Clinton High School’s football team managed to play visiting Farragut close through most of three quarters on Friday.

Then Justin Kirkendall interrupted what had been a turnover-free game.

The Farragut cornerback intercepted a Tyler Thackerson pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown. That interception also broke a school record for most in a single season with 9. That pushed the Admirals’ lead to 17 points, and they fended off a pair of late Clinton scores before escaping with a 45-39 Region 3-5A victory in both teams’ regular-season finale.

“We caught a team that’s on fire right now,” Farragut coach Eddie Courtney said. “Offensively, they can make some big plays, but I commend our kids for hanging in there.”

Late touchdown receptions by Ja’Quan Thomas from Thackerson — their third and fourth touchdown hookups of the game — gave

Clinton coach Josh Kerr encouragement going into the playoffs.

“We played hard. We never gave up, and we kept pushing,” he said.

As the No. 4 seed, Clinton will travel to play Ooltewah in the first round of the playoffs on Friday. Region 3-5A winner Farragut will play host to Cleveland.

In a tight first half, Farragut (9-1, 5-0) scored first on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Naumoff to Davis Simmons. Simmons would finish with 4 catches for 129 yards and 3 TDs.

Clinton cut the deficit to 7-6 on a 29-yard keeper by Thackerson on the next drive. A fake punt early in the second quarter helped Clinton (4-6, 2-3) keep a drive alive. The Dragons took a 14-7 lead moments later on a 19-yard TD pass from Thackerson to Thomas, and a two-point reception by S.J. Powers.

Before the half, Farragut tied the game via Naumoff’s 20-yard pass to Simmons, and then went ahead 17-14 late in the second quarter on a 38-yard field goal by Carter Phillipy. Jacob Naummof went on to finish the game 11-21 fro 234 yards and 3 TDs.

After Kirkendall’s interception, Thomas caught a 32-yard TD pass for Clinton and Simmons made a diving catch from the 25 for his third score late in the third quarter.

Other scores in the fourth included a 1-yard run by Thackerson and a 13-yard run by the Farragut running back Tanner Thomas. Tanner

Thomas finished will 292 yards on 25 carries, with 2 TDs.

John Shearer is a freelance contributor to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

BOX SCORE

Farragut 45, Clinton 39

Farragut 7 10 21  7  — 45

Clinton    6  8   6  19 — 39

Scoring: F — Davis Simmons 71 pass from Jacob Naumoff (Carter Phillipy kick); C — Tyler Thackerson 29 run (kick failed); J’Quan Thomas 19 pass from Thackerson (S.J. Powers pass from Thackerson); F — Simmons 19 pass from Naumoff (Phillipy kick); FG Phillipy 38; Tanner Thomas 1 run (Phillipy kick); Justin Kirkendall 79 interception return (Phillipy kick); C — Thomas 32 pass from Thackerson (kick failed); F — Simmons 25 pass from Naumoff (Phillipy kick); C — Thackerson 1 run (pass failed); F — Thomas 12 run (Phillipy kick); C — Thomas 43 pass from Thackerson (pass failed); Thomas 28 pass from Thackerson (Garrett Zody kick)