Sports
September 30, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Brenton Haag could not have scripted a better moment to score his first touchdown inside Eddie Courtney Stadium.
With five minutes, 20 seconds left in Farragut’s annual region rivalry matchup with Bearden, the junior tailback stretched across the goal line and landed in the east end zone.
After a 20-yard field goal from Caleb Bell and an interception from Easton Lear to put Farragut in prime field position, Haag’s TD all but secured the Admirals’ 10-0 victory on Friday, Sept. 25, in their first victory of the 2026 season.
Shawn Raines’ interception of Bearden tailback Paxton Parrott on the next drive put the game away for good, and the ensuing victory formation cued up a field-storming to celebrate the Ads’ sixth win over the Dawgs in the last eight tries.
With the victory, FHS now leads the series 44-24.
“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter war — that’s what this game always is,” Farragut coach Geoff Courtney said amidst the chaos. “There’s been times where they’ve been better than us, times we’ve been much better than them, and it’s always come down to the fourth quarter.
“Two 0-5 teams coming in tonight, and look at this place. Our crowd, their crowd, a big game that’s important to both communities. We knew we’d have to continue to make plays into the fourth quarter and they continued to do that.”
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September 30, 2026 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
It was exactly the kind of performance a coach wants to see as the postseason looms.
Last Thursday, Sept. 24, on the road at Lenoir City High School, Farragut High School’s volleyball team put in a dominant performance, sweeping the Lady Panthers 3-0.
Only the third set was competitive, as FHS won 25-10, 25-9, and 25-20, and improved its Region 2, District 4 record to 2-3.
Lady Admirals’ coach Whitney Lee was pleased not just with the win, but that she was able to empty her bench, and get players valuable experience.
“We were more consistent in sets one and two, which I was happy with,” said Lee. “Everyone played this match and that’s always fun to see, since they’re putting in the work every day.”
Farragut had long scoring streaks in each of the first two sets. The third set was more balanced.
Among the Lady Admirals’ many contributors:
Sophomore middle hitter Chloe Cole had four kills and a block. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Frana had 10 kills, and sophomore middle hitter Olivia Cope had six kills along with her two blocks.
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September 30, 2026 by Jake Nichols
On Thursday, Oct. 8, Sophie Williams will make her second-straight state tournament appearance at Sevierville Golf Club.
But to get there, the Farragut junior had to navigate a difficult process.
After tying senior teammate Harper Holmes with an 87 at the regional tournament on Monday, Sept. 28, Williams and Holmes faced off for the third and final individual spot available.
Williams sunk her putt for par, and Holmes made bogey.
The sequence propelled Williams on to state for another season, but it kept Holmes from reaching the same destination for the third consecutive year.
“They’re close friends and neither one wanted to do the playoff because they knew it was two girls fighting for one position,” Farragut coach Ryan Mahoney said. “They’re teammates and friends, but you have to only have one move on for TSSAA rules.“
“I’ve never seen it before in five years,” Mahoney added of the sequence that unfolded at Island Pointe Golf Club. “Obviously it’s not uncommon, but it doesn’t happen every day. Hardin Valley and us both had two good teams, and West and William Blount had great players too. My heart goes out to Harper. I hated to see her season end this way.”
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September 30, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Ava Upshaw raced forward and delivered a swift kick with her left foot.
In most circumstances, the ball she just kicked would have sailed cleanly into the net for a goal.
Except this time, it landed in the padded palms of Bearden freshman keeper Fallyn Baker, whose save and clean sheet combined with three timely goals in a 3-0 Bearden win last Thursday, Sept. 24.
“That goalie made an awesome save on Ava, and if we put that in, it becomes a little more interesting,” Farragut coach Jessica Burkhart said moments later. “I feel like we were inconsistent and didn’t have everybody on at the same time. That’s hard to do when you’re playing a team as well-built as Bearden, so we just didn’t have enough players on the field on at all times.
“It’s frustrating because we weren’t all on at the same time, but we also weren’t off by much. We still created some things that, if the ball had bounced our way a little more,
maybe the outcome is a little different.”
As-is, though, Farragut came into the final week of the postseason still seeking its first win over Bearden since 2017, per FHS SID Jack Tate.
The teams could meet in the postseason, as they have four times, though the Dawgs currently carry a 13-game win streak in the series.
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