Shaking off a nemesis, Bradley ends FHS season
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Matt Williams (blue uniform), Farragut senior defensive back, breaks up a deep pass against the Bradley Central offense. Despite such plays, the visiting Bears edged FHS 17-14. - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
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Dylan Cosey tackle - Photo courtesy of Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com
Farragut High School saw its 2020 football season come to a heartbreaking end in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs last week.
“We just didn’t make the plays that we had to make,” FHS head coach Eddie Courtney said after the Admirals, a nemesis to Bradley Central in recent years, came up on the short end of a 17-14 decision against the Bears Friday night, Nov. 6, at FHS’s Bill Clabo Field. “We made some good adjustments at halftime and we moved the ball well.
“But we just didn’t score points, particularly in the second half,” he added.
Overall, “This is a special group and they did everything they could to keep themselves safe and healthy. We got to play a full season and a lot of people didn’t get to do that,” Courtney said about a 7-4 final record. “These seniors are special. They came in here and did what they had to do. We have some talented guys coming back and they learned from the example that our seniors set.”
Avenging a 25-21 loss to Farragut in the season opener at FHS — and with the program having only beaten the Admirals once in school history — the Bears gashed Farragut on the game’s first series, as they took the opening kickoff and marched from their own 18-yard line to the FHS 24. That drive, however, stalled when the Ads forced a turnover on downs.
After the Admirals were forced to punt on their first possession, Bradley (8-3) got on the board in a hurry.
Javin Burke scored on a 3-yard touchdown dash, set up by his 76-yard scamper three plays earlier, to give the Bears a 7-0 lead with 58.5 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Farragut would answer a short time later when quarterback Dawson Moore connected with Matt White on a 65-yard scoring strike. Reese Keeney added the extra point making it 7-7 with 41.4 seconds left in the first stanza.
Down 10-7 at the break, the Admirals took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 61 yards on six plays. Schumann Xie capped the drive with a 17-yard TD run.
Bradley took the lead when quarterback Aiden McCreary found the end zone with a run from seven yards out midway into the final quarter.
Farragut reached the BCHS 23 before a fumble in the final 30 seconds sealed a Bears win.
