Bears claw Ads in season opener
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Farragut’s Brenton Haag (22) looks for a running lane against Sevier County in the second annual First Bank Classic at Carson-Newman’s Burke-Tarr Stadium. - Jake Nichols
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Farragut players attempt to block a Sevier County point-after attempt during their game on Saturday night at Carson-Newman. - Jake Nichols
JEFFERSON CITY — Brenton Haag powered into the end zone at Carson-Newman’s Burke-Tarr Stadium, bringing a positive note as he landed on the navy turf.
If not for the first half, his touchdown and Caleb Bell’s ensuing point-after would have put Farragut within striking distance of Sevier County at 10-7.
Except the Smoky Bears’ 25 first-half points all but sealed the final result, as they downed the Admirals 35-7 in the second annual First Bank Classic.
“We’ve got some growth to do,” FHS coach Geoff Courtney said of his team, which fell to SCHS by a similar margin after a 27-7 loss in the same event last year. “But we have a lot of guys playing their tails off, working hard. We will continue to grow and be a good football team.”
Sevier County inflicted damage early, as quarterback Cooper Newman found teammate Parker Newman (no relation) for a 67-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage.
He ended the night with 21 completions on 27 attempts for 258 yards and four touchdowns.
FHS followed with a turnover on downs, as Carter Collier was ruled a yard short of the line to gain on fourth-and-3.
The Smoky Bears capitalized on the short field, overcoming tackles for loss by John Eddelmon and Kaden Renfro to move 42 yards for their second score less than six minutes into the game.
An Admiral fumble gave the Smoky Bears another short field on their next possession, and the score changed to 22-0 before Farragut could catch its breath.
“They big-played us,” Courtney summarized. “Second play, play action — good player and a good quarterback. Then we came out and didn’t get that fourth down and gave them a short field.
“We tried to stay aggressive there and prolong the first half. We put it in our guys’ hands, and we will continue to do that. But I thought our guys bounced back. We put ourselves in an early hole but weren’t coming here for any kind of consolation.”
The Ads showed that resolve through the rest of the game, holding Sevier County to a field goal after three straight stops in the remainder of the first half.
That defensive effort was led by Mason Swor, who made 10 tackles (7 solo, 1 TFL) with 9 overall (and 6 solo) apiece for Thatcher Cherry and Wyatt Walker Saturday night.
“Defense, throughout the last three quarters, you could see their confidence grow,” Courtney said. “I know the final score says what it says, but you take a couple big plays out of it and extend some of those shorter drives, and I thought our guys played well. But there are things we can still get better at.”
SCHS added one more score and field goal after the break, as Parker Newman’s night ended with 108 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.
But Haag’s score punctuated the night for FHS. He delivered 13 carries for 39 yards.
Collier, meanwhile, took three touches for 20 yards, while Cruz Williams took the ball 12 times for 23 yards and Elijah Sadler racked up 8 carries for 21 yards and a catch for 14 more.
In his debut as a starter, Admiral quarterback Hayes Sharp rushed twice for -11 yards and completed one pass on two attempts.
FHS took the field without receiver Johnny Jacobs, who continued his recovery from a concussion in the jamboree, but he should return in time for this week’s matchup with Powell.
The Admirals are set to travel to the Panthers’ “jungle” on Friday, Aug. 28, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
“It’s going to be a short week, another good football team,” Courtney said. “So we’ll see how quickly can we bounce back, work on the things we need to get better at and see what we’re doing well and do more of it.”
