Another annual meeting of what seems like a rivalry matchup between Farragut and Bradley Central unfolded in yet another great game Friday night. The Admirals returned to Cleveland for the first time since a thrilling OT win against the Bears in 2017.

The Admirals’ defense looked strong to start as Simeon Sharp kicked the ball away to begin the game. The defense was able to force a three-and-out by the Bears on their first drive. After trading punts, the Admirals were able to sustain a drive and march 51 yards down the field on the Bears defense. Matt White capped the drive off with a 5-yard touchdown run and give Farragut a 7-0 advantage with 4:23 left in the 1st. The Bears would answer quickly though, by returning the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and tied the score at 7-7. The Farragut offense began their third drive picking up a couple of first downs before Brady Hodges was called in to pin the Bears deep in their own territory following his 38-yard punt downed at the 1 yard line. The Admiral defense held strong for three plays, but a 25-yard pass setup a 73-yard TD run by Bradley’s Ricky McCleary. The Bears took their first lead of the game and after a missed extra point the score was 13-7 Bears at the end of the 1st quarter.

The following Admiral offensive drive ended in an interception. Bradley would waste no time striking again, this time on a 53-yard touchdown run by their quarterback, Javin Burke, which gave them a 20-7 lead with 9:26 left before halftime. Another interception would end the following Admiral possession and give the Bears the ball at their own 36-yard line. On second down, Bradley turned to throw a screen pass into the flat. What looked to simply be an incomplete pass, but was ruled a lateral, as Alec Keathley seized the opportunity to recover the ball and return it 33 yards to the Bears’ 2 yard line. The Admirals would waste no time by leaning on their run game to score on the first play of the drive. This time it was Gabe Hensley that carried the ball across the goal line to cut the Bradley lead to 20-14. After another series of traded punts, the Bears were able to convert on a 27-yard field goal to take 23-14 lead into halftime.

The Admirals’ offense would yet again cross midfield only to be stopped on a failed 3rd-and-short run for the first down. Brady Hodges was called in to punt yet again and did so seamlessly as he pinned the Bears inside their own 10-yard line for the third time in the game. The Admiral defense would hold strong and force a punt that gave the ball back to the Admiral offense at the Bradley 44 yard line. A 21-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Hunter Shopovick pass was the catalyst to a drive that ended in 22-yard field goal that cut the Bradley lead to 23-17 with 5:27 remaining in the 3rd frame. The Bears would again answer quickly, as a scramble from the quarterback Burke went 55 yards for a touchdown, and again extended their lead, this time to 30-17 with 2:32 left in the in the 3rd quarter. Farragut’s offense took over knowing they needed points and quickly began marching down field. A 25-yard Wilkinson to Isaiah Arrington completion and another 19-yard completion to Alec Keathley were the catalyst to 67-yard drive that ended with Gabe Hensley’s second touchdown carry of the night, this time from 3 yards out. This put the score at 30-24 in favor of Bradley as the 4th quarter began.

The ensuing Bradley drive was abruptly ended with the first turnover of the night for the Bears,  Jackson Fontenot stepped in front of Burke’s pass and returned it 17 yards to give the Admirals the ball at the Bradley 38 yard line. A short completion on first down was followed by a 36-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Alec Keathley touchdown pass that returned the lead to the Admirals at 31-30 with 10:04 left to play. A familiar ending was in store for the ensuing Bradley drive as a turnover ended their drive, this time it was after Gabe Hensley stripped the ball from Burke as he was sacking him, and Dawson Brown recovered. A 20-yard touchdown pass was negated by a block in the back on the second play of the Farragut drive. However, that penalty was followed up with a 23-yard Gavin Wilkinson to Hunter Shopovick pass that setup a 10-yard Matt White touchdown run. After a failed 2-point conversion, the Admirals held a 37-30 lead with 7:39 left in the game. Running high after two consecutive turnovers, the Farragut defense looked to hold strong yet again. It did just that, forcing a turnover on downs as a quarterback scramble was stopped short on fourth down. A quick three and out by Farragut gave Bradley another chance, trailing 37-30 with 2:27 left to play. That chance was dashed when Grant Rice stepped up in a big way to intercept a long, downfield pass, which proved to be the final dagger the Admirals needed. Farragut returned to Bradley victorious, coming from behind and winning 37-30.

Next week the Admirals open of the first home game of the 2019 campaign against the Knox-West Rebels. Kickoff is set for 7:30 as the Admirals look to tame another annual rival in the Rebels. 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**

Tweet

By the time August 23rd rolls around and the Admirals suit up to play Bradley Central, it will have been 281 days since their last game. The Admirals have looked to maximize their efforts and time to get ready for another season of 6A football this offseason.

It all began last November with winter offseason workouts. These workouts saw the Admirals working hard in the weight room to build their strength and prepare their bodies for another season of battle on the gridiron. Winter workouts lasted into the spring, which saw the Admirals get back into pads for three weeks of spring practice. Spring practice proved to be a great time of focusing solely on themselves and improving football fundamentals since there are no sanctioned games that are played. There were however, three separate scrimmages in the spring. The first being the annual Blue vs. Grey game, an inter-squad scrimmage that typically concludes spring practice, but due to scheduling issues, it was the first scrimmage of 2019.

The first scrimmage against another color jersey was the following week against the defending 5A state champions Knox-Central. The scrimmage was a great test for the Admirals against a quality program that provided a measuring stick for where the team stood. The final scrimmage of the spring was against a program looking to rebuild its storied tradition, Halls. The Red Devils came to Farragut with a new head coach that is very familiar with the Admirals, Scott Cummings.

With spring practice concluded and finals over, it was time for summer workouts. Summer training runs from the end of school until early July. As June began the Admirals participated in the UT Select 7v7 Tournament and competed against elite competition from across the Southeast.