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.

Friday night marked the final regular season contest of the 2020 campaign for the Admirals as they traveled to Jefferson County.  The Patriots, winless on the season, were looking to spoil a potential 1st round home game for the Admirals, as a Farragut loss would result in a 3rd seed in the 2020 playoff bracket.  The Admirals had one thing in mind, win.

The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to defer to the 2nd half as Farragut received the opening kickoff. The Farragut offense took over at their own 18 yard line hoping to feed off last week’s 42-point performance against Hardin Valley.  An 18-yard Schumann Xie run on 1st down set the tone for the drive.

Five plays later, the Admirals would find the end zone via a 12-yard Matt White keep that made the score 7-0 with 10:32 left in the 1st.  The Admiral defense took the field for the first time at the Jeff County 22 yard line.  A 37-yard completion on 3rd down for the Patriots wasn’t enough to propel the Patriots to points though, as Farragut held strong later in the drive to force a Patriot punt. 

With the ball at their own 20, the Farragut offense wasted no time on its’ next drive.  Three runs totaling eighty yards, the final being a 64-yard Schumann Xie touchdown, would complete the Admiral touchdown drive, and extended the Farragut lead to 14-0 with 7:04 left in the 1st.  Following a 35-yard return by Jeff County set the Patriots up with the ball at their own 45 yard-line.

The Farragut defense would hold strong again this time, coming up with an incompletion on 3rd-and-8 to force a 3-and-out.  The Admirals took over at their own 49 looking to build off their two previous scoring drives.  A holding penalty on first down put the Admirals behind the sticks.  Completions of 17 and 41 yards, both to Matt White, set the Admirals up at the Patriot 4 yard line.

Following an incompletion, Dion Williams would carry the ball into the endzone from 4 yards out to put the Admiral lead at 21-0 with 5:15 left in the 1st. 

The following Patriot drive looked promising after starting at their own 35 yard line and marching down to the Farragut 19, but a Mason Collins interception ended the drive.  The Admirals would follow suit though, as the Patriots intercepted Dawson Moore and got the ball back at the Farragut 39.  Jefferson County took over searching for their first points of the game, but Mason Collins had other ideas. Collins ended the Patriots’ drive yet again, as he came up with his second straight interception.

Farragut took over with the ball and a 21-0 lead with 8:20 left in the 2nd.  A minus yard run on 1st down followed by a sack on 2nd down, led to an incompletion on 3rd to force Brady Hodges’ first punt of the night.  The ensuing Patriot drive again looked promising, as they drove down inside the Admiral 15. The Farragut defense would again come up strong, this time it was a Dawson Brown fumble recovery that ended their drive.  Armed with 3 timeouts and 1:51 left before halftime, the Admirals were seeking points to close the half with more momentum.

A 19-yard completion followed by a 15-yard personal foul on the Patriots set the Admirals up with the ball at the Patriot 21 yard line, a comfortable distance for Reese Keeney to attempt a field goal. Unfortunately, a miscommunication by the officials allowed time to run out and Keeney wasn’t given the opportunity, putting the Admirals’ halftime lead at 21-0. 

The Patriots received the opening kickoff of the second half, hoping to get on the board and back in the game.  A Griffin Mashburn minus 9-yard tackle on 2nd down set up a 3rd-and-11 where an incompletion would force another three-and-out for the Patriots.

The next Admiral drive would see a fumbled snap on 3rd-and-6 force another Brady Hodges punt to give the ball back to Jeff County.  On the ensuing Patriot drive, the Admiral defense again held strong, forcing another 3-and out.  Farragut took over at their own 43, but three run plays only netted two yards and Brady Hodges was called on to punt on 4th-and-8 yet again. The following Jefferson County drive would end again with a Farragut interception, this time it was Logan Foody returning it 43 yards for a Farragut touchdown.

The pick-six extended the Admiral lead to 28-0 with 2:48 left in the 3rd. The Admirals defense went right back to work and forced another 3-and-out from the Patriots. 

The Farragut offense took over at their own 45 looking for their first points since the 1st quarter.

The ten-play, 55-yard drive would be capped off with a 9-yard Dawson Moore to Jake Wallace touchdown pass that made it 35-0 with 9:09 left in the 4th.  This allowed the Admirals to give their reserves some much deserved Friday night reps.  The Patriot offense took over and four plays later scored via a 46-yard touchdown pass to make the Farragut lead 35-7 with 6:30 to play.

The ensuing kickoff would see Mason Collins continue his big night, this time returning the ball 90 yards for the Admirals’ first kickoff return for a touchdown in 7 years. The Collins’ touchdown return extended the Admiral lead to 42-7 with 6:16 left in the 4th.  Jefferson County took over following a short return and threw completions of 26 and 38 yards to set up a 3-yard touchdown run three plays later and put the final score at 42-14.

With the win against Jefferson County and a Science Hill loss, the Admirals claimed 2nd place in Region 1-6A.  The Admirals earn the right to host the first-round contest against Bradley Central, who the Admirals played in the opening game of 2020 and defeated 25-21. Playoff tickets will only be available online through TSSAA’s GoFan portal.  The ticket links below will be activated Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, at 1 pm Eastern. CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz and Ashley Wathen 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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Farragut came into Friday night looking for revenge from last year’s monsoon game where Hardin Valley won 33-6. The Hawks were coming in off their first win of the season against Jeff. County, while the Ads were riding a 2 game win streak.

Hardin Valley won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, meaning the Admirals would begin the game with the ball. Farragut’s offense wasted no time finding its stride, as a 54 yard Dawson Moore to Matt White touchdown gave the Admirals a 7-0 lead just 1:31 into the 1st quarter. The Hawks took over at their own 20 after a Reese Keeney touchback. The Admiral defense was ready for the test, forcing a punt that would give be ball back to the offense at their own 32. The Admiral offense picked up right where it left off, taking 5 plays this time to get into the endzone after a 67 yard Dawson Moore to Trace Corum touchdown pass. That score extended the Admiral lead to 14-0 with 6:35 left in the 1st. Following another Reese Keeney touchback, Hardin Valley took over at the 20 looking for points. The drive looked promising for the Hawks, driving down to the Admiral 24, but a Logan Foody interception ended the drive.   

With the ball back and a new quarter, a 38-yard  Sam Moses run followed by a 22-yard Matt White completion culminated in a 1-yard Eli Purcell touchdown run. The Admirals led Hardin Valley 21-0 with 10:04 left in the 2nd. On their next drive, the Hardin Valley offense was unable to overcome a minus 9-yard tackle by Corey Walker that forced a 3-and-out. A 37-yard Matt White punt return gave the Admirals the ball back at the Hawk 8 yard line. A holding penalty on first down lead to the Admirals being backed up to the 17-yard line. A Dawson Moore 5 yard keep was followed by another Moore run that went 12 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. Farragut’s lead was 28-0 with 7:39 left in the 2nd. The Hawks took over at their own 20 looking for points. The Hawks converted on 4th down with a 36-yard completion, but the Admirals defense held strong after an intentional grounding and forced a Hardin Valley punt. With 3:52 left before the half, the Admiral offense looked for points with the ball at their own 20. An eleven play drive ensued and was capped off with Dawson Moore finding Hank DeVault in the endzone from 17-yard outs for DeVault’s first varsity touchdown. The touchdown gave the Admirals a 35-0 lead over Hardin Valley at the half. 

Armed with a running clock to being the second half, Farragut was set to kick-off to the Hawks. On the first play of the Hawk drive, Mason Collins came up with an interception that gave the ball back to Farragut.  The Admiral drive would follow suit, as an interception ended the drive on 4th down. The Hawks took over at the Admirals 32-yard line looking to get on the scoreboard. An incompletion on 1st down was followed by a Mason Collins 1-yard tackle for loss on a screen attempt, but two plays later a 34-yard completion on fourth set up a 4 yard Hawk touchdown run that cut the Admiral lead to 35-7 at the end of the 3rd. 

The Farragut offense got the ball back at their own 25 looking to reinitiate a running clock. An 18-play drive would ensue that saw just two pass attempts, both were completed, but it was the 16 run plays that covered 63 yards and ended the drive with a 1 yard  Dion Williams touchdown run. The touchdown extended the Admiral lead to 35 again, at 42-7, with 8:32 to play. The following Hardin Valley drive would again be ended with an interception, the third of the night for the Admirals, as this time it was Griffin Mashburn coming up with the interception. For the second time of the night the Admirals would follow a defensive interception with one of their own on offense. The Hawk interception proved to be too little, too late as they were able to get two plays off before the final horn sounded.  

The Admirals improved to 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in Region 1-6A play after the 42-7 win over Hardin Valley. Farragut will travel next week to Jefferson County to take on the Patriots in the final regular-season contest to 2020. Tickets for the Farragut Admirals football game at Jefferson County will go on sale in the Main Office at Farragut High School starting at 9:00 am Monday and are $7 each.

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz and Ashley Wathen 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.

Another thanks to Caitie McMekin and the Knoxville News Sentinel for photos from Friday night’s game. Click here for those photos.

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Farragut and Bearden met for the 63rd time Friday night in the Battle of West Knoxville.  The biggest rivalry game for both schools.  The Bulldogs came into the contest on a two-game win streak after notching their first two wins of the season against Hardin Valley and Jefferson County.  The Admirals were looking to rebound after their first region loss of the year to Dobyns-Bennett the week prior.

Bearden won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving way for the Admirals to start the game with the ball at their own 25.  A completion on first down was followed by eight runs plays.  Then a 3-yard run on 3rd and goal from the 6 left the Ads with a decision on 4th down.  Simeon Sharp was called on and converted on a 20-yard field goal attempt that gave the Ads a 3-0 lead with 6:37 left in the 1st.  A 28-yard kickoff return set the Bulldogs up with the ball at their own 40-yard line.

Their drive started with a 17-yard completion followed by a 27-yard run that found Bearden inside the Admiral 10 yard line.  The Farragut defense held strong for 3 downs, forcing a Bearden FG that tied the game at 3-3 with 2:38 left in the 1st.

The Admirals’ offense took over, and after a conversion on 3rd-and-1, 27 yards on two completions, and a personal foul by Bearden,  Dion Williams’ touchdown run covered 4 yards to put the Admirals ahead once again.  A missed XP try meant the Admirals lead 9-3 with 10:57 left in the 2nd. The Farragut defense came out strong the next drive forcing a 3-and-out. The Admiral offense took over at their own 43-yard line, but an incompletion on 3rd-and-5 forced a punt.  The Bulldogs wasted no time, three plays into their drive, a 55-yard rush took them to the end zone, and gave them a 10-9 lead with 6:18 left in the 2nd.

Farragut took over and made quick work of the Bulldogs on the drive as Dawson Moore found Matt White on the second play of the drive for a 66-yard touchdown pass.  Eli Purcell would get the call on the 2pt try and was successful, give the Admirals a 17-10 lead.  Another successful series by the Admirals’ defense gave the ball back to the offense before halftime.  But an apparent TD pass was dropped and subsequent turnover on downs would leave the halftime score 17-10 in favor of Farragut.

Bearden returned the opening kickoff of the second half to their own 20 where their offense would take over.  A 29-yard run was the catalyst for the Bulldog drive that covered 80 yards.  The drive was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run on the 12th play that tied the game at 17-17 with 8:21 left in the 3rd.  Farragut took over in Bearden territory after a penalty on the return spotted the ball at the Bearden 46.

Five straight runs covering 27 yards was followed by 19-yard Jake Wallace touchdown reception.  The touchdown gave the Admirals a 24-17 lead with 6:08 left in the 3rd. The Bearden offense took over at their own 26, but an incompletion on 3rd-and-6 forced a Bulldog punt.  The Admirals started their next drive at their own 41.  A holding penalty on 1st down put the Admirals behind the sticks, but a 24-yard Matt White run got Farragut back to a normal down and distance.

Four plays later, Schumann Xie found the end zone on a 16-yard run, capping off a drive filled with no pass attempts.  The Admirals led 31-17 with 1:41 left in the 3rd.  A mishap on the kickoff return meant the Bulldogs got the ball on their own 6-yard line.  A minus yard tackle on first down was followed by a Grant Rice interception that gave the ball back to the Admirals at the Bulldog 14.  Three plays later, Dawson Moore found Mason Collins for an 11-yard touchdown that gave Farragut a 38-17 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The ensuing Bearden drive looked promising after a 25-yard run on the first play, but the Admiral defense held strong on 4th-and-4 to turn the ball back over to the Farragut offense.  The Admirals started this drive at their own 17 and loss of 4 yards on 2nd down proved too much to overcome, as Brady Hodges punted the ball away.

The Bulldogs took over at their own 38.  After picking up one first down, an Eli Purcell sack on 1st down, then a Micah Johnson and Eli Purcell sack on 3rd down led to a Mason Collins interception.  Following a penalty on the return, which had been returned for a touchdown, the Admirals took over at their own 31.  The 5-play drive was capped off by an Alex Taylor touchdown catch that extended the Farragut led to 45-17 with 3:33 left to play.

The Bulldog offense began the next drive at their own 32.  The Bearden drive ended before it ever got started, as Mason Collins notched his second interception of the night on the first play.  The Admiral reserves were able to run the clock out to preserve the win. Behind 322 yards rushing and over 500 total yards of offense,  the Admirals improved to 3-1 in Region 1-6A play and 5-3 overall after the 45-17 win over Bearden. 

Farragut will host Hardin Valley next week in the final home game of the year before traveling to Jefferson County the following week to end the regular season.  The Admirals are looking for revenge against Hardin Valley after being beaten by the Hawks 33-6 in a monsoon at their stadium last season.  Kickoff is set for 7:30p on October 23rd and tickets can be purchased at: https://knoxschools.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/7594/231/False/True

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz and Ashley Wathen 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.

CLICK HERE FOR STATS

Farragut came into Friday night looking to be in the driver’s seat for the Region 1-6A title but standing in their way were the Indians from Dobyns-Bennett. The Indians made their way down from Kingsport having only given up 2 touchdowns all year and only allowing 17 total points through 6 games.

Friday night also marked the return of Head Coach Eddie Courtney to the Admiral sidelines after coaching the last two games from the press box while recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

The Admirals won the toss and elected to defer to the second, setting up the Farragut defense to take the field first. A 44 yard completion on the second play of the DB drive set them up at the Farragut 13, where they would score three plays later via a 3 yard run, giving the Indians a 7-0 lead with 9:03 left in the 1st.

An incompletion on third down for the Admirals on the ensuing drive brought on Brady Hodges to punt the ball away for the Admirals. On the second DB drive of the night, runs of 15, 8, and 4 yards were followed by a 40 yard touchdown pass. The Indians led 14-0 with 6:25 left in the first. The next Farragut drive saw runs of 6 and 12 yards followed by two runs totaling 0 yards and an incompletion, as another Hodges punt was in store. 

On their next drive, the Indians would sustain their longest drive on the night so far, a 12-play 81 yard drive that was capped by a 4 yard touchdown run, extending their lead to 21-0 with 9:44 left to play in the 2nd.

The Admirals took the field on their next drive needing points to keep the game from slipping out of control. A 12-play, 58 yard drive was in store and culminated in an 11-yard Dawson Moore to Matt White touchdown pass, making the score 21-7, DB, with 3:40 left before half. The Indians took over at their own 31 yard line and four plays later a 52 yard touchdown run extended their lead to 28-7 with 1:35 left in the 2nd.

Armed with three timeouts and 1:35 on the clock, Farragut looked for points before half and to try and carry momentum into halftime as they got the ball after half. A 68-yard drive would see nothing but pass plays and ended with Dawson Moore finding Mason Collins in the end zone on an 8 yard touchdown pass, as the Admirals trailed 28-14 at half. 

The Ads looked to carry momentum over from the end of the first half into the opening drive of the second half. The DB defense had other plans as Farragut was unable to gain any yardage on the drive and punted away to the Indians.

The Admiral defense held strong on their first drive on the second half by forcing the first Indian punt of the night after a three-and-out. The Farragut offense picked up a first down on the following drive, but an incompletion on 4th and 4 turned the ball over to DB. The Indians wasted no time, as a 46 yard touchdown run on the second play of the drive put the DB lead at 35-14 with 6:30 to play in the 3rd. The Admirals took the field desperately needing an answer.

The answer came in the form of an 8-play, 89 yard drive that ended in Trace Corum catching a 36 yard touchdown pass and cut the DB lead to 35-21 with 3:32 left in the 3rd. The Indians continued their dominance on their next offensive drive, this time marching 81 yards in 8 plays and scoring on a 21 yard run. The score was 42-21, Indian lead, at the end of the 3rd.

An interception ended the ensuing Admiral drive and gave the ball back to DB at the Farragut 49.

A 41 yard completion on 3rd and 5 was the spark that led to a 1 yard TD run three plays later for DB. The drive furthered the Indian lead to 49-21 with 6:17 left to play. On the next Farragut drive, a completion on 3rd down extended the drive and two plays later Dawson Moore found Mason Collins for his second touchdown reception of the night, putting the score at 49-28 with 4:16 to go.

The Indian offense responded quickly though, 69 yards on two plays got the Indians to pay dirt and extended their lead to 56-28 with 3:15 to play.The Admirals would follow-up with competitions of 39,10, and 21, the last being a touchdown strike to Zach Keasling that made the final score 56-35. 

The Admirals fell to 4-3 on the season and 2-1 in region play following the loss to DB. Farragut will be on the road next week to play Bearden in the annual rivalry match looking to get back on track. 

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.

CLICK HERE FOR STATS