Sports
Burris leads Farragut back to state
March 18, 2026 by Jake Nichols
J.P. Burris still can recall the sheer size of the Murphy Center.
In March 2010, that was the aspect that stood out most to Burris, then a junior on a Bearden team that made the Class 3A state tournament at Middle Tennessee State University.
Now, 16 years later, Burris will lead the Farragut Admirals into that same arena for their first state tournament appearance in 43 years.
The Admirals (25-11) will tip off against Walker Valley (29-3) at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday, March 19, in the Class 4A quarterfinals. Tickets are available for $20 at the gate or $16.75 on GoFan.co.
Much like Farragut, the Mustangs are a veteran-laden team with six seniors and six juniors. After viewing the film, Burris noted WVHS guard Zach Davis — who wears no. 3 — will certainly be one to keep an eye on, as will big man Wyatt Keeton (4).
“They have really good guard play and are very similar to a Sevier County,” he said. “They will switch up what they’re doing, but they’re good at it, whether man or zone. They are very skilled offensively and they’re big and physical.”
Burris acknowledged the Mustangs will have a size advantage, which will reinforce the importance of players, such as Reid Vining and Britton Lewis down low.
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March 18, 2026 by Jake Nichols
A season that began with so much adversity ended just one game short from the TSSAA Girls Class 4A State Tournament.
That was the main takeaway for Jason Mayfield on Saturday, March 7, as his Farragut Lady Admirals lost 61-45 against eventual state champion Sevier County in the Class 4A sectional round.
The Lady Ads were still playing without Livi Slagle while still adjusting to the return of Gabbie VanAcker and Raina Styles. All three suffered devastating injuries, two in the summer and one in the season-opener.
For VanAcker, those included a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus while also dislocating her right knee.
For Styles, a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) left her on the bench to start the season.
And for Slagle, it was a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in the opening matchup against Alcoa.
Yet here the Lady Ads stood, having won 14 of their last 19 games in their first sectional appearance since 2024.
“Us being here is a result of those kids in that locker room just busting their tail to try and overcome all those things,” Mayfield said that Saturday. “We lost some bad games before Christmas, games we should have won. And now the only two teams we’ve lost to since Christmas are at the state tournament. That’s a really good Sevier County team. They don’t make mistakes; they can handle the ball, and they hit open shots. They’re really well-coached.”
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March 18, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
The 2026 high school soccer season is under way and all three area teams have hopes for making a deep postseason run after navigating the rigors of a District 4-AAA regular-season schedule.
Farragut, Bearden and Hardin Valley Academy all have big aspirations for the campaign, which kicked off recently.
The Hawks won the 2025 Class AAA State Championship under the guidance of Ray Dover and are looking to repeat in 2026.
Hardin Valley defeated Bearden, which has won multiple state championships in recent years, in the state quarterfinals.
Farragut, meanwhile, is expecting to make a huge leap forward this season.
“Hardin Valley and Bearden already have a seat at the table. I don’t. But I will this year,” Admirals’ coach Bradley Culbreth said. “And I told our kids a year ago, that this year we could (make a deep run) and next year, we should.”
Now, 2026 is here and Culbreth said his team should be a factor in the race for a district title.
“I think our program is in a good place,” he said. “We definitely have something to prove this year.”
Farragut is 2-0 out of the gate with shutout victories over Oak Ridge and Knoxville Catholic.
The Admirals blanked the Wildcats, 3-0, on Tuesday, March 3, and shut out the Irish, 1-0, on Thursday, March 12, as goalkeeper Matthew Burney posted two clean sheets to open the season.
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March 18, 2026 by Jake Nichols
When asked about her tennis background, second-year Farragut coach Joan Swanson delivered a five-word summary: “Tennis is in our blood.”
That approach has helped the Illinois native and her husband, first-year assistant coach Jim Swanson, develop a quick rapport with the FHS program. The Ads and Lady Ads are two of several area units in the midst of strong starts to the 2026 season.
Both Farragut teams feature a bevy of returners, led by top seeds Leyton Lu (Ads) and Isha Patel (Lady Ads).
The Lady Ads sit at 2-0, having dispatched Hardin Valley and Maryville in dominant fashion early-on.
The Admirals, meanwhile, sit at 1-1 with their loss coming to rival Maryville in a tense tiebreaker.
Against the Rebels, the doubles team of senior Lu and junior Grayer Dunagan — a transfer whom Swanson called “a great addition” — trailed 5-2 early. But they came back to win 9-7 against Maryville’s top-seeded doubles team, which advanced to sectionals just last season.
“We didn’t win the match, but that was a huge win against those two strong players,” Swanson said.
FHS also had a strong showing in a Feb. 28 Tri-Cities match, taking third in a match with Science Hill, Dobyns-Bennett, Webb and Wilson Central.
“Which is huge,” Swanson said, “because these are teams that always go to state.”
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March 18, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Standing at the MT logo inside the Murphy Center, Emma Rainey yelled three words to her Bearden teammates: “We need stops!”
She could have added another word — “shots” — as Bearden trailed Bartlett 60-48 at that point, looking very unlike a team that carried 32 wins into the TSSAA Class 4A State Quarterfinals.
The Lady Bulldogs soon found their form, constructing a dizzying 14-point comeback capped by a game-tying 3-pointer from Natalya Hodge to knot the score at 68.
Unfortunately for the Lady Bulldogs (32-4), that was as close as they came in a 77-73 loss to end their 2026 season.
Hodge, a Missouri signee, led Bearden with 31 points — 18 in the fourth quarter alone — to cap a career that saw more than 3,000 points scored with three straight years as a Miss Basketball finalist.
“She’s rewritten the record books,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said. “In today’s society, it’s sometimes tough to put yourself out there, that you have high goals. For her to believe in herself and put the work in to get there, it’s a huge deal. She’s got the dog in her, and we’ve been able to ride that.”
He added a similar sentiment of Rainey, a Carson-Newman soccer signee who battled through two ACL surgeries and scored 11 points in her final Bearden outing.
Those two and their senior teammates — Katie Foster and Theola Mills — led a Bearden team that reached the state tournament three times in the last four years.
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March 18, 2026 by Jake Nichols
In the past few days, Meeyah Green has spent plenty of time scrolling through her camera roll.
The Webb School of Knoxville senior has had a great reason to do so, having put a flourish on her senior year with a number of awards.
She led the Lady Spartans to a second-straight Division II-AA state title, won tournament MVP for the second consecutive year, and on March 10, won Division II-AA Miss Basketball for the second consecutive year, too.
“It’s huge,” Green said. “It’s a blessing, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. But I was only capable of it because of God and the abilities He gives me, then my teammates and my parents and all their sacrifices.”
She was not the only Miss Basketball finalist from the area either. Bearden senior Natalya Hodge finished her career as a three-time finalist in Class 4A, where Bradley Central’s Kimora Fields won the award for a second year in a row.
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March 18, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
During the second week of the 2026 season, three local baseball teams tested themselves in tournament play.
Farragut (5-1) spent Spring Break in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, winning three of four games. The Admirals opened with back-to-back wins over The Bennett School, 8-4 and 8-5, behind strong performances from Cole Creasman, Jake Harris and Brandon Tye. Farragut also topped Providence School, 5-2, as Mason Shelton homered and Harris added three hits. The Ads’ lone loss came against Bishop Snyder, 11-0, in a game marred by four errors.
“Overall, I thought we played pretty well,” coach Garrett Copeland said.
Bearden (5-3) competed in the Playing for the Cure Tournament, going 2-3. The Bulldogs earned a 10-0 no-hit win over West Ridge and a 15-6 victory against Station Camp but dropped games to Heritage, Grace Christian and Science Hill. Eli Pickard, Hunter Harris and Grayson Wright paced the offense.
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March 18, 2026 by
Farragut’s softball team made the most of its Spring Break trip, going 4-3 at the Commando Classic in Hendersonville.
The Lady Admirals (6-3) rebounded from a 5-0 opening loss to the host team with
an 8-2 win over Dobyns-Bennett. Hannah Grace Johnson threw a complete game, allowing one hit and no earned
runs while striking out six. Logan Jameson, Rylee Raby and Taylor Wolfgram led the offense.
Farragut dropped a 3-0 game to Creek Wood but bounced back Friday, blanking Edwardsville 6-0 behind another strong outing from Johnson, who struck out seven. The Lady Admirals also edged Oakland 4-3 on Johnson’s go-ahead hit and slipped past Christ Presbyterian Academy, 5-4, as Johnson homered and Camryn Shrader added two doubles.
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March 18, 2026 by
As the Region 2-AAAA Tournament schedules wrapped up last week, several area players received All-Tournament honors. Farragut’s Gabbie VanAcker, KJ McNealy and Trinity Curry were all selected, as were Bearden’s Riley Hunt, Emma Rainey and Theola Mills. Bearden’s Natalya Hodge was named Most Valuable Player for the tournament.
Other Region 2-AAAA girls All-Tournament picks included Lenoir City’s Lexi Varner, Campbell County’s Reagan Davis, Karns’ Kiki Clay, Central’s Avery Brewer, Oak Ridge’s Evaiya Mitchell and Evelyn Eubanks and Powell’s Izy Wiles and Payton Richmond-Watson.
In the boys tournament, Farragut’s Dan Lanning, Britton Lewis and Parker Lane were recognized as All-Tournament picks, while Bearden’s Brendan Murphy, Carson Asbaty and Sean Capshaw earned the same honors. BHS guard Justin Nordin earned tournament MVP.
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