Farragut High School football coach Eddie Courtney had his worries Friday night against visiting Cleveland in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
His worries were justified, but not for long.
The Admirals trailed by a touchdown in the first quarter before rolling to a 50-20 victory. Farragut (10-1) scored 43 unanswered points after the early deficit.
“I was concerned about that (Cleveland) bunch,” Courtney said. “I knew the athletes they have. I saw them on film and saw how much they improved since early in the year.”
After the game, Courtney embraced Cleveland coach Scott Cummings, who coached West to the Class 5A state championship last year.
“Scott and I have been friends,” Courtney said. “We have a lot of respect for each other. Last year I was pulling for him. I hated to see him leave Knoxville, but I know it’s a great opportunity for him in Cleveland.”
The Admirals play host to Rhea County (8-3) in next Friday’s second round.
Farragut senior Tanner Thomas rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries against Cleveland (5-6).
Jacob Naumoff completed 7 of 12 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Davis
Simmons had five catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Farragut led 27-14 at halftime, but had two touchdowns called back for penalties and settled for field goals by Carter Phillipy.
Keegan Jones’ 6-yard touchdown run capped Cleveland’s opening drive.
Thomas scored on a 7-yard run as the Admirals tied it 7-7.
Taddarius Brown intercepted a pass by Naumoff and returned it 45 yards for a 14-7 Cleveland lead, which lasted less than a minute.
On Farragut’s next play on offense, Naumoff threw a short pass to Simmons, who raced down the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown and 14-14 tie with 15 seconds left in the first quarter.
Thomas scored on a 26-yard run early in the second quarter, and Phillipy had field goals of 36 and 25 yards before halftime.
Farragut scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the third quarter.
Cleveland played without its top receiver, junior Skyler Davis, and without freshman running back Micaleous Elder due to injuries.
“The reality of it is Farragut is a more seasoned team,” Cummings said. “They’ve been in the weight room a lot more than us and they’re playing a lot of juniors and seniors. We have two seniors total on offense.
Dave Link is a freelance contributor for the Knoxville New Sentinel.
A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Every week be sure to checkout CRFOTO.com 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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