Share of region title
New starters plus Collins, Foody picks lift Ads defense
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Mason Collins, Admirals senior kick returner, finds room on this return to go 89 yards for a touchdown against Jefferson County Friday night, Oct. 30, at JCHS in Dandridge. Farragut won this Region 1-6A contest 42-14. - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
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Matt White, Farragut senior receiver (20), makes an over-the-shoulder catch of a long pass from Dawson Moore, Admirals junior quarterback, against the Jefferson County defense. - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
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Logan Foody, Farragut senior cornerback, grabs an interception and begins his 45-yard “pick-six” return for a touchdown against Jefferson County. - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
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Brady Hodges, FHS senior punter/kick holder, does his thing against Jefferson County at JCHS Friday night, Oct. 30. - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
DANDRIDGE — While a red-hot Farragut offense in the first quarter cooled off for an extended period of time, the Admirals’ turnover-forcing defense — aided by solid work from first-time starters — and a big special teams play kept things well under control.
Missing six starters, reportedly due to COVID-19, the Admirals nevertheless earned a share of the Region 1-6A championship, building a quick 21-0 lead at Jefferson County and cruising to a 42-14 victory Friday night, Oct. 30.
Both Patriots touchdowns were scored against FHS’s second-string defense.
Recording the team’s first defensive touchdown and first special teams touchdown of the season, Farragut dusted off the winless Patriots and finished the regular season 7-3 overall, 5-1 in region.
“I was certainly glad the way the guys responded up there,” FHS head coach Eddie Courtney said.
“Jefferson County had a week off; they had some wrinkles and things they had put in.”
About the new starters, “I thought they did a good job,” he added. “Brock Hodges stepped in at linebacker and did real well. And Martin Aranda did a good job stepping up and making plays.”
Other top Admirals defenders who were in on more than one short-yardage or minus yardage stop/sack included Dawson Brown (fumble recovery), Camden Kuhn, Corey Walker, Joe Maine, Dylan Cosey, Griffin Mashburn, Brice Fontenot and Jackson Fisher.
FHS 42 Jeff Co. 14
Taking the opening kickoff and going 82 yards to paydirt, Admirals senior Matt White scored on a 12-yard run from the Wildcat formation. The first of five extra points converted by sophomore Reese Keeney, off the hold of senior punter Brady Hodges and snapped by senior Canaan Jackson, made it 7-0.
On its next possession, junior running back Schumann Xie broke a couple of tackles and raced 64 yards to make it 14-0.
Dawson Moore, FHS junior quarterback, found White on
a 40-yard pass setting up
senior Dion Williams’ 4-yard scoring run late in the first quarter.
To that point, “I thought we executed well on both sides of the ball,” Courtney said.
After Farragut struggled in the second quarter offensively, it remained 21-0 at halftime.
Logan Foody’s pick-six, a 45-yard interception-turned-touchdown by the senior defensive back, made it 28-0 in the third quarter.
A 9-yard Moore pass to Jake Wallace, senior tight end, upped the lead to 35-0 early in the fourth quarter.
After the first Patriots score, junior defensive back Mason Collins — who already had a pair of interceptions — returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.
Playing well at JCHS was thought to be a special treat for Collins, given that “all of his family is from Jefferson County,” Courtney said.
Junior Simeon Sharp’s extra point made the score 42-7.
