The Admirals traveled to Knox-West to take on the Rebels for some Saturday Night Lights action in Week 2. This has become an annual matchup with the teams meeting every season since 2007, as Farragut looked to start the season 2-0.

The Admirals won the coin toss and elected to defer to the 2nd half, meaning West started the game on offense.

The Rebels got off to a hot start gaining 40 yards on their first three plays and scored a touchdown on the 7th play of the drive thanks to a 19-yard pass. With 9:01 left in the 1st, West led Farragut 7-0. The Admiral offense would start their first drive of the game at their own 17 looking to answer. A pair of incompletions and a run for a loss caused the Ads to go three and out.

The Farragut defense would however answer the call, when Mason Collins intercepted the ball on the second play of the drive and set the Farragut offense up at the West 41. Unfortunately, it was a mirror image of the first time, two incompletions and a minus yard run forced a Brady Hodges punt. After a forced punt by the Farragut defense, the offense again took over from their own 20 looking to tie the game.

A 9-play, 80 touchdown drive would ensue, as a 22-yard completion Dawson Moore to Matt White completion would be the catalyst on 3rd and 7.

Matt White would again provide a spark a few plays later rushing for 28 yards from the quarterback position. Two plays later, a 3-yard Dawson Moore to Alex Taylor touchdown pass would even the score at 7 with 10:41 left in the 2nd. The Admirals and the Rebels would trade punts, and then a Dylan Cosey forced fumble from the West receiver and Grant Rice recovered the ball just before going out of bounds. Failed forth down conversions by Farragut and West ended the first half tied at 7. 

The Ads received the ball after half and looked to take the lead. A 28-yard Matt White run on 2nd down hoped to be a spark that the Ads needed, but a holding penalty two plays later deep in the back field would kill the drive. The Ads were forced to punt away on 4th and 28, but the Rebels were able to penetrate and block the punt. It took 3 plays for West to score from 8 yards out, giving them a 14-7 lead with 7:58 left in the 3rd.

Another three and out for the Admiral offense led to a 19-yard Rebel field goal making the score 17-7 with 2:15 left in the 3rd. The Ads were able to pick up a first down on the ensuing drive but were unable to convert on a 3rd and 4, giving away for another Brady Hodges punt. 

The Rebels would embark on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by a 23-yard touchdown pass that extended their lead to 24-7 with 8:13 to play.

The Ads looked to answer, but a sack and delay of game penalty killed the drive. Brady Hodges eighth punt of the night capped the drive off and the Rebels would return the punt 40 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed and put the final score at 30-7. 

The Admirals fell to 1-1 on the season after a tough night at West. Farragut is off next week before hosting Oak Ridge in Week 4 on Thursday night, September 10th. Stay tuned here for all things Farragut Football.

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 GAME STATS

After an offseason filled with uncertainty and angst, the Admiral faithful descended upon Bill Clabo Field with masks donned, temperatures  checked, and socially distanced as the Admirals played host to the Bears of Bradley Central on Friday night to open the 2020 campaign.  This year marks the fourth straight year the Admirals and Bears face each other in the season opener. The two teams also faced each other in the first round of the TSSAA playoffs last season, where Farragut won 56-21.

Bradley won the toss and chose to defer, and the Admirals started their first drive of the season on offense. However, Farragut’s offense wasn’t able to get going and a three and out ensued. But after just two plays on defense, the craziness of 2020 would continue as three separate lightning delays caused an almost hour and a half pause in action with 9:19 left in the 1st. At approximately 9:15pm play resumed, and the Admiral defense was able to force a punt after two penalties led the Bears to a 4th and 29.

The Admiral offense took to the field again and a 69 yard Eli Purcell run setup a 7-yard Dion Williams touchdown run to put the Admirals up 7-0 with 6:44 left in the 1st. A 25-yard return on the ensuing kickoff setup the Bears just across the 50 at the 48. Bradley would waste no time, scoring in just three plays on a 33-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7 with 5:31 left in the 1st. Farragut would get a drive going and march down to the Bradley 24, but a missed field goal was the end result. The Bears took over at their own 20 and another three and out was in store, as a holding penalty on 2nd down gave them a 4th and 15 to punt.

The Admirals took over at their own 39-yard line to begin the 2nd quarter and a 37-yard Dawson Moore to Matt White pass setup a 2-yard Eli Purcell run to give the lead back to Farragut at 14-7 with 11:17 left in the 2nd. Bradley would punt after being unable to convert on 3rd and 5. The Admirals’ next drive was ended after a failed 3rd and 3 conversion, but a Brady Hodges punt would be downed at the Bradley 2-yard line to flip the field. The Bears however were not phased, and two long runs of 35 and 34 yards were the catalyst to a drive that ended with a 5-yard Bear touchdown run and tied the game at 14 with 3:31 left before halftime. The Admirals kicked it in high gear to try and score before half and were able to quickly drive to the Bradley 13, but the next two plays resulted in 13 yards of loss and a 4th and 23 that the Admirals were unable to convert on. The Bears would take a knee and take it to the half with the score tied at 14.

After an abbreviated halftime due to the earlier lightning delays, Bradley was poised to start the 2nd half at their own 33, looking for their first lead of the game.

The Admiral defense had other plans, as Trey Nesbitt forced and recovered a fumble on the first play of the drive giving the Admiral offense the ball at the Bradley 21. The Admirals were able to drive inside the 5-yard line, but had to settle for a 21-yard Simeon Sharp field goal, which gave them a 17-14 lead with 7:52 left in the 3rd. The Bears started their next drive at their own 36 and would embark on an 8-play drive that was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bears had their first lead of the night at 21-17 with 4:29 left in the 3rd.

After three alternating punts, the Bears would take over at their own 13. On the second play of their drive, pressure from the Admiral defensive line would force the Bradley QB to intentionally ground the ball from the end zone, which resulted in a safety, and narrowed the Bradley lead to 21-19 with 11:11 left to play in the game. The Admirals fumbled the ensuing kick and gave the ball right back to the Bears at their own 44. Bradley would drive down to the Farragut 34, but the Admiral defense held strong forcing a Bear punt.

The Farragut offense took over at their own 9 with 8:31 left looking to retake the lead and win the game. Junior Quarterback Dawson Moore, making his first start as an Admiral, completed 3 of 4 passes, all of which were the catalyst for Dion Williams’ 7-yard touchdown run that gave the Admirals back the lead at 25-21 with 4:51 left to play.

Bradley started their final drive from their own 20, when a Dylan Cosey sack on third down made it 4th and 6 from their own 12, and the Bears elected to punt. The Admiral offense would drive the ball down to the Bradley 1 before getting into victory formation and running the clock out.

All the uncertainty around the season just a few weeks prior to Friday and an almost 90 minute lightning delay wouldn’t hamper the Admirals from beginning the season 1-0. Farragut will travel next week to Knox-West for a Saturday night showdown against the Rebels with kickoff set for 7:00pm. The Rebels’ week 1 opponent, Bearden, suspended operations and were not able to play, making the week 2 matchup the season opener for Knox-West.

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 GAME STATS

As questions about the 2020 high school football season continue to multiply, the Admirals continue to forge ahead with off-season workouts. While this summer has been anything but routine for the Farragut Football Admirals, a new sense of normalcy is beginning to set in. Whether it is having your temperature checked upon arrival, supplying your own water, or being required to wear a face mask at times, players are settling into the new routine.

Summer workouts are typically the final preparation point for a player before the grind of two-a-days and the regular season begin. Summer workouts not only prepare the body, but also the mind for all of the details that a season necessitates. Players reported May 26th, after the Knox County Health Department gave the go-ahead and set strict guidelines for having organized team activities

With the exception of large group activities, workouts have followed a very similar structure as in years past. The one glaring difference has been the absence of 7-on-7 activities. June and the first part of July is typically the time where quarterbacks, wide receivers, linebackers, and defensive backs are able to compete against other teams and get the competitive juices following before putting on pads.

Even though we are at the point where shoulder pads should be popping, we are still in a holding pattern awaiting the green light to enter the next phase of practice.

The season was set to begin on August 21st when Bradley County traveled to Bill Clabo Field, but that contest is looking more uncertain with every passing day that there is no more guidance from state officials. The governing body of Tennessee high school athletics, the TSSAA, did announce contingency plans for football if the current ban on contact sports is not lifted before Aug. 29th. You can read more about that plan by clicking here. The ban, as it stands, does not allow for padded football practice until August 29th. From then, it would take at least a couple of weeks for full preparation before a season could commence.

Whenever the season does begin, the Admirals will be well prepared and ready for the challenge that is 6A football. The summer workouts, even in there altered state, are the catalyst for that preparation. Stay tuned to this website, as well as our Twitter feed, click here for that, for all the latest information and updates about the upcoming season.

A special thanks to Danny Parker and 5Star Preps for covering workouts and shooting some wonderful photos and the video above, a full article and gallery are available by CLICKING HERE. Should you be interested in purchasing a picture or two, please email Danny at ParkerPhotography@Yahoo.com.

Below is the order form for masks supporting our Farragut Admiral Football Team. They come in Navy and Gray and have an anchor, football or a star- Your choice! Click on the order form and you can see them all! They are high quality and are only $5.00, so you can order one of each! Once they arrive , you will be emailed and told where to pick up or make other arrangements! Masks will be available for pickup in early August (7-10 days). Thank you all for your support and please share with all in the community! GO ADS!!

Click Here to Order