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Farragut football's 'quarterfinal jinx' continues
Juhlin, Maryville, use
big plays to whip FHS
Alan Sloan - Sat, Nov, 21, 2009
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| Farragut’s DeAndre Purty looks back from the end zone in disbelief at a yellow flag, canceling his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that would have put the Admirals back into its quarterfinal playoff game against Maryville.- Dan Barile/farragutpress |
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MARYVILLE — Farragut already was facing an uphill climb trying to slow down Maryville’s potent offense that twice had built 14-point leads.
Then came backbreaking plays, back-to-back, that cemented the Admirals’ ongoing state quarterfinal jinx, losing 35-14 during TSSAA Class 6A playoff action at MHS’s Jim Renfro Field.
“They made about three big plays in the second half and we couldn’t answer and make the plays,” said FHS head coach Eddie Courtney, whose Admirals (10-3) lose in state quarterfinal playoff action for the fifth consecutive season.
“Our kids fought hard and played hard, we just couldn’t make some plays when we needed to.”
Lee Bristol’s leaping fingertip interception of a deep lob pass and 69-yard touchdown return put the Rebels (12-1) ahead 35-14 with 10:44 left in regulation.
Farragut’s DeAndre Purty, already playing with a heavy heart after his mother died just a few days earlier, returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards up the middle for an apparent touchdown.
No. A block in the back — one of the game's few penalties until some late chippiness — nullified the TD.
“I can’t say enough about DeAndre, the heart of a champion,” Courtney said about his standout senior running back. “He gave us everything he had, running that kickoff back. He played tremendous tonight.”
Purty said about his two seasons with FHS football, “It’s meant a lot to me. I was new last year and they treated me like I was a brother to them. Coach Courtney really helped me out and took me in, and he made sure I was taken care of every day and treated right.”
Maryville — led by senior quarterback Phillip Juhlin and receivers Desmund Horne and Stian Romberg — made it look like a rout early, first marching 80 yards for a touchdown before going 87 yards for a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Juhlin rolled right and found Romberg open down the right sideline on a 42-yard TD strike less than three minutes into the first quarter.
Juhlin, rolling left, went long with paydirt success again, and Horne got loose deep — this time for a 48-yard score. It was 14-0 with 3:45 still left in the first half.
But Farragut responded with its own 14-point burst.
“I think it does say something about character, we just told the kids to settle down and play,” Courtney said. “I’m proud of the way they responded.”
A 17-yard toss from quarterback Reese Browning over the middle to David Allen, on third-and-six deep in FHS territory, was critical. Taino Perez picked up 18 and 9 yards with a pair of sideline receptions, then Allen got loose again over the middle for a 19-yard catch to the Rebels 5.
Two Purty runs did the trick, the second a 2-yard scoring jaunt with 11:18 left in the first half.
Farragut's defense then made a huge play, setting up a tie game. Two runs netted 0 yards, the last a minus-2 hit from linebacker Daniel Pitcher, before Juhlin was picked.
Thomas Jackson's interception of a Juhlin toss over the middle was returned 15 yards to the MHS 8. Browning wasted no time, lobbing into the right corner of the end zone to Lee Van Dyne for six. Christian Ponce's second conversion kick, with 9:56 left in the first half, tied it 14-14.
But Juhlin heated up again, finding Jacob West for 26 yards over the middle, then hitting Romberg for 15 along the sideline to the FHS 38.
Two Juhlin option runs earned 11 more before a 16-yard pass to Horne landed Maryville at the Ads 7.
Buddy Jones scored up the gut from there, making it 21-14 Rebs with 4:32 left in the half.
“They made some key plays to get first downs when they had to,” Courtney said. “A couple of times we got out of position.
“They are so balanced,” the FHS skipper added about Maryville. “Juhlin’s also a good runner. … And they don’t make mistakes.”
Farragut responded by reaching the MHS 13.
Van Dyne, as a running back, got 12 yards on two carries and Perez hauled in an 8-yard pass before Van Dyne, on a draw, ran for 16 more to the MHS 30.
A 7-yard quick toss to Brad Galloway and 10-yard sideline connection to Braden Urevick had Farragut to the 13.
But a pair of incompletions preceded Browning being sacked for minus-8. Ponce’s 38-yard field goal sailed wide right on the final play of the first half.
Going to the break, “We wanted some kind of momentum, that would have been nice,” Courtney said.
Purty opened the second half with a 40-yard kickoff return, and the suddenly ground-oriented Admirals got a 10-yard run from Van Dyne and reached the MHS 37 before stalling.
“We got a great return, got good field position but couldn’t capitalize after that,” Courtney said.
Brooks Harper, FHS junior linebacker, sacked Juhlin for minus-10, as the Admirals forced Maryville’s first punt.
But from its own 39, Farragut stalled despite an 8-yard Purty run.
Maryville would go 77 yards for another 14-point lead.
Harper’s hit on a middle screen forced a fumble, but the Rebels recovered and promptly went with a ground attack for three first downs.
“Very intense … we hit hard; it was a very hard-hitting game,” Courtney said.
Despite Jacob Johnson’s crushing hit on an MHS receiver deep over the middle that prevented a big reception, the Rebels cashed in another big pass play.
Facing third-and-seven from the FHS 42, Juhlin rolled right and found Horne over the middle at the 24.
Horne cut left, broke two tackles and headed down the left sideline for a 42-yard TD and a 28-14 lead with 22.6 seconds left in the third quarter.
Farragut also falls for the second time this season to MHS (35-32 at Bill Clabo Field Oct. 16).
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