSU is located in Joseph, MO, and competes in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic (MIAA) Conference. The Griffons are excited to have Canaan enroll and help bolster their special team units.

Camden Kuhn- Camden will enroll at Samford University in Birmingham, AL in the Southern Conference (SoCon). He has signed a partial scholarship to join the Bulldogs’ roster as a strong safety in 2021. Camden finished his senior season with 78 tackles with 4 sacks to go along with an interception. Samford is excited to add Camden into their program this summer.

Trey Nesbitt- Trey will enroll at Missouri Western State in Joseph, MO, and has signed a partial scholarship to join the Griffons’ program as a defensive end. Trey finished his senior season with 32 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and 4 sacks while playing in just 7 games due to injury. The Griffons’ are excited to have Trey join their program and help them immediately compete for MIAA Conference championships.

Eli Purcell- Eli has agreed to a full scholarship offer and will enroll at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. Eli finished his senior season leading the defense with 90 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. The Terriers’ compete in the Southern Conference (SoCon) are excited to add Eli to their roster this summer.

Jake Wallace- Jake has agreed to an academic and athletic agreement with Reinhardt University in Canton, GA. The Eagles compete in NAIA’s Appalachian Athletic Conference. Jake started 8 games at Tight End in 2020 after joining the football team for his senior year. A member of the FHS Basketball program for 2 years, the Eagles are excited to add Jake’s long, athletic frame to their roster in 2021.

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Admirals Announce 2021 Schedule

The Admirals have announced their 2021 schedule which features opponents from the reformed Region 2-6A and five out-of-conference opponents, three of which are new this season. One change for the 2021 season is that every game will kickoff at 7:00 pm, which is a departure from previous seasons.

The 2021 campaign will kick-off with the Admirals traveling west to face the Buccaneers from Beech High School in Hendersonville in Week 1 on Aug. 20th. This will mark the first time Farragut and Beech have faced each other on the football field. Beech opened their doors in 1980 and won state championships in 2009 and 2012. The Buccaneers are coming off a 10-2 season in 2020 which ended in the state quarterfinals. With the game being played in the central timezone, it will kick-off at 7:00 pm local time, which is 8:00 pm eastern time.

Week 2 will be the 2021 home opener for the Admirals as they will face the West Rebels on Aug. 27th, a team the Admirals have played annually since 2007. The Rebels are coming off a 12-2 season which saw them advance to the 5A state quarterfinals.

Another home game awaits the Admirals in Week 3, as they will host Maryville and open up region play on Sept 3rd. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Rebels are a region opponent for the Admirals. Maryville is coming off a 13-1 campaign in which they lost in the 6A state semifinals.

Week 4 marks the end of the early season home stretch for the Admirals as the Oak Ridge Wildcats travel to Bill Clabo Field on Sept. 10th. This has been an annual rivalry game for both teams, as they have met every season since 1993. The Wildcats finished 2020 with an 11-4 record and finished as state runner-up after losing the 2020 5A state championship game.

The Admirals will travel south on Sept. 17th to take on the Cleveland Raiders in Week 5. Farragut and Cleveland have met three times before, (2015, 2017, and 2018) all being in the playoffs. This will mark the first time the two teams face each other in the regular season and as region opponents. The Raiders finished 2020 with a 5-6 record and playoff birth.

Week 6 will see the Admirals face off against the Cherokees from South Doyle on the 2nd of a 3-game road stretch on Sept. 24th. The Admirals and the Cherokees have met 7 times, with the most recent being twice in 2016 when the Admirals beat the Cherokees in the state semifinals en route to the 2016 State Championship. South Doyle is coming off a 10-4 record in 2020 that saw them advance to the 5A state semifinals.

The final stop of the mid-season road stretch is in Week 7 when Farragut takes on rival and region opponent Hardin Valley on Oct. 1st. This will mark the 7th time these two West Knoxville rivals have face each other, splitting the other contests 3-3. In the series, neither team has won on the road, so the Admirals will be looking to buck that trend in 2021. The Hawks finished the 2020 season with a 2-8 record.

Week 8 of the 2021 season will be the bye week for the Admirals on Oct. 8th. The is a departure from the previous two seasons when the bye was in week 3.

Farragut will return home in Week 9 to take on the Bradley Central Bears on Oct. 15th in another region matchup. The Admirals and the Bears have met 16 times since 1993, including yearly meetings from 2001-2008 as region opponents and the two teams have been the season opener for each school since 2017. Bradley Central is coming off a 7-4 season where they made it to the second round of the playoffs.

Week 10 will see the Admirals travel to Fulton to meet the Falcons on Oct. 22nd. This will mark the first time the Admirals and Falcons have met since the 2014 season. 2021 will be the eighth meeting between the two schools. The Falcons finished the 2020 campaign 4-7 and with a playoff berth.

The 2021 regular season will end for the Admirals at home taking on perennial rival Bearden in Week 11 on Oct. 29th. Having met each year since 1974 and 62 times overall, this is the biggest rivalry game for each school. This region matchup will also mark the first time since 1955 that the two teams have faced each other in the final week of their regular season. The Bulldogs compiled a 4-7 record in 2020 and also made the playoffs.

With a combined 2020 record of 79-45, the 2021 slate for the Admirals is, with keeping in traditional Eddie Courtney fashion, challenging. There are three teams on the schedule that made state semifinal appearances in 2020 and one team that made an appearance in a state championship game. The 2021 Admirals will no doubt be battle-tested and playoff-ready after their regular season. Please be sure to continually check our website and Twitter(@FarragutFB) for Farragut Football news and updates.