Farragut flag football builds for breakthrough
In 2027, the Lady Admirals appear intent on changing that — at least if the preseason work is any indication.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, third-year head coach G.W. Curtin patrolled Eddie Courtney Stadium in the team’s “Blue and White Game” ahead of the 2027 campaign.
The white team won 15-0, courtesy of scores by returner Kambree Fontenot and newcomer Heidi Remensperger, while the blue team saw three interceptions on the afternoon.
Beyond the matchup itself, though, it was the sideline additions that stood out most.
New coaches instructed equally new players while Curtin oversaw the action for a program that is looking to expand on what has been done thus far.
“We’re taking it seriously, because we’ve got girls with scholarship offers already on this team,” Curtin said, “Colleges are bubbling, so we want to match that. We’re the largest school in our region, so we should be at the forefront of our region in getting girls looked at by colleges, having film, having a full staff. I think it’s the right step.”
The first aspect of that step comes in roster additions, and Farragut has that covered with more than 40 girls set to take the field in the spring.
Those additions will look to replace the production of seven departed seniors, including quarterback Aydan Skelton and leading rusher Emma Pearl Riffer.
“That’s hard to replace, but we’re returning the other six defenders who started last year,” Curtin said. “And now we’ve got a rushing group that might be better than last year — we have speed, talent and depth, so if we have an injury or fatigue, we can replace people and not really have a drop-off. So that’s amazing as a coach.”
It’s equally amazing for Curtin to have new staffers. Those include offensive coordinator Jonah Hedges, who joined after being in the same role at Anderson County, and defensive coordinator Zach Johnson, who previously served as the head coach at Powell.
“Having a staff to delegate tasks and put people in charge of different things, it’s been great,” Curtin said. “It takes a lot of the pressure off and things get done a lot quicker.
“With Jonah, we needed some quarterback help; I don’t know how to coach those, really. And (Johnson), he said he is more of a defensive guy, so I told him if he came here, he could take care of that and not have to worry about anything else.”
FHS special needs teacher Talita Nevins is on staff, too, having coached boys football before, as are teacher’s assistant Brooke Pelkey and strength and conditioning coach Mike Wilson, who owns The Forge gym in Lenoir City.
A few players include Heidi Remensperger, a junior newcomer to the sport who has played for Curtin on the rugby pitch; Kambree Fontenot, who played two seasons ago but returns after just running track last spring; Kinley Frear, a senior returner who will take over captain duties after last year’s seniors graduated; and Moya Sakhleh, a homeschooler who stole the ball from wide receivers’ hands last year in a move that is now illegal, so the team has dubbed it “the Moya rule.”
Other new players include Buffalo native Paige Collins and foreign exchange students Nicholy Souza Santos (from Brazil) and Rosa Vivell (Germany).
Fontenot will take over Skelton’s spot at starting quarterback, leading Hedges’ offense that will look to complement Johnson’s versatile defense.
And on that side especially, Farragut will look to returner Bella Bruton, too. A standout linebacker last year, she has picked up offers from Norfolk State and Milligan.
Moreover, Bruton and Sakhleh both took part in vital wins last year, including an overtime victory at Karns. With that culture in place and an arsenal of new pieces, Curtin is ready to see what could unfold.
“You can’t see it as much in practice, but in the games, it will be obvious,” he said. “Games like that Karns win last year, that will count towards a lot. So that’s why I like days like today, where we start to put some pressure on ‘em in game-like situations. And once we get the full team together in the spring, I’ll be super excited.”
