The Admirals travelled to Morristown on Friday, September 20 to take on the Trojans of Morristown West to begin Region 1-6A play. Farragut came into the contest hungry after two consecutive losses for the first time since the 2014 season. The Admirals would leave Morristown victorious while leaving little doubt that they could compete at a high level against Region 1 competition.
The Admirals began the night on offense after the Trojans had elected to defer their option to the second half. A nice return by senior Connor Lyle set up the Admirals at their own 26-yard line to begin the first drive. Seven plays and 76 yards later, the Admirals wasted little time finding the end zone as Gavin Wilkinson would connect with Isaiah Arrington for a 31-yard score. Simeon Sharp’s extra point attempt sailed wide and the Admirals led 6-0 with 9:34 left in the first quarter.
The Admirals’ defense would start strong by stopping a short drive by the Trojans and forcing a punt. A nice return by Jackson Fontenot would be negated, however, due to a running into the kicker penalty. No harm was done as the Admirals forced another quick punt to set the Admirals’ offense in good field position at their own 37-yard line.
Gavin Wilkinson would hit tight end Alec Keathley on play one for a 47-yard gain to enter the Trojan red zone. Two carries by Dion Williams would net 16 yards and capitalized with a touchdown. The last carry covering 11 yards to put the Admirals ahead 13-0 after Sharp’s PAT with 5:15 remaining in the first frame.
The defense would come up huge once again forcing another Trojans punt. This time the snap from center sailed high and junior Eli Purcell was able to track down the errant snap at the Trojans’ 23-yard line to set the offense up in great position to tack on another score before the end of the first quarter.
Dion Williams carried for 14 yards on first down and senior Gabe carried the final 9 yards on play number two to increase the Admirals’ lead to 20-0 as Sharp would once again convert the PAT.
The Admirals defense would forced another quick stop of the Trojans. This time junior defensive end Trey Nesbitt would sack the Trojan QB for a loss of 10 yards on third down to force the three-and-out. The Admirals’ offense would take over at their own 39-yard line and waste little time once again finding the end zone.
A 15-yard penalty on the Trojans would move the ball across midfield before junior Sam Kniss would dart through the Trojan defense for a 41-yard gain. The Admirals would score three plays later on a 5-yard keeper from Wilkson. Sharp’s ensuing extra point would make the score 27-0 in favor of Farragut with 7 minutes left before halftime.
Great coverage on the ensuing kickoff would have the Trojans’ offense starting their next drive inside their own 5-yard line. Juniors Logan Foody and Brock Hodges would corral the Trojan returner along with sophomore Dylan Cosey to pin the Trojans deep. Foody would again deliver a blow with a big hit on third down to prevent a conversion. The Trojans’ punter would once again see the snap sail over his head, this time for a safety, and a 29-0 Admirals’ lead.
On the ensuing return, Connor Lyle would once again create great field position for the Admirals’ offense. Gabe Hensley would slice through the defense for a 19-yard gain on first down to start the drive. Wilkinson would hit Arrington for 13 yards, and then find sophomore Zach Keasling for 10 yards to move the offense into the red zone. Wilkinson would once again find his tight end Keathley, this time for a 12-yard score, to up the Admirals’ lead over the Trojans. Freshman placekicker Reese Keeney’s PAT would sail wide but the Admirals held a 35-0 advantage going into halftime.
The Admirals would re-establish their dominance in short order to begin the second half. Once again, great coverage by the kickoff cover team would pin the Trojans deep in their own territory. After a quick three-and-out and a short punt, the Admirals would find themselves just 26 yards away from the Trojan end zone to begin their next drive.
Dion Willliams would take the handoff from sophomore Dawson Moore on the first play of the series and scamper into the end zone. With a running clock already in hand, the Admirals had increased their lead to 42-0 following Keeney’s successful PAT attempt.
The Trojans would tack on a couple of late scores against some Admiral reserves with the help of some successful onsides kick attempts to cut the lead to the final margin of 42-14. In all, the Admirals had dominated the Trojans to improve to 1-0 in the Region 1-6A standings and 2-2 overall. The Admirals will return home next week to face the Maryville Rebels in a non-region clash and rematch of last season’s Quarterfinal matchup. As always, you can find images from Friday night’s win in Morristown by visiting crfoto.com and catch the replay on the FHS Football livestream channel.
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