Sports
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
One win from state. That is the mantra the Farragut and Bearden girls basketball teams are taking into the rest of this week, having clinched Region 2-AAAA semifinal wins Monday night, Feb. 23.
For Farragut, Saturday, March 7, will mark the first sectional appearance since 2024. For Bearden, it’s a seventh straight sectional appearance. But before those unfold, the teams will meet Wednesday, March 11, in the region championship for their fourth clash this season.
To reach this point, each team has experienced a very different journey. At 30-3, the Lady Bulldogs have blitzed through their schedule. They have won 19 games by 20 or more points, even winning their last two games by a combined score of 148-53.
So focused was Bearden that, after a 70-30 win over Powell in the region semis, players barely cracked smiles as they headed to the locker room.
Natalya Hodge poured in 25 points while Emma Rainey and Baylie Myers scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“I think they’re locked in, and this is their expectation,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said. “Extremely proud of how they defended tonight. Powell has a lot of kids that can score it, so I thought we were great defensively.”
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Travis Brummitt Jr. reared back and fired a fastball right down the middle Monday, Feb. 23, recording his first strike of the year on the first pitch of the season.
More than two hours later, the Farragut senior ripped a 373-foot solo shot toward Weigel’s on Fox Lonas Road.
The home run made up just one part of an explosive ending for FHS (1-0), as the Admirals began their push for a fifth straight Class 4A state title with an 8-0 rout over Knoxville Catholic (0-1).
Brummitt, a Pellissippi State signee, picked up the win to begin his final year in navy. Together, he and fellow Admiral hurlers, Braiden Meredith and Cash Shroeder, allowed just four hits with 14 strikeouts.
“He did a good job, and that’s what we’re expecting from him, to hit every game and pitch once a week,” second-year coach Garrett Copeland said of Brummitt. “That’s what we’re hoping from him all year. And all our pitchers did a good job, only giving up four hits with 14 strikeouts in seven innings. They competed in the strike zone, which is what we ask of them.”
Brummitt gave up three hits across three innings of work, fanning four. Shroeder and Meredith struck out seven and three, respectively, as they each issued one walk.
Their gritty performance kept the Irish at bay while Farragut worked out some kinks at the plate.
Prior to seven runs in the last two innings, the Admirals’ only run came off a sliding score by Caleb Van Lant on a passed ball in the top of the second. Otherwise, FHS put runners on with walks and hits by pitch. But groundouts and strikeouts prevented any more damage for the first five innings in 2026, as a jumble of nerves seemed to zip through the visiting dugout.
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
The Farragut lacrosse players are quite familiar with mud, having slogged through plenty of it en route to a Region 1-AA title last season.
Still, when faced with the possibility of a rain-soaked season opener last Thursday, second-year coach Ben Sachs opted to move the match up one day.
The shift proved wise, as FHS stormed past Christian Academy of Knoxville 20-4 on Feb. 25, at the Farragut lacrosse field.
The win came under a slate gray sky that matched the color of the Ads’ helmets. Ultimately, those clouds gave way to a spitting rain but only after the final horn sounded.
“We played a lot of games in the mud last year, and the field treated us well,” Sachs said with a grin. “I was kind of torn because that creates a good environment for us to bond. So even though it’s supposed to rain really hard (Thursday), moving it up allowed our fans to come out and enjoy it before that.”
Prior to the postgame downpour, the Admirals’ offense struck like lightning.
Sophomore Finn Sachs scored the first goal of the season less than 30 seconds into the game. Less than three minutes later, FHS led 4-0 off two straight goals from senior Brock Lockhart.
The duo combined for 10 goals on the night with five each from Lockhart and Sachs.
“Brock went right at the goal,” Ben Sachs said. “He’s one of our captains, and it makes a big difference when he steps up and puts his best foot forward right out of the gate.”
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Relief hit Andy Arendt like a ton of bricks on Saturday, Feb. 28. Then Kymani Smith came next.
In a video shared by Diamond Clear Media, Smith — a freshman for Hardin Valley Academy — barreled into Arendt, who lifted his point guard in a bear hug to celebrate the Hawks’ 57-55 win over Central in the Region 2-AAAA quarterfinals.
The Feb. 28 win put Hardin Valley into Tuesday’s semifinal matchup with Farragut, but it
also locked up the Hawks’ first region tournament win in school history.
“When people talk about Hardin Valley basketball in the future, they’ll talk about this group,” Arendt said Sunday. “And it’s something we need to take pride in
and understand the significance. This is a big deal for us and hopefully it becomes the standard.”
Tennessee Tech baseball signee Jax Sparks led HVA with 19 points, while Smith totaled 12 with eight points each from Mike Fritts and Kristian Oliver, who also led the team with nine rebounds.
“We really struggled in the last four minutes of the game to just hold onto the ball,” Arendt added. “It got really physical, and with our lack of weight, we struggle with that sometimes; Central threw us around like rag dolls — but we did enough to hang on.”
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
This past football season, several area student-athletes were recognized for their efforts on the field. But the Care 365 program also takes time to recognize them for their work in other areas. The CAREacter Star Athlete program is based on a five-point star system that includes the “basic traits of a true champion”: attitude, character, grades, community service and performance.
Athletes from all seven schools under the farragutpress covereage area were recognized. They are listed with each school name falling in alphabetical order:
At Bearden, these athletes are Will Taylor, Grant Cross, Seth Henry, Alonzo Sanchez and Paxton Parrott. CAK’s stars are Gabe Linkous, Cooper Houser, Benton Blevins, Tucker Darga and Kyler Cook.
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Battling one of the state’s top teams in a hostile environment in a Division II-AA State Quarterfinal game, Knoxville Catholic High School’s boys basketball team survived and advanced to this week’s State Final Four.
The Irish had a roller-coaster ride of a game in a 64-55 victory at Lipscomb Academy Saturday, Feb. 28, in what coach Travis Mains labeled a team victory.
“All of the kids contributed something,” Mains said after the Irish punched their ticket to the Volunteer State’s grand state at Austin Peay State University’s F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. “It was truly a complete team victory.
“Everybody played their roles.”
Catholic (24-6) led by seven points heading into the fourth quarter, but it was far from over as the Mustangs opened the final frame on a 9-0 run to take a narrow lead.
“We had a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter but they have some great basketball players and great athletes,” Mains said. “They came out and scored the first nine points, and the crowd was just nuts in that cracker box.
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
A dominant season continued to steamroll on for the Bearden High School’s boys basketball team Saturday night, Feb. 28, in the first round of the Region 2-4A Tournament.
The Bulldogs made short work of Powell, dispatching the Panthers, 78-39, at Bearden High School.
The Bulldogs’ victory over Powell assured a sweep for District 4-4A in the opening round of the regional. Bearden, Oak Ridge, Farragut and Hardin Valley all recorded wins over the top teams in District 3-4A, including the Panthers, Knoxville West, Knoxville Halls and Knox Central.
“This is going to basically be a replay of our district tournament,” Bearden coach Jeremy Parrott said. “I’m not surprised that our district won all four of those games.
“They moved Oak Ridge over here and they haven’t had a challenge in that other district for a long time and I’m not surprised that Hardin Valley beat Central.”
The Bulldogs (33-1) suffered their only loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) at an elite tournament in the Tri-Cities over the winter holiday break.
Read More
March 3, 2026 by Jake Nichols
FARRAGUT — On a recent sunny Saturday, Omari Thomas crouched toward the ground and planted his right hand into a grassy field.
It was the same position he displayed countless times in Neyland Stadium and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, having been an All-SEC lineman at Tennessee before a stint with the New Orleans Saints.
But instead of firing into an opponent from the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Atlanta Falcons, Thomas stood up to finish his instruction as part of a local youth football camp on Feb. 28.
He organized the camp with help from Concord Christian School, whose coach, Steve Matthews, received a tip from a friend about Thomas’ interest in giving back to the Knoxville community.
“I heard about him from a mutual friend here in Knoxville and in Memphis, so we’re happy to have him,” Matthews said. “We’ve got all these Vols For Life right in our backyard, so I think kids getting a chance to meet him is something they can remember for a long time.”
Thomas drove across the state for the event, making the same trip he has grown used to after coming to Tennessee from Briarcrest Christian School.
Dressed in Tennessee Nike shorts and a Concord sweatshirt, Thomas noted his eagerness to give back.
“I’ve done things like this back in Memphis, having camps and giveaways,” he said. “But to connect here in Knoxville and with Concord, it’s cool to see how they’re growing in their culture and program. It means so much to me coming here from Memphis, knowing I’m playing for the state and that it’s bigger than me.”
He opened with lessons about the importance of being coachable and doing well in school — using the same leadership that made Thomas a perfect fit for the SEC’s Leadership Council and the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Connection Group.
Read More
March 3, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Parker Lane walked toward the Farragut bench, arms folded over his head, and exhaled. Whew.
His expression summarized the feeling for every navy-clad fan inside Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
After leading Halls by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter Saturday, Farragut held on for a 65-63 win in the Region 2-AAAA quarterfinals.
A Dan Lanning layup and free throws from Lanning and Lane made the difference in the final minute, as FHS held off a Halls team that pushed the Admirals to the brink — even nailing a 3-pointer with less than two seconds remaining to mark the final margin.
Prior to the late answers from Farragut, the Admirals allowed their lead to wither away in a 10-minute span.
That push from Halls left Farragut coach J.P. Burris frustrated afterward, as he summed up the night in one sentence: “We have to be better if we don’t want our season to end.”
“A group of five seniors, as mature as they are and as much as they have played, you can’t blow a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter,” he continued. “We got lucky tonight. Credit to Halls. They played their hearts out and never went away. Our guys thought, ‘Oh, the game’s over,’ and you can’t play like that when you’re against a team that’s playing for their season.”
That play almost undid an 18-6 run, which featured a Reid Vining steal-and-slam that sent the crowd into a frenzy. But even as Halls made its biggest push, FHS found timely answers in its seniors.
Britton Lewis led the Admirals in scoring with 18 points, while Lanning and Lane had 12 each with 10 from Aidan Foshie.
Lewis remained a constant presence in the lane, while Lanning keyed the Ads with three timely 3-pointers. And Lane came alive late after scoring just two points in the first half.
“I thought Britton was pretty steady for us, and Fosh shot the ball well,” Burris said. “Dan made some big plays when we needed it, and it goes back to the fact that you can count on this group. But we have to make good decisions down the stretch.”
Altogether, the Admirals did enough to hold off a Halls team that saw three double-digit scorers: Gaige Harold (22 points), Colton Hoffmeister (17 points) and Miles Comparato (10 points).
After practicing Sunday and Monday, the Admirals looked to advance past a Hardin Valley team that defeated Central last Saturday for its first region win in program history.
Burris noted that he wanted a businesslike approach considering Farragut’s previous outing and the emotion fueling its next opponent.
“Congrats on the win, but this is not a night to celebrate,” he said. “Go home, go to bed, go to church and come ready to practice.
“Hardin Valley just won their first region game in the history of the school, so they will be on Cloud 9 and are playing well. We know their staff is really good; we just have to be ready to play.”
Since the game took place after press time, results can be found online via our Facebook page.
March 3, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Emma Pearl Riffer sprinted down the track at Eddie Courtney Stadium Saturday, eyes glued toward the finish line.
Her seventh-place finish in the girls 100-meter dash produced a personal-best time of 13.17 seconds, one of several highlights for the Admirals during their season-opening meet at the Tennova Farragut East Tennessee jamboree.
In a two-hour span, the Ads reeled off 14 personal records, five first-place finishes and 24 top-five results — double the amount of first-place finishes from Bearden (12) and almost triple the amount for Knox Catholic (10) and Webb School of Knoxville (9).
The day served as a fitting start for new head coach Charles Bell, who is tasked with leading an FHS team that won its latest state title less than a year ago.
“Very blessed to take over a program that’s already so established,” Bell told the farragutpress Saturday. “This is a program that develops state champions. But we also want to develop them as well-rounded athletes too. There’s a standard and expectation here at Farragut.”
That certainly appeared the case last weekend, as five different athletes reached those first place results for FHS. Harper McAvoy took first in girls high jump at four feet, nine inches, and Peyton Edmunds and Chase McAvoy took first in girls and boys pole vault events, respectively. Edmonds vaulted nine feet exactly, while McAvoy totaled precisely 11 feet on his attempt.
Sam Shagan finished first in the boys 800-meter run at 2:01.44, and Lucas Spadafora took first in the boys 400-meter dash at a personal best of 50.52 seconds.
Aside from the first-place results, top-five finishes for FHS included Ava Barczak, who took second in the girls 400-meter event at 60.38 seconds, and Chase McAvoy and Nathan Jacobs in the boys 400-meter run at third and fourth place, respectively. They both hit personal bests, as did Christie George at third place in the girls 100-meter event. Corom Hlebasko took fourth in the boys 800-meter run, and Shagan took second in the boys event at a personal-best 4:23.49.
Ryleigh Howe claimed second in the girls 300-meter hurdles, and Fisher Smith finished fourth overall in the boys edition at a personal record 45.22 seconds.
Jakob Ovales finished second in boys shot put at 45 feet, one inch, and he finished fourth in the boys discus at 121 feet, six inches. Rigsby Williams finished fourth for FHS in girls shot put at 23 feet, six inches, while Kambree Fontenot and Williams took fourth and fifth in girls discus at 82 feet, six inches and 82 feet, three inches, respectively.
McAvoy finished second overall for the boys side with Eaker in fifth.
Evan Edmunds took third in boys pole vault with teammate Evan Gofreed in fourth, while Farragut’s Ada Becker took second in girls long jump. Tyler Martin finished fourth overall in boys long jump.
In other area finishes, Catholic also saw five first-place athletes on Saturday. Payton Sipos finished at the top in 100-meter hurdles 14.94 and took first in 300-meter hurdles as well at 46.88 seconds. Charlotte Fowler took first in long jump at 16 feet, 5.5 inches, and Chandler Thompson claimed first in 300-meter hurdles at 40.87 seconds with George Mancini finishing first in high jump at 6 feet, four inches.
Webb saw four first-place results on Saturday: Lacy Young at 12.48 seconds in the girls 100-meter dash; Young again in the girls 200-meter dash at 25.90 seconds; Calysta Garmer at 2:18.86 in the girls 800-meter run and Garmer once more in the girls 1600-meter event at 4:56.17.
Bearden’s Mouhamed Seck was the Bulldogs’ sole first-place finisher, notching first in boys triple jump at 45 feet, 4.5 inches.
CAK’s Owen Fulford and Concord Christian’s Kohbe Ward finished off the area first-place results. Fulford first in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.98 seconds, while Ward took first in the boys 200-meter dash at 22.89 seconds.
March 3, 2026 by Ken Lay
Knoxville --- The 2025-26 season came to an end for the Knoxville Catholic High School girls basketball team Friday night.
The Lady Irish got off to a fast start but they couldn’t sustain the momentum in a 68-57 loss to Lipscomb Academy in a Division II-AA State Quarterfinal game at KCHS.
Catholic (14-16) was hot early and it manufactured enough offense to open a 15-11 lead against the Lady Mustangs (26-7).
The Lady Irish were able to hold the upper hand until late in the second stanza. They had a 21-18 lead until Lipscomb’s long-range jumpers from beyond the 3-point arc started falling. The Mustangs scored nine of the last 13 points in the second frame as Macey Hunter tied the game, 21-21, when she knocked down a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 50 seconds remaining until halftime. The Lady Mustangs then took the lead on a 3-pointer by Brooklyn Lowry at the two-minute mark before Hunter’s shot made it, 26-21, inside the final minute of the first half.
By halftime, the Lady Mustangs would open a 28-23 advantage and the rest of the contest would prove to be an uphill battle for the Lady Irish, who would never regain the lead in the contest.
Despite falling short of earning a trip to the State Final Four in Clarksville, Catholic’s first-year coach Micah Scheetz was pleased with her team’s performance against the Lady Mustangs.
“We’re a young team and this was good for us,” she said. “They’re a great team and they have some great players, and this was a good experience for us.”
Junior guard and Oak Ridge transfer Euleesha Mitchell led Catholic with 20 points against the Lady Mustangs, while freshman guard Emery Haws, who has already eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in her first season with the Lady Irish, had a 19-point performance to close out the season.
“When Euleesha decides to play downhill, she can truly play and Emery has a bright future for us,” Scheetz said. “She’s a great player and she’s an even better person.”
Ava Jarrett led Lipscomb with 17 points, while Sage Stark added 16 and Blake Maple finished with 14.
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
As the defending Division II-AA state champion, Webb School of Knoxville is no stranger to postseason pressure. But after losing guard Zahnyah Rockett to a season-ending ACL injury Feb. 6, the Lady Spartans had to adjust on the fly.
They found answers in a gritty 45-41 win over Ensworth in the state quarterfinals, advancing to face Christ Presbyterian Academy — last year’s title-game opponent — in Thursday’s semifinals at Austin Peay.
“With her, she’s such a disruptor,” Webb coach Greg Hernandez said of Rockett. “To lose her, it’s been big trying to figure out lineups, but the girls have really responded.”
Meeyah Green led Webb with 15 points while Kyndall Mays added 14 and Corisa Lowery chipped in 10. Hernandez praised the collective effort, noting Mays’ key baskets and free throws and Green’s unselfish play.
Read More
March 4, 2026 by Jake Nichols
It was a tough weekend for both basketball teams at Christian Academy of Knoxville, as both Warrior programs saw their seasons end in the Division II-A state quarterfinals.
J.D. Johnson’s Warriors lost 45-37 against St. George’s at CAK. On the other end of the state, Abby Williams’ team met its end in a 57-53 loss to University School of Jackson.
Williams’ Warriors had moved into the quarterfinals after a gritty 64-62 performance against Middle Tennessee Christian in Murfreesboro.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s Warriors had defeated Lakeway Christian 41-39 in Chattanooga before their season ended against the Gryphons out of Memphis.
