Friday night’s matchup marked the 58th all-time meeting with annual rival Bearden, dating back to 1949. It also marked Coach Courtney’s 250th game on the sidelines as head coach for the Admirals.
The first quarter got underway and following a quick drive and Farragut punt, Bulldogs saw their first possession end with a Wyatt Lucas interception. The Admirals, however, couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity and punted away again into Bearden territory. The Bulldogs found a rhythm on offense, but their drive ended with a missed 24-yard FG.
On the ensuing possession, the Admirals again went three-and-out and punted. This time the Bulldog returner couldn’t handle the kick and a Cade Burkey recovery setup the Farragut offense at their own 45. After a 6-yard completion to Jacob Warren on 1st down, RB Isaiah Gibbs darted 49 yards around right end to the end zone to put the Admirals on the board first, 7-0 with 9:14 left in the first.
After a Bearden three-and-out, and a 56-yard Wyatt Lucas punt return, the Admirals started from the Bearden 11-yard line. The Admirals could only muster one yard in three plays and Farragut settled for a 27-yard Daniel Bethel field goal that made it 10-0, Farragut, with 5:49 left in the 1st. The kick was the freshman’s first field goal conversion in his career on only his second attempt for the season.
The Bulldogs would find their stride though, embarking on an 11-play, 80 TD drive that was capped off by a 15-yard TD pass. Farragut’s offense started possession and after picking up two first downs, had to punt the ball away to Bearden. The Bulldogs wasted little time moving the ball to the Admirals’ 25-yard line, but Wyatt Lucas ended the threat with his second interception of the first half. The Admirals carried a 10-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Admiral defense would come up big yet again on the first drive of the second half. Senior LB Drew Butler stepped in front of the Bearden receiver forcing a deflection that landed right in the hands of fellow senior DB Griffen Swicegood. Swicegood’s first INT of the season and seventh of his career setup the Admirals offense at Bearden’s 34-yard line. The ensuing 6-play drive was capped off by a 4-yard Neyland Harmon touchdown run, extending the Admiral lead to 17-7 with 8:45 left in the 3rd. The Bulldogs would answer again though, via a 12-play touchdown drive that made it 17-14 with 3:12 left in the 3rd.
On the ensuing drive, a Gavin Wilkinson to Braden Collins touchdown connection for 22 yards capped off a 10 play, 82 yard drive that put the Admirals ahead 23-14 with :29 left in the 3rd quarter. RB Isaiah Gibbs would carry the ball on runs of 21, 10, and 17 yards to lead the Admirals on their touchdown drive.
On the following drive for the Bulldogs, Neyland Harmon’s tackle for loss on first down, an incompletion on second down, and Alex Williams’ sack on third down forced a Bulldogs’ punt on 4th and 20 from their own 17-yard line.
The Farragut offense setup shop at their own 44-yard line, this time it only took 7 plays for the Admirals to find the end zone. The drive started with WR Tanner Corum’s 16-yard catch and run into Bearden territory. RB Isaiah Gibbs carried for 7 and 16 yards on back to back carries. Following a misfire in the end zone and a sack, the Admirals found themselves facing 3rd-and-20. Wilkinson would connect with Collins for 14 yards to set up the Admirals final touchdown. Facing 4th-down-and-6, Gavin Wilkinson would hit Isaiah Gibbs for a 12-yard touchdown catch to extend the Admirals’ lead. With 8:41 left to play, Farragut led 29-14.
Senior LB Cade Burkey would sack the Bearden QB to end the following Bearden drive. After another quick drive by the offense and Griffen Swicegood punt, the Bulldogs had to play from their own 2-yard line. Senior DE Nnamdi McSwine would force a holding penalty in the end zone resulting in a safety. The Ads would conclude the scoring for the night and hang on to beat Bearden 31-14.
The Admirals improve to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in region play. The Admirals will have a week off next week, which is a much welcomed by the players and coaches. The Admirals will be back in action on Thursday night, October 26th, at Hardin Valley.
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
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