Ads end 43-year drought
Farragut punches ticket to state for first time since ’83
And, that is exactly what J.P. Burris walked into Monday night, March 9, as his Farragut players doused him with water after their 57-50 win over Sevier County High School in the Class 4A Sectional round.
With the win, the Admirals snapped a 43-year drought to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1983.
It is the fourth state tournament berth in program history, as all three others occurred within a six-year span: 1978, 1980 and 1983.
Now, after more than four decades, the Admirals will return to the pinnacle of high school basketball in Tennessee.
And they will do so with a tie to history in their midst.
Dodgen a link to past Ads
When the 1983 Farragut team advanced to the state tournament, they lost to Nashville East 72-70 at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym.
Had they been assigned a different opponent, the Ads would have faced a McMinn County team, which was coached by a young Donald Dodgen — now the Farragut athletic director.
At the time of those state tournament trips, Dodgen already knew Lynn Sexton — Farragut’s coach who became the namesake of the Admirals’ home gymnasium.
On Monday night, the 2026 Ads walked in that same gym to cut down the nets.
“It’s ironic,” Dodgen said. “We were both fortunate to get to the state tournament the same year. And the 1983 program they printed had the profile of McMinn County and Farragut side by side. How ironic is that?”
“I believe it’s meant to be,” Dodgen continued. “Lynn and I, we went to school together and were both driver’s ed teachers. He meant a lot to me.”
New blood
So do these Admirals, who will face Walker Valley next Thursday, March 19, in the Class 4A State Tournament at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro.
It is 37 miles from there to Memorial Gym, where Dodgen and Sexton both led their teams 43 years ago.
The shorts length may have changed in the years since, as have the haircuts of players, who were born well after those ‘83 games took place.
But these teams are still united by the name on the front of the uniform and the coaches who led them.
“He was a huge part of my program,” Dodgen said of Sexton. “A wealth of knowledge, a gentleman, a great teacher and a great coach. He meant the world to me.”
Dodgen offered a similar sentiment on Burris, reflecting on the man who took over the Admirals after a period as an assistant at Hardin Valley.
“You cannot find a better bunch of young men,” Dodgen said. “And J.P. has come along to be one of the best high school coaches in this area. He listens; he asks questions; and he’s his own man. He has done a wonderful job rebuilding this program.”
Who knows? Maybe Sexton even found himself doused by water at one point as Burris was Monday.
