Soccer Ads win 4-AAA
Farragut’s Connor MacLean, left, and Catholic’s Conner Macrae go up for this Irish corner kick.
Emilio Moore’s name might not have shown up in the box score but he had plenty to celebrate Friday night after Farragut High School won the District 4-AAA Tournament boys soccer championship.
“This is my senior year and there was no way that I was going to miss this game,” Moore said after the Admirals outlasted Knoxville Catholic 1-0 in the district title match before a packed house at Farragut Soccer Stadium May 10. “I had a high ankle sprain and the doctor told me not to play. “I wasn’t going to miss the district finals.”
Moore, a senior captain, had missed Farragut’s previous four games due to the injury. His effort symbolized the Admirals’ effort against the Irish in an elimination match.
“Emilio Moore was a hero tonight,” Farragut head coach Wallie Culbreth said. “He’s missed the last four games and wasn’t supposed to play tonight.
“He’s a senior and he’s one of my captains and he showed up and he made plays.” read more
Rally keeps FHS alive
Before his game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning, Farragut’s Cameron “Jammer” Strickland steals second base against Powell.
With his team down 3-1 in the Region 2-AAA semifinal against Powell Monday night and just three outs away from elimination, Farragut third baseman Duncan Pence decided to act, clobbering a two-run home run to left centerfield.
The game went to extra innings, where the Farragut late-inning heroics continued. In the bottom of the eighth, centerfielder Jammer Strickland connected with a base hit up the middle to plate a run and make the Admirals (30-8) walk-off winners, 4-3.
Before the late-inning comeback, Strickland said the mood in the dugout was down.
“We were up against the wall the whole time,” Strickland said. “And we had a little talk with each other right before the fifth inning. And we said, ‘Hey, guys, we’ve been here before. We can do this.’ You’ve just got to believe in yourself because you’ve got to learn how to get punched in the face and get right back up and punch right back.”
Strickland’s game-winning hit came on a “fastball, middle away, about thigh high,” he said. read more
Swicegood, Crockett, Templeton win region
After winning region in discus, HVA sophomore Tamia Crockett went on to finish second in shot put.
While a handful of Farragut-area track and field talent excelled in last Saturdays Region 1-AAA meet, with champs and multiple state qualifiers including Hardin Valley Academy distance runner Aaron Templeton and HVA thrower Tamia Crockett, Farragut junior pole vaulter Mack Swicegood follows in her dad’s footsteps.
Region champ with a high vault of 10-feet, her career personal best, “I thought that I would get, like, top two, but I didn't know I was going to get first.” said Swicegood, whose father, Luke, was pole vault state runner-up at FHS in 1986 and No. 3 at state in 1985 before receiving a scholarship to The University of Tennessee.
Heading to her first-ever state tournament, to be held at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro next week, “This is the best thing,” said Swicegood, in her second year of pole vaulting, after her success at HVA May 11.
Saying she was influenced by her dad’s success, without being pushed, to finally take up pole vaulting, “He held the school record at Farragut for a really long time,” Swicegood added. “He's been a really big help.”
Swicegood said pole vault coach Tim Mack, former UT national champ and Olympic Games gold medalist, "Is the reason I can do this.” read more
SoccerDawgs scare Ads before FHS wins in OT
For the third consecutive year, soccer rivals Bearden and Farragut met in the District 4-AAA Tournament Semifinals and it was the host Admirals who came away with a 1-0 overtime victory Wednesday, May 8, at Farragut Soccer Stadium.This match took nearly 100 minutes to decide as the Admirals prevailed when Fletcher Ekern scored the game’s lone goal with four seconds remaining in the overtime period.
“It feels amazing,” said Ekern, who took a pass from freshman forward Dami Omitaomu and banged it past Bearden junior goalkeeper Rhys Fielder and into the back of the net. “It was crazy how the ball went all the way through.
“I read it and I put it in.”
Omitaomu said he knew that Ekern would score.
“I saw Fletcher coming to the ball and I got it to him,” Omitaomu said. “I knew that he was going to put it in.”
The Admirals, who lost to the Bulldogs (7-12-2) in last year’s semifinals at home, had plenty of chances on this night. The Ads, however, could not find the shooting touch. Farragut attackers hit the crossbar or the goalposts several times throughout the match. read more
Resilient Hawks grab 4th straight 3-AAA crown
Logan Kington, HVA sophomore center-midfielder (5), battles an Oak Ridge player for ball possession.
OAK RIDGE -— Little worry that Hardin Valley Academy boys soccer could rally at Oak Ridge’s Blankenship Field Friday even-ing, trailing 1-0 at halftime in the District 3-AAA Tournament title game.
The Hawks were less than five minutes from season elimination at Karns two days before, trailing 2-0 before rallying for a pair of last-minute regulation goals — then two more in overtime for an improbable 4-2 victory.
With second half goals by senior Adam Sturgeon and sophomore Sean Ryan Friday, both assisted by sophomore Cameron Schneider, the No. 2 division-seeded Hawks dominated play in the second half against No. 1 seed ORHS and won 2-1 May 10.
During a team photo with their 3-AAA award in hand, HVA players and coaches held up four fingers in recognition of the program's fourth consecutive 3-AAA Tournament title.
“These guys, I mean they've just got great character,” HVA head coach Mike McLean said about his Hawks, improving to 8-6-3 after the win. “I told them, ‘that’s great for the future in life, not only soccer.’ I’m just proud of these guys.” read more
Catholic’s 5th-inning blitz dooms Hawks
Sophomore Will Neely, HVA batter and starting pitcher, fouls off a Hunter Hayes pitch during the Hawks’ Region 2-AAA semifinal home game versus Knoxville Catholic Monday evening, May 13.
Twice in the span of one inning, Knoxville Catholic overcame adversity for a big strikeout and a huge offensive outburst at Hardin Valley Academy.
The Hawks tied Catholic 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, as Irish pitcher Hunter Hayes dropped a toss covering first base with the bases loaded and two out.
However, Hayes rebounded for a critical strikeout, as the senior staff ace went the distance while allowing six hits, three walks and one earned run with four strikeouts. Hayes did not allow an HVA hit until the fourth.
Catholic was fueled by a six-run fifth inning aided by a few Hardin Valley mistakes, despite getting its leadoff runner picked off first base to begin the frame, to win this Region 2-AAA semifinal 7-2 Monday evening, May 13.
Mostly using his fastball and curveball, Hayes rated his performance “at about a B. I’ve got a great group of guys behind me, so I don't have to worry.”
“We wanted to go out and give a senior a chance to prove himself. And Hunter studded up and stepped up,” said KCHS head coach Adam Sullivan, whose Irish, District 4-AAA Tour-nament runner-up, improved to 28-10 and faced 4-AAA regular season and tourney champ Farragut at FHS Wednesday, May 15 (after deadline). read more
FHS girls survive in eight
Late-inning wins have been the norm for Farragut High School's softball team this season and the Lady Admirals nabbed another comeback victory Monday night.“We've had a lot of comeback wins this year and we're 11 or 12-1 in one-run games,” Farragut head coach David Moore said after his team rallied for a 4-3 eight-inning win at Halls in the Region 2-AAA Tournament semifinals. “This was just a great wonderful team effort.
“It was just a gutsy win.”
Farragut (30-10) took its first lead of the game in the eighth when Hannah Leavell’s groundball plated Hannah Stephenson with the eventual winning run. Stephenson doubled to lead off the frame and took third when Halls pitcher Lexie Helm uncorked a wild pitch.
“That was a happy groundball,” Leavell said.
The Lady Red Devils (38-5) jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. Halls, District 3-AAA regular-season and tournament champion, got three runs while getting just one hit. Halls scored the game’s first run on a passed ball. read more
sports briefs
• Youth ages 13 and under are invited to 29th Annual Bob Watt Youth Fishing Rodeo, starting with registration on site at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 8, at Anchor Park, 11730 Turkey Creek Road. Fishing to follow from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.townoffarragut.org or contact Special Event & Program Coordinator Lauren Cox at lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 865-966-7057.• Goodwill Bass Tournament, to be hosted by local Pro Angler and 2011 Bassmaster All-Star champion Ott DeFoe, begins at safe light Saturday, June 8, at Shady Grove Ramp, Douglas Lake in Dandridge. Grand prize will be $1,200. Weigh-ins will begin at 3 p.m. Anglers may register any day from now until at 4:30 p.m., June 7. To register, or for more information, call Goodwill at 865.588.8567 or visit our website at www.gwiktn.org. read more
playbook playoff schedules
• Sectional Baseball showdowns, with a Class AAA state tourney berth at stake, will feature Region 2-AAA champ hosting 1-AAA runner-up, and 2-AAA runner-up at 1-AAA champ, Friday, May 17 (times not set at deadline).• TSSAA Baseball State Tournament, featuring top eight teams statewide, runs Tuesday-Friday, May 21-24, in Murfreesboro, with championship game set for 5 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. EDT), Friday, May 24, at MTSU's Reese Smith Jr. Field.
• Sectional Softball showdowns, with a trip to Class AAA state tourney at stake, will feature Region 2-AAA champ hosting 1-AAA runner-up, and 2-AAA runner-up at 1-AAA champ, Friday, May 17 (times not set at deadline). read more
