Carter 5 TDs, 51-21
Farragut receiver Alec Keathley, a junior, hauls in a pass from junior quarterback Gavin Wilkinson in traffic against Jefferson County.
“They told me that I almost had it, but staying healthy is more important than a record,” said Carter, a senior running back who rushed for five touchdowns to lift Farragut High School’s football team to a 51-21 Region 1-6A victory over Jefferson County on Homecoming Night, Friday night, Sept. 14, at FHS’s Bill Clabo Field.
Eddie Courtney, Farragut’s longtime head coach, said Carter has been a difference maker for the Admirals (5-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 1-6A) all season.
“He’s a hard and aggressive runner and he’s run the ball hard for us all year,” Courtney said of Carter, who rushed for 177 yards on 15 carries and had three receptions for 35 yards.
However, the Admirals already have been bitten by the injury bug during the 2018 campaign. Running back Isaiah Gibbs and wide receiver/defensive back Tanner Corum missed Friday night’s homecoming showdown against the Patriots (3-2, 0-2).
“We’ve got to stay healthy and we’ve got to get healthy, Carter said. “We’ve got to stay healthy because we want to make a long playoff run. We want to be playing in December.”
FHS scored on its first four possessions and opened a 28-0 lead by early in the second quarter.
The Admirals took the opening kickoff and engineered an eight-play, 76-yard drive, which was capped by Carter’s first touchdown, a 26-yard scamper. Kicker Daniel Bethel added the extra point to give Farragut a 7-0 lead with 8 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the opening period.
Farragut’s defense came up strong and stopped a long Jefferson County drive when the Patriots failed to convert fourth down deep in Admiral territory,
Farragut took a 14-0 lead whenquarterback Gavin Wilkinson connected with Hunter Shopovick on a 49-yard scoring strike with 3:55 remaining in the inaugural frame. Carter then scored two touchdowns on runs from 14 yards out. The second made the score 28-0 with 10:52 left in the first half.
Jefferson County got on the board when Kris Hawkins had an 18-yard touchdown run with 3:14 left in the second quarter.
Farragut took a 31-7 lead when Bethel kicked a 22-yard field goal on the final play before halftime.
The Patriots scored on their first possession of the second half and pulled to within 31-14 before Farragut put things out of reach.
Carter had touchdown runs of 4 and 15 yards respectively in the frame, making the score 44-14.
Farragut’s final touchdown came when Jake Evans threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Alec Keathley early in the final frame.
JCHS quarterback Tanner Atkins closed the scoring with a late touchdown run.
Courtney said the victory was a big one for the Admirals.
“This was an important game for us and we talked about that all week,” he said. “We had to come in ready to play because we were 4-0 and they were 3-1.
“If we weren’t ready to play, we would’ve both been 4-1 and they’d have had us head-to-head.”
