October 19, 2022 by Bill Howard, Correspondent, Farragut Press

CLEVELAND — It was an up-and-down performance for Farragut High School’s football team Friday night, Oct. 14, on the road at Bradley Central High School.

But a standout running back and a formidable defense ensured the Admirals would roll to their fifth straight win.

Senior running back Elijah Gibbs ran for 220 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns as FHS defeated the Bears 31-10 at Bear Stadium. Farragut improved to 6-2 overall, 3-1 in Region 2-6A.

“The running game went really well,” FHS head coach Eddie Courtney said. “Elijah Gibbs ran the ball real hard tonight. Our offensive line has gotten so much better in run blocking and pass blocking.”

“I think it went pretty good today,” Gibbs said. “We had a full week to correct some mistakes and watch their film. I think our O-line really did it for us today, honestly. I’ve got to take care of the O-line.”

Farragut’s stout defense had two linebackers with double-digit tackles: Jack Alley with 12 (10 solo) and Jay Smiley with 11 (five solo). Defensive lineman Brice Fontenot had a pair of sacks to go along with his six tackles (three solo).

John Duncan and Jackson Fisher each had seven tackles. Cornerback Griffin Mashburn had an interception

“The (defensive) line was unbelievable, so many sacks,” Alley said. “I thought the corners and the safeties played great, (having) coverage sacks. That was awesome.”

“Our defense stepped up and made a couple of turnovers,” Courtney added. “We had to have that. Our secondary made some plays back there. We got pressure up front.”

It was a dominant first quarter for the Admirals, as they built a 17-0 lead after one period. The first score came when Gibbs broke through the line and ran 29 yards for the touchdown. The score came with 9:14 left in the quarter.

On its next possession — which started on the BC 19 when Bradley’s fourth-down pass failed — the Admirals had a first and goal on Bears 5, but could manage only a 22-yard field goal by Reese Keeney with 4:39 left in the first.

When Ashton Auker returned a Bradley punt to the Bears 31, Farragut was right back in business. On second and goal from the BCHS 5, quarterback Luke Johnson hit Landon Collins who plowed his way into the end-zone.

With 14 seconds left in the quarter, it was 17-0 Admirals.

For most of the next two quarters, however, Farragut struggled offensively. Two second-quarter possessions resulted in three-and-outs. The first two drives in the third period ended with a punt and an interception.

With 3:38 left in the third, Farragut took over on BC’s 39 and needed but three plays to score. On third and two from the 31, Gibbs went up the middle, then cut right and outran the defenders to the endzone.

The touchdown made it 24-3 with 2:02 left in the third, and put the game out of reach.

Gibbs’s third score, a 9-yard run with 9:03 left in the game, completed the Admirals’ scoring.

“We started off pretty good and we were able to seal it at the end,” Courtney said. “… a big, important region win tonight.”

During its five-game winning streak, Farragut has outscored its opponents 190-37. The Admirals return home Friday, Oct. 21, to play Fulton in a non-region game.

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.

October 5, 2022 by Bill Howard, Correspondent, Farragut Press

HARDIN VALLEY — Before last Friday night’s game against Hardin Valley Academy at Bill Clabo Field, Farragut High School’s football team had been on a roll, easily winning its last three games. After Friday, make it four.

On five first-half possessions, the Ads scored five touchdowns en route to a halftime — and final — score of 35-0. The Region 2-6A win improved FHS’s regional record to 2-1, 5-2 overall.

“We started off fast, that’s how we challenged our kids,” Admirals’ head coach Eddie Courtney said. “In the last two weeks we saw how much improvement Hardin Valley made. They’ve been getting better, so we knew we had to start strong.”

In the first half, Farragut started — and stayed — very strong. A six-play, 56-yard game-opening drive resulted in a 7-0 lead when running back Elijah Gibbs took it in from the Hawks 9.

A quick three-and-out by HVA put FHS back in business on its own 47. On the second play of the drive — second-and-1 from Hawks’ 44 — quarterback Luke Johnson hit receiver Landis Davila in the end zone for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

It would be 21-0 before the end of the first quarter when Johnson again connected with Davila, this time from the 10. For the game, Johnson was a perfect 13 for 13 for 180 yards and three scores. He didn’t play in the second half. Gibbs gained 116 yards and a TD (16 carries).

“My goal right now is just focus on the wins and not on the stats,” Johnson said.

Davila caught four balls for 67 yards and the two scores. Ashton Auker had five catches (63 yards) and a 13-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.

Farragut’s defense was impenetrable. The Hawks’ total offense for the first half was a mere 14 yards.

Admirals’ linebacker Jay Smiley had 10 tackles, nine of them solo. Courtney substituted widely in the second half.

“Our chemistry’s great,” free safety Hudson Kraemer said. “Whenever anyone gets a big hit we cheer them on.”

“I’m proud of our kids,” first-year HVA head coach Jeff Miner said about his Hawks (0-6, 0-3). “They never quit; they keep fighting. Farragut’s got a great football team. …”

In the second quarter, the Admirals also got an 8-yard touchdown run by backup running back Wyatt Drummy.

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.

September 28, 2022 by Bill Howard, Correspondent, Farragut Press

When Farragut High School’s football team started 1-2 this year, it could have been argued the Admirals’ ship was adrift. Then again, the two losses were to state powers Knox West and Maryville. 

Three games — and three wins — later, including a 58-14 thrashing of South-Doyle at Bill Clabo Field on Homecoming Night at FHS Friday, Sept. 23, the Blue and Gray is by any standard trending in the right direction. 

The cumulative score of the last three games: Admirals 124, Opposition 27.  

“We had to do it in all three phases,” FHS head coach Eddie Courtney said. “We challenged our offense to score and the defense to get turnovers … to get sacks and be aggressive. We gotta get a block and we did … we got a blocked kick.”

The blocked punt came with 1:31 left in the first period when linebacker Jay Smiley broke through and not only blocked the punt, but recovered it in the end zone. The score made it 21-0, and the Admirals would have all the points they’d need.

The first two scores came from a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Luke Johnson to receiver Ashton Auker. The first was for 16 yards with 4:43 left; the second for 35 yards with 2:33 remaining. 

Johnson was eight of 11 passing for 148 yards and the two scores in limited action. 

“They’re really good, well coached,” said Paul Shelton, S-D’s first-year head coach. “They did a good job up front. They’re just really good schematically … offensively, defensively.”

Farragut made it 28-0 early in the second when running back Elijah Gibbs went around right end for a 3-yard score. A pass-interference penalty on S-D gave the Admirals a first and goal on the Cherokees 2.

Gibbs scored three times while rushing for 124 yards on 15 carries, playing, like Johnson, less than a full game. 

“Our offensive line did really good today,” Gibbs said. “The last couple of games we’ve been having a little bit of trouble. But I feel like it really showed up today.”

A 49-14 halftime lead led to a continuous clock run for the entire second half. 

Backup running back Wyatt Drummy rushed 12 times for 87 yards and a score. Back-up quarterback Barrett Smith threw a touchdown pass, completing four-of-five passes.

Jack Alley had seven tackles, six solo, for FHS. Daniel Williams had three solo tackles and five total. The speedy, shifty Gary carried 26 times for 157 yards.

“You gotta want to win it,” Williams said. “We want to win; we want to stop them.”

The Admirals host rival Hardin Valley Academy (0-5) in a Region 2-6A match-up starting at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30.

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.

September 21, 2022 by Bill Howard, Correspondent, Farragut Press

Admirals dominate region foe Cleveland to begin three-game homestand

Any football coach would have a tough decision to make if he had to choose between an efficient offense or a stout defense.

Friday night, Sept. 16, at home against Cleveland on Bill Clabo Field, Farragut head coach Eddie Courtney didn’t have to make that choice: he got both.

The Admirals used big plays on both sides of the ball to jump to a quick 14-0 lead, and then cruised to a 42-13 win versus the Blue Raiders. The Region 2-6A win gave FHS a 1-1 Region record, 3-2 overall.

Courtney was asked after the game whether he was more pleased with his offense or defense. His answer was predictable.

“Both of ‘em,” he said. “I thought we built on some things we did last week (win versus Oak Ridge). I told ‘em that was one game and we gotta keep building on it.”

Build on it the Admirals did, and they did so on the game’s second play from scrimmage. On second-and -eight from the FHS 29, quarterback Luke Johnson found Ashton Auker wide open over the middle. The 71-yard touchdown pass put Farragut up 7-0 65 seconds into the game.

It was 14-0 fewer than five minutes later when, on first and 10 from CHS’s 24, Johnson scrambled left then threw over the middle to Landon Collins for the touchdown. 

For the game, Johnson’s efficiency was eye-popping: 19 completions on 22 attempts for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Auker caught nine of his passes for 159 yards and two scores.

“Luke threw a great ball; O-line, great protection,” Auker said of the first score. “Every week we have a good opportunity to have a great passing game.”

After Raiders’ quarterback Drew Lambert scored on a 1-yard keeper to make it 14-6, FHS answered right back to make it 21-6 at half, when Johnson capped a 12-play, 82-yard drive by connecting with Auker for a 12-yard touchdown pass on first-and-goal. 

“They did a lot of press coverage and our receivers got off the press and got open down the field and made some plays,” Courtney said. “We had to come out in the first half and establish some things.”

A crucial defensive play by the Admirals in the third quarter likely changed the tenor of the game. Down 21-6, Cleveland went for it on fourth-and-two on the Admirals 34. Lambert was sacked, and the ball went over to Farragut with 5:24 left in the third.

Two plays later, Johnson connected with Landis Davila for a 53-yard touchdown, and the score was 28-6. The game was long over. 

“Our offensive line did a good job of protection and gave Luke and (back-up quarterback) Barrett Smith a lot of protection,” Courtney said. “The defense stepped up on third downs and fourth downs.”

Mathew Purvis and Jack Alley each had 10 tackles for the Admirals, seven solo for Purvis, five for Alley. Five of senior free safety Jackson Fisher’s six tackles were solo. 

“Last year we lost to them in a really close game,” Fisher said. “We wanted to show them what we could do.”

Running back Elijah Gibbs’s 25-yard run made it 35-6 early in the fourth. Smith completed FHS’s scoring when he connected with Hank Devault on a quick strike 47-yard touchdown over the middle.

Smith was 3-of-4 passing for 65 yards and the touchdown. “When we’re up like that (35-13), coach can put me in,” Smith said. “Luke and I are brothers out there.”

Farragut will host South-Doyle (2-3) on FHS Homecoming Night starting at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 23.

September 14, 2022 by Bill Howard, Correspondent, Farragut Press

OAK RIDGE — In Farragut High School’s first three football games this season — a win followed by two losses — the Admirals had their challenges on defense. 

Friday evening at Oak Ridge, Farragut’s “D” was both stingy and opportunistic, holding the Wildcats to just 263 total yards. The effort helped the Ads shut out Oak Ridge 24-0 at Blankenship Field Sept. 9.

“We played good, assignment football tonight,” Admirals head coach Eddie Courtney said. “The guys rallied around the ball and got to the ball, and we needed to do that.”

Wildcats head coach Scott Cummings wasn’t reticent with his frustration. 

“We just keep kicking ourselves in the foot,” said Cummings, who’s in his first year at Oak Ridge. “Making mistakes. We gotta just clean things up and be more coachable and disciplined.”

Farragut jumped to a 7-0 lead on the game’s first possession when, on third-and-17 from OR’s 43, quarterback Luke Johnson connected with Jordan Sheppard for a 57-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. 

The Admirals made it 14-0 with 1:09 left in the first when, on third-and-goal from the OR 3, workhorse running back Elijah Gibbs went around the right side for the score. The seven-yard, three-play drive was set up when John Duncan recovered Oak Ridge’s fumbled punt.

Gibbs carried 16 times for 92 yards and two scores. Johnson was 8-of-13 passing for 74 yards, including the touchdown toss, and one interception.

The Admirals’ much-improved defense was led by senior linebacker Jay Smiley, who had a huge night with 15 total tackles, 13 solo. Jack Alley had seven solo as part of 14 total. 

Brice Fontenot had a pair of sacks to go along with nine tackles. Junior defensive end Naaol Kerro had a sack as well. 

“I challenged Brice before the game,” said Courtney. “I told him ‘I need some plays out of you tonight.’ He had to make sure to contain the quarterback. Brice did a good job of running our game plan.”

“I mean it’s big,” said Smiley of the win. “Coach always preaches six-second effort every play. Even if you’re on the back side you hustle and hustle and try to make a play … like a strip-sack or strip-fumble. I do my best.”

After a less-than-stellar second quarter – possessions ending with a failed fourth-down run, a pick, and a punt – Farragut (2-2, 0-1 Region 2-6A) added a huge touchdown on its first possession of the second half. 

It started on OR’s 23 when Duncan recovered his second fumble on the ‘Cats’ first play from scrimmage. Gibbs ran five straight times, and on the fifth, took it in from the two for a 21-0 lead.

It would turn out to be way more than enough.

Oak Ridge might still have made a game of it, but the Admirals’ defense made a game-clinching play on the next drive. Starting on their own 20, the ‘Cats drove to Farragut’s three, where they had a fourth and one. 

De’Jauvis Dozier, OR’s shifty, speedy running back, took the handoff and was stuffed for a two-yard loss. The drive ended with 1:23 left in the third. The ‘Cats wouldn’t threaten again.

Reese Keeney’s 27-yard field goal late in the game completed the scoring. 

“I feel like we played a lot better today,” Kerro said. “This is gonna give us confidence.”

Farragut hosts regional foe Cleveland (2-2) starting at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17

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.