Sports
October 23, 2024 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
Ordinarily, when a team makes the postseason, the competition gets tougher the deeper into the postseason the team goes.
Not so for Farragut High School’s volleyball team last Thursday night, Oct. 17, in FHS’s Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
Before hundreds of fans in the Sectional Round of the TSSAA Division I-AAA State Volleyball Tournament, the Lady Admirals made quick work of Tennessee High.
Dominating in every phase of the game, FHS swept the match 3-0 to earn a berth in the state tournament in Murfreesboro this week. The set scores were 25-7, 25-15 and 25-10.
“Our six seniors, they really really bonded in a way that they wanted this way more than any other team,“ FHS head coach Andre Alves said. “Don’t give them one point. Go hard every ball.”
In the first set, the Lady Vikings won the first point. Farragut then won 16 of the next 17 and cruised to the end of the set. After that first point, FHS won 11 in a row, all served by senior setter Bella Ekeler.
“We were on fire, wanted it so bad,” Ekeler said. “We were working toward this all season. It’s just amazing; we’re finally gonna get there (state tournament).”
In the second set, Tennessee led 4-2 until nine in a row by the Lady Admirals made it 11-4. The Lady Vikings hung around, trailing 17-11, but Farragut then won six of the next seven. An errant serve by Tennessee at 24-15 closed out the set.
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Coughlin, Fishel lead CAK golf girls to Div II-A state title; White is boys TN #1
October 23, 2024 by Staff Reports
SEVIERVILLE — Junior Isabella Coughlin and senior Alexis Fishel were in command almost from the start, leading the TSSAA Division II-A Golf Tournament at Sevierville Golf Club by 10 strokes after 18 hole.s
It turned out to be a seven -stroke CAK victory (7 over par 287 versus runner-up Boyd-Buchanan’s 294), marking the program’s fourth state crown all-time and first since 2016, after 36 holes Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 8.
Led by Coughlin, top scorer who placed third individually with a 140 (even par, 67-73), and Fishel, who finished seventh individually (147), “They’re very skilled, they controlled their golf ball really well and they have a lot of experience,” CAK head coach Donnie Cooper said. “We played really well the first day. And the second day, it was a little tougher, a little colder. Then we had a little bit of wind, and it played a little tough. Honestly, I was pretty relieved to get through that final hole because it was a pretty stressful hole the second day — but relative to the scores, we played really good the second day, too.”
Coughlin said one of her main goals was “to try and take advantage of the pretty easy par 5’s. And there are a couple of short par 4’s where I just had to wedge in, so just trying to get it close and seeing if I could make a put, which really helped.”
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October 23, 2024 by Alan Sloan
DANDRIDGE — How do you allow 360 yards rushing, from one running back no less, while giving your homesteading opponent a defensive touchdown — and still win the game?
Farragut’s two long touchdown passes, far superior special teams play and a defense that, despite Skylar Thomas’ dream night running the football, held Jefferson County without a third-down conversion in the second half is how the Ads won their third straight game — all on the road — after slipping past the Patriots 24-23 at JCHS Friday night, Oct. 18.
The kicking and punting of junior Ryan McCue — still perfect on the season in extra points and field goals after nailing a 31-yard three-pointer in the second quarter — also included one punt for 48 net yards along with a handful of others pinning the Patriots (4-4-4) inside their own 15-yard line.
Back for his second game after missing three games due to injury, sophomore Ethan Farhat returned a kickoff for a touchdown for a second straight game, this time answering a Jefferson County TD with an 80-yard return to put the Ads back ahead, with McCue’s conversion, 17-16 at the 10:58 mark of the third quarter.
Two blocked kicks by the visitors further punctuated the FHS edge in special teams: an extra point blocked by senior defensive back Henry Dee after a JCHS field goal was swatted away by senior defensive back Kent Carbaugh.
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October 23, 2024 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
BEARDEN — It wasn’t real pretty, but as the sports cliche goes: a win’s a win.
On Homecoming Night at Bill Young Field, Bearden High School’s football team convincingly defeated Oak Ridge 35-6 in a non-region game.
To do so, however, the Bulldogs had to overcome 12 penalties and a very sluggish start. Once the ‘Dawgs got rolling, however, they never looked back in this Friday night clash Oct. 18
“We gotta get that cleaned up, way too many,” BHS head coach Josh Jones said of all the yellow flags. “Cannot do that in big ballgames.”
Down 6-0, the Bulldogs took over on their own 44 with 8:12 left in the second period. On the eighth play of the drive, running back Torian Riggins ran it in from the ORHS 9 to give Bearden a 7-6 lead with 5:37 left in the half.
Two holding calls — one negating a long punt return, another nullifying a touchdown pass — each cost BHS roughly 30 yards on its next possession.
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October 23, 2024 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
BEARDEN — Bearden High School entered this week with a chance to win a fourth consecutive Class AAA girls soccer state championship.
This year, however, veteran head coach Ryan Radcliffe isn’t quite sure his Lady Bulldogs are the favorite to win the state title in 2024.
“This year, I don’t think we’ll be the favorite. I think that’s on Houston this year,” Radcliffe said after the Lady Dawgs clinched another trip to the state tourney with a dominant 9-0 victory over Jefferson County Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19, at Turner-Allender Field in a state sectional match.
“I don’t think you can say that there’s a team that we’re going to see, or a game that we’re going to play, that will be easy for us,” he added.
The 2024 state tournament field also includes the top-seeded Lady Mustangs (19-0), Murfreeboro Oakland (8-4-4), Science Hill (16-2-1), Franklin (15-1-1), Collierville (14-3-1), Page (15-5-2) and Siegel (15-2-1), the opening foe of Bearden (18-1-1), the No. 2 seed, starting at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Girls Preparatory School.
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