Sports
January 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
From Dec. 28 to 31, both Farragut basketball programs took part in the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic at Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg.
The Admirals (11-6, 2-2 in District 4-4A) finished fourth overall as they went 2-2 with four games in three days.
On the girls side, FHS (9-7, 3-0 District 4-4A) went 1-2 to finish sixth overall in their bracket.
Seniors lead FHS in packed slate
Farragut boys coach J.P. Burris added an extra game on the first day of the tournament, setting up a four-game run in three days.
But the Admirals answered admirably, going 2-2 against stiff competition.
Senior Parker Lane averaged 15.7 points per game while Britton Lewis came in at an average of 12 points across those four contests.
Lane paced FHS with 31 in a 73-56 win over Section (AL) in the second game of Farragut’s doubleheader on Dec. 29, while Lewis totaled 16 in the previous game, a 63-47 win against Grant County (KY). Lewis also nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer against Cincinnati Oak Hills, turning a four-point loss into a 68-67 result.
“Those guys are two of our three captains, and they’ve done a phenomenal job of leading,” Burris said. “Parker has been our leading scorer on the year, but on most nights, Britton will guard the other team’s best player. The fact that he has to do what he does on defense then produces on offense is just a testament to the basketball player and leader he is. They’ve both played really well this year and in the tournament.”
He noted the same of Reid Vining, who scored 17 in one game, and Dan Lanning, who poured in 14 against Oak Hills.
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FHS volleyball coach, assistant resign
January 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
The Farragut volleyball program is looking for a new leader, as head coach Andre Alves and assistant coach Sydney Culpepper have both resigned.
Alves has resigned to pursue other job opportunities, according to a post from Farragut Sports Information director Jack Tate.
Alves served as the Lady Admirals’ head coach for three seasons, compiling an overall record of 59-31, highlighted by a 30-7 campaign in 2024. He led the 2024 team to the district and region tournament championships as well as a Final 4 finish at the Class AAA state tournament in Murfreesboro.
“Andre did an outstanding job for us in volleyball, but he just got a better job offer that will take more of his time,” said Farragut Athletic Director Donald Dodgen in a statement to the farragutpress. “He did not feel like he could give full time to both jobs, which I totally understand. I hate to lose him because he did a great job for Farragut High School and Farragut volleyball.”
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January 7, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Harriman — Hardin Valley Academy has one of the area’s youngest high school girls basketball teams in East Tennessee. And the Lady Hawks have endured their share of growing pains during a roller-coaster ride of a 2025-2026 season.
They closed out the 2025 calendar year by splitting a pair of games in the Harriman Tournament.
The youth movement is in full swing at HVA but now that the calendar has flipped to 2026, longtime head coach Jennifer Galloway is not going let her squad use its youth as an excuse.
“I’m pleased with our progression. We have a young team,” Galloway said. “But I told the girls that we’re not going to use our youth as an excuse.
“We’ve played 17 games and we’re not a young team anymore and now, we’re moving mostly into district play and our girls have 17 games of varsity experience this season and I’ve challenged them to not use our youth as an excuse.”
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January 7, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Harriman — The Hardin Valley Academy boys basketball team closed out the 2025 calendar year by winning a pair of games at the Harriman Christmas Tournament.
The Hawks, one of the area’s youngest teams, defeated the host Blue Devils and Wartburg Central, have endured an up-and-down season as their 9-8 overall record would indicate.
And despite earning a pair of victories to end the calendar year on a winning note, HVA coach Andy Arendt said the tournament was a microcosm of the 2025-26 campaign.
“We’re a young team and that’s why we decided to go down there and play in that tournament,” Arendt said. “We shot the ball well against Harriman and against Wartburg, we didn’t play well and we didn’t shoot it well.”
In the tournament opener against Harriman, the Hawks posted a dominant performance in an 81-45 victory on Monday, Dec. 29.
“We went down there knowing that we would probably get two wins,” Arendt said. “Those are good teams but they are smaller schools.
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January 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
GREENEVILLE — Both Bearden basketball programs can take lessons into the New Year, having put forth notable performances in their post-Christmas showcases.
The Lady Bulldogs finished as the runner-up in the 36th annual Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies’ Classic, falling 59-50 against Upperman at Hal Henard Elementary School on New Year’s Eve.
On the boys side, Jeremy Parrott’s squad upended North Mecklenberg — one of the top teams in North Carolina — 62-52 to claim fifth place at The Classic, a renowned tournament at Viking Hall in Bristol.
Lady Bulldogs run out of gas in Greeneville
In the girls matchup, Bearden’s loss brought a sour ending to an otherwise impressive showing in one of the top tournaments across the region.
Prior to the loss, BHS (15-3, 3-0 District 4-4A) reeled off a 3-0 record in four days with wins over Coalfield (80-60), Greeneville (85-57) and Grace Christian — when Bearden gritted its way to a 66-63 double-overtime win.
That set the stage for Wednesday’s championship game, as Bearden took a 29-25 lead into halftime.
But the Lady Bees stung back, outscoring BHS 17-5 in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish in the final stanza.
“We knew physical fatigue would be an issue, having played such a tough matchup last night,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said Wednesday. “This tournament is just as tough as the
state tournament, if not tougher. So I told them I was proud of them.
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Fireworks end the year
January 7, 2026 by Jake Nichols
The first half of 2025 was certainly worth remembering for athletes and coaches across the Farragut area. But
the final six months included plenty of noteworthy moments too.
Webb School of Knoxville ended the year with a splash hire, bringing in renowned coach George Quarles to revive its football program. Webb reached just one win in 2025, and former coach Don Mahoney stepped down in November following a three-year stint with the program. The Spartans hope Quarles will have the same level of success that he saw at Maryville, where he won 11 state championships in 18 seasons with a 250-16 record. Also, Quarles became the fastest high school coach in history to reach 200 wins. Before returning to the Knoxville area, Quarles departed his post in Maryville to become an assistant coach at Furman. He then became the head coach at East Tennessee State University for two seasons and coached tight ends at Austin Peay in 2024. Now, the Jefferson County graduate is glad to be back in the 865 area code.
“I’m really excited to be back in East Tennessee and the Knoxville area,” Quarles said in a brief interview with farragutpress. “I am also glad to be back in high school football. It’s a fresh start for Webb and for me.”
Note: for more on Quarles’ new gig at Webb, see the Jan. 14 issue of farragutpress.
In other gridiron news, Concord Christian made its return to varsity football this past season. Under second-year head coach Steve Matthews, the Lions reeled off a 6-5 record to reach the playoffs for the first time ever. In its Division II Class A matchup against Jackson Christian, CCS lost 27-13 to bring its season to a close. But the Lions still managed to finish on top in the How the West was Won contest, presented by Billy Houston Group, Realty Executives It was a tight race between Concord Christian and Christian Academy of Knoxville, as both teams finished the regular season at 6-4. However, CCS won based on point differential, having put together a scoring margin of plus-170 versus CAK’s scoring margin of plus-54. This past season, CCS also scored 49 points or more four times with five wins featuring 42 points or greater. Moreover, the only Lions win that did not see 40 or more points for Matthews’ squad was a 35-0 shutout over the Georgia Force.
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January 7, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Clinton — Farragut Middle School’s boys basketball team entered the new calendar year riding the crest of a 14-game winning streak.
The Admirals (14-1) haven’t lost since dropping their season opener to rival Hardin Valley back in early November.
Still, the team has plenty of work left to do as it pursues a Knox County Middle School Basketball Conference regular-season championship. The Ads were slated to play rival West Valley on the road Monday. Results were not available at press time.
The Admirals will host Karns on Thursday at the Bobby J. Henry Gymnasium on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
‘We have some big games left and even at 14-1 we’re still going to have to fight for that No. 1 seed (in the postseason tournament),” Farragut coach Shane Wells said. “We still have to play West Valley and Karns and they’re both dangerous teams.
“This is a tough, tough league.”
Farragut will close out the regular season with a non-league game at Robertsville in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Jan. 15.
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