It’s high school football time!! Farragut taking the field at Powell #prepxtrapic.twitter.com/oFP3hHwKqC
— Courtney Lyle (@sportney_lyle) August 21, 2015
By: Nathan Rutherford, freelance reporter, contributor to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Farragut High School opened in dominating fashion, using a disruptive defense and punishing ground game to win at Powell 49-6 in the two teams’ first meeting since 2006. For the time time since 2008, the Admirals didn’t open with Dobyns-Bennett.
Farragut took control early, scoring on six of its eight possessions in the first half. All six scoring drives lasted less than three minutes.
“We wanted to come out and be confident in the way we play,” Farragut coach Eddie Courtney said. “We did make a few mistakes, but it’s week one, so we can correct those mistakes.
“I thought we had great effort, and we competed and made plays when we had to.”
The Admirals finished with 443 total yards of offense and had 371 of those yards at halftime. The defense didn’t allow a score until Brandon Smith’s touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game. Farragut forced seven Powell turnovers, including four on Powell’s first six possessions.
Tanner Thomas, who led the Admirals with 23 rushing scores in 2014, rushed for four touchdowns and 121 yards in just the first half.
“He wants the team to do well, and he’s very unselfish,” Courtney
said of Thomas. “He worked hard to get those touchdowns, and he’s fine as long as we win.”
Thomas wasn’t Farragut’s only playmaker. Justin Kirkendall, who had one interception all of last season, picked off three passes against the Panthers, including one on a botched punt attempt.
“Our whole defense was flying around the ball, and it just allowed me to be there at the right time,” Kirkendall said.
Farragut won its season opener for the first time since 2009.
“We were very productive on both sides of the ball,” Courtney said, “but the most important thing is we got a win on week one, and we needed to do that. I hope this win gives us confidence because it shows that if you work hard, good things will happen for you.”
A special thanks to Amanda Gillen for the game action photos on Friday nights. You can follow her on Twitter, @amandajgillen, for all of the Friday night action shots.
OFFICIAL GAME STATS
** Due to formatting click the image file to see in larger resolution**
Offensive Stats
Defensive Stats
Kicking Stats
After three scrimmages with Ooltewah, Cookeville, and Bradley Central, the Admirals played in the annual KOC Jamboree on Friday, August 14th at Knox-West High School in the 2nd quarter against Hardin Valley.
Today marked the official start of the 2015 Farragut Football season, as the Admirals took to the field for the first time in full pads. Monday and Wednesday will be two-a-day practices for the Admirals, while Tuesday and Thursday the Admirals will only have one morning practice. The week will end with a scrimmage against former region rival Ooltewah at Farragut on Friday, July 31st. The Owls went 9-2 last year and lost in the 1st round of the TSSAA playoffs. The following Thursday, August 
7th, Farragut host Cookeville, who went 8-3 last year. On Tuesday, August 11th, Farragut will travel to Bradley Central in Cleveland to take on another former region rival. The final dress rehearsal before the 2015 season opener against Powell will be Friday, August 14th in the annual KOC Jamboree. The jamboree has been moved to Knox-
West High School after Bearden High School’s field will not be ready, and the Admirals play in the 2nd quarter against Hardin Valley. The following week will be see the Admirals preparing for August 21st, the opening game at Powell. Be sure to stayed tuned to our website and follow us on twitter @FarragutFB more up-to-date information, news, and highlights.
