October 4, 2023 by Bill Howard, Correspondent

It was a game that had frequent lead changes, and probably twice as many momentum swings.

It can’t be said that Farragut High School’s football team didn’t have its opportunities Friday night, Sept. 29, at home against unbeaten Region 2-6A foe Bradley Central. The Admirals did, but simply couldn’t capitalize at crucial times.

The result was a 28-20 loss, Farragut’s fourth straight setback. 

Late in the game, on consecutive drives that could have tied it, FHS faced a fourth and 2. Both times the pass fell incomplete.

Admirals head coach Eddie Courtney had no regrets about throwing the ball on fourth down. 

“They packed the line,” he said. “We had to go with what they give. We came to play to win.”

After a scoreless first quarter, the Admirals took a 10-0 lead behind a 21-yard field goal by kicker Ryan McCue, and after David Broda’s fumble recovery, a 1-yard plunge by workhorse running back Wyatt Drummy. 

But the Bears came back to lead 14-10 late in the half, first on a 12-yard scoring pass from quarterback Kaleb Martin to Jarrius Rogers. 

After forcing an Admirals punt, Martin finished off a 56-yard drive on a 4-yard keeper. 

“We challenged them,” Courtney said. “Keep the ball, use the clock, don’t let their big-play people make big plays.”

McCue’s 28-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer cut Bradley’s lead to 14-13.

Farragut retook the lead 20-14 early in the third when quarterback Cam Duncan found Jordan Sheppard wide open over the middle for a 67-yard touchdown. But two more touchdown passes by Martin put the Bears up 28-20 with 6:33 left in the game.

Between those two BCHS touchdowns, the Admirals let two opportunities get away. First, McCue missed a field goal, then a pick by Landon Collins, which put FHS on Bradley’s 42, was squandered when Duncan was picked off on the ensuing drive.

Farragut (2-4, 0-3) was then unable to convert on the two late fourth-down plays.

Drummy ran 27 times for 106 yards and a score. Duncan connected on 28 of 44 attempts for 301 yards and a TD. Linebacker Jack Alley had 13 tackles — seven solo — including a sack.  

“We’ve lost the last four but we still play hard,” Collins said. “I don’t think any of us are really upset about it. I think we’ll continue to grow and stay good as a team.”

September 27, 2023 by Alan Sloan

In Bearden’s three down-to-the-wire games this season, there have been two fatal — and one near fatal — fourth-quarter mistakes.

Having already suffered heartbreaking losses to a pair of defending state champs it outplayed for most of the game, Josh Jones’ Bulldogs were in control against rival Farragut early in the fourth quarter at BHS’s Bill Young Field Thursday evening, Sept. 21.

Shutting down the Admirals offense in the second half and driving inside the FHS 25 with a strong run game and a 14-7 lead, Bearden’s latest “here we go again” moment hit: the Admirals blocked junior kicker Daniel Kinney’s 41-yard field goal attempt, and with a perfect deflection and bounce, Admiral junior defensive back Landon Collins grabbed the ball and ran 60 yards to tie the game 14-14 with 8:28 to play. 

“Next to ‘adversity’ in the dictionary, it’s got a picture of Bearden football,” a happy coach Jones said after the game — happy because this time Bearden regained control. 

Using the elusive running of sophomore Jayzon Thompson and the power inside surges of junior runner Torian Riggans, BHS marched from its own 25 to inside the Farragut 40.

It was fourth-down and a half-yard to go with just under three minutes to play at the FHS 36 when Thompson broke open up the gut for a 36-yard scoring run, which gave the Dawgs a 21-14 lead with 2:36 remaining. “The O-line was pushing, so I just had to find a crease and go,” Thompson said.  

On Farragut’s first play from scrimmage thereafter, at the FHS 20, a deflected pass was picked off by junior Ethan Couvertiere. The Bulldogs were able to grind out a first down and, with great joy and relief from all wearing Maroon and Gray, celebrated the program’s first win, 21-14, against Farragut since 2018, and just its fourth in 26 games dating back to 2002. 

While Bearden has won three in a row in 2023, improving to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 2-6A, Farragut falls to 2-3, 0-2.

About regrouping after the blocked-kick TD, “We knew they weren’t getting anything on offense against us,” said Bearden senior defensive back/receiver Sam Tummins, who along with Couvertiere and fellow DBs Cody Clough (one pick) and Kai Young, allowed just five completed passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns. “It was on our offense to put points on the board, and we did that.” 

The Dawgs’ combined defensive effort allowed the Ads just 146 total yards of offense. 

“Oh man it feels so great to beat them,” Clough said while wearing an oversized king’s crown on his head.

“It’s amazing; you can’t explain how we feel,” senior offensive lineman Joe Scott said. 

“I’m excited for our kids, our school and our community,” Jones said about the win.

“We didn’t make plays when we had to,” Ads skipper Eddie Courteny said. “But I’m proud of my team, they gave great effort.” 

Game summary

Bearden took advantage of great field position on its second possession — set up by sophomore Tory Beaufort’s 16-yard punt return — and traveled 51 yards to make it 7-0. 

Beaufort’s 16-yard reception from junior quarterback Drew Parrott, plus a half-the-distance facemask penalty, placed the Dawgs at the FHS 12. Three Thompson carries, the last for 3 yards, made it 7-0, with the first of three Kinney extra-point kicks coming with 6:12 left in the first quarter.

But the Ads got tricky, faking a punt on fourth-and-4 at the FHS 26, as senior Jack Alley ran 10 yards for a first down. A 13-yard run from senior Wyatt Drummy and 16-yard pass from quarterback Cam Duncan to Brooks Burnette came before two Drummy runs, a 7-yarder setting up his 1-yard score. The first of kicker Ryan McCue’s two extra points made it 7-7 with 10:13 left in the half. 

Though Bearden recovered an onside kick to begin the second half, Farragut held BHS on downs at the FHS 32.

But the Dawgs went 75 yards, mostly on Thompson and Riggans carries, before Thompson’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left in the third.

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Check out CRFOTO.com weekly 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.

September 14, 2023 by Alan Sloan

Overcoming Cleveland’s quick first-quarter surge, pulling even after being down 14-0, Farragut went into halftime down 22-14, failing to score upon entering the red zone in the final seconds of the first half thanks to a bad snap on a field goal attempt. 

The second half was pretty much all Blue Raiders, using a combination of speed — including the running of quarterback Lavante Adams and CHS’s quick, no-huddle offense — and toughness in the trenches to pull away and win 43-21 on Homecoming Night at FHS’s Bill Clabo Field Friday, Sept. 8.

Cleveland running back Brian Beard Jr. rang up 128 yards rushing on 19 carries while scoring one touchdown, as the Blue Raiders (3-1, 1-0) compiled 476 total yards for the game. 

“This is the first time we’ve played a clean game, for the most part,” Blue Raiders head coach Tygard Chandler said, adding about his team’s quick tempo on offense, “Sometimes we were able to hit some things before they were really lined up and ready.”  

“They came ready to play,” Admirals skipper Eddie Courtney said. “They out-coached us and out-played us tonight. … And we got pushed around in the trenches too much. That disappointed me.” 

“I thought we had a great week of practice and were ready to play,” he added. “Obviously we weren’t. This one’s on me.” 

A nice fingertip catch by senior receiver Brooks Burnett on a fourth-and-6 pass for 19 yards from quarterback Cam Duncan seemed to help change momentum, as Farragut went from trailing 14-0 to tying the game 14-14. A Wyatt Drummy 4–yard scoring run cut the lead to 14-7 with 7:16 left in the half.

The game would be tied less than one minute later, as Landon Collins’ interception and 25-yard return down the right sideline placed Farragut at the CHS 44.

Two plays later, Duncan found Robbie Jacobs open down the right sideline for a 41-yard touchdown. Sophomore kicker Ryan McCue’s second conversion kick tied the score 14-14 with 6:18 still left in the first half. 

But Cleveland answered quickly, going 66 yards ending with a 13-yard scoring run to re-take the lead 22-14 (running in a 2-point conversion off a quick set after the 6 points). 

The Admirals defense prevented more trouble thanks to a nice tackle by sophomore defensive back Zain Kureshi-Smith on a fourth-down pass, stopping the Blue Raiders on downs at the FHS 31 with 1:54 left in the half. 

Farragut (2-2. 0-1) cut a 36-14 Blue Raiders advantage to 36-21 on Duncan’s 15-yard TD toss to senior wideout Landis Davila with 4:49 left in the game. 

But after failing to recover an onside kick, Farragut saw the visitors nail the final blow with a 36-yard touchdown pass with 2:33 remaining. 

Burnette also was a positive factor on special teams, booting punts of 68 and 49 yards with neither returned.

A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Check out CRFOTO.com weekly 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.