Rivalry tilt highlights lacrosse slate
Unfortunately for the Lady Ads, that is about where their momentum stopped.
BHS outscored FHS 16-6 from that point on, claiming a 17-9 comeback victory to mark its first-ever win at Farragut, per head coach Dawn Coe.
“It was awesome,” Coe said. “They worked hard, and we had a really slow start. It took us a while to get going and for us to really move the ball and get open, but we broke it open going into the second half. For the younger ones to experience that and the ones who have been here fighting for it since they were in eighth grade, it was great. I was so proud.”
Coe noted how impactful the team’s chemistry has been toward its 7-3 record, having lost 10 seniors to graduation before starter Sarah Schaefer tore her ACL earlier this season.
“Some have had some experience, and I have some playing with no experience,” Coe said. “They are locked in, they want to learn and have a fire about them. It’s awesome to watch them come together.”
On the same night as Bearden’s West win, Farragut showed a similar fire in a 13-0 drubbing of Science Hill on Senior Night.
FHS coach Savannah Thomas came away impressed with her team’s resolve, especially coming off the Bearden loss.
“There were a lot of tears, there were a lot of heads that immediately went down after the game,” she said.
“But we broke down what went wrong and how to fix it then had an additional captains meeting.
“They felt that loss unlike any other we’ve had this season. So I was extremely proud of their ability to pull their heads out of being so upset to coming out with a 13-0 win.”
She also noted the impact of this senior class, specifically the senior captains — Amelia and Amadea Evans, Jane Danzo and Sirilla Cretton-Gilbert — as they have “far exceeded” Thomas’ expectations.
“I’ve coached for over 10 years cumulatively, but this is my first time being a head coach for high school girls,” Thomas said. “So this class holds a special place in my heart.”
On the boys side, Farragut has suffered a couple close losses lately, albeit to teams that undoubtedly will help the team’s mettle once the postseason rolls around.
FHS lost to Briarcrest Christian 10-6 on March 20 before losing to Baylor 8-7 in a double-overtime heartbreaker. But the Ads bounced back in a hurry, trouncing Science Hill 23-6 on Tuesday, March 31.
“Even though we lost, we love those games,” head coach Ben Sachs said. “It proved that we can compete with those nationally-ranked teams, so it showed our kids we have the mettle to make a deep run.”
Their tough slate will continue in April as FHS will face Ravenwood on Friday, April 10, before taking on Hillsboro the next day.
Matthew Kitchener and Finn Sachs led the team with 3.2 and 3.0 goals per game, respectively, with Brock Lockhart at 2.9.
Ben Sachs also credited Bennett Elton for his work in face-offs, adding Ian Fanta has tallied a 52.6 save percentage to this point with impressive defense from Carson Tucker.
The Ads will wrap up their home slate on Friday, April 24, against Hardin Valley. The Hawks have lost six of their first nine matches this season but found the net seven times on Good Friday, April 3, in a 7-1 win over Dobyns-Bennett.
“If we don’t play tough games now, we won’t be prepared for the playoffs,” Sachs said. “I’m really proud of our boys and excited with what they’re doing.”
