Sports
September 23, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Ryan Mahoney saw the potential all along.
And on Monday, Sept. 21, the Farragut Lady Admirals fulfilled that vision by claiming the 2026 district title over Hardin Valley at Gettysvue Country Club.
FHS and HVA both finished with total scores of 147. Farragut’s Sophie Williams and Hardin Valley’s Addisyn Newman led the way with 70 apiece, and FHS senior Harper Holmes tied HVA’s Rylee Taylor with 77. That meant the tiebreaker for the team title went to the third participant.
Olivia Coleman shot an 88 for the Lady Ads, three strokes ahead of HVA’s Emma Dolynchuk (91) to cement the district championship.
For Williams and Holmes, this marks a return to the region tournament after they both qualified as individuals last year. But it is the first such honor for Coleman.
“I had all the confidence in the world in her,” Mahoney said of Coleman. “She has really played well and done a fantastic job. She played well on the front side, and I knew she was playing well, so I felt good about her scoring for us. I was happy to see her come through and get us that tiebreaker.”
Williams competed with Newman in a playoff for the top individual spot in the girls tournament, ultimately shooting par to Newman’s birdie for second overall.
Read More
Ads, Dawgs set for 68th meeting
September 23, 2026 by Jake Nichols
At long last, rivalry week has arrived.
This Friday, Sept. 25, Farragut and Bearden will meet for the 68th time in a feud that dates back more than five decades.
The teams have played every single year since 1974, as Farragut owns a 43-24 record in that span, per FHS SID Jack Tate.
More recently, the Admirals gutted out a 25-21 win in the Dawgs’ house last year, part of a 2-2 stretch in this game the last four years.
In that time, both programs have undergone plenty of changes.
Farragut is in its third year under 2006 graduate Geoff Courtney, who took over for his father, TSSAA Hall of Famer Eddie Courtney, in 2024.
Meanwhile, 1994 Bearden graduate Brad Taylor leads the Dawgs in the second year of his second stint at his alma mater.
Both teams stand at 0-5 this season, making each group even hungrier for a Region 2-6A rivalry win that will mean plenty to either side.
“Always a tough game, a four-quarter war down to the end,” Courtney said. “The team that usually makes the fewest mistakes will win — less penalties, less turnovers, makes a few more plays. It’s been that kind of rivalry.”
“They’re playing a few guys both ways and are in a similar situation we’re in, playing a similar strength of schedule,” Courtney continued. “Their combined opponents are 19-5 and ours are, too, so they’re right there in being challenged. So I’m sure they’ll show up and play their best game Friday.”
“It makes it a little more special,” Bearden coach Brad Taylor added. “Both schools have gone through trials and tribulations. For us, it hit us last year, and I hate it, but it hit Farragut this offseason. We’re still trying to rebuild and rebound, and it does make this game a little more special.“
Read More
September 23, 2026 by Jake Nichols
On Friday, Sept. 25, Farragut and Bearden will meet on the gridiron for the 68th time in history.
And Jack Tate has been there for every matchup dating back to 1974.
He started as a Bearden Bulldog, attending that ‘74 contest as a BHS ninth-grader before becoming a beloved baseball coach and teacher. Along the way, he began handling sports information duties for the school, having kept statistics for 503 straight Bearden football games through the 2019 season.
But in July 2020, he took on the same position at Farragut, trading maroon for navy in the process. He still is considered a Bearden Bulldog by BHS coach Brad Taylor, but with FHS set to welcome the Dawgs this Friday, Tate said his allegiance is clear.
Read More
September 23, 2026 by Jake Nichols
For any cross country runner, a tactical approach is just as important as the physical fitness required to succeed.
That was evident for Knoxville Catholic last Saturday, Sept. 21, as the Irish featured five top-10 runners apiece in the boys and girls 5k races at The Mounds Invitational at the disc golf course that holds the same name in Oak Ridge.
“I think they’re maturing and learning how to race, how to take advantage of what the course gives them,” Catholic coach Sean O’Neil said. “It was a hilly course and was pretty hot. Just learning how to race better and move smarter, that made a huge difference for us.”
On the boys side, Cade Duncanson set a new course record to finish first at 15:48.80, leading Catholic. Behind Duncanson were Evan Van De Griff in third (16:02.30), Reid Bannister in fourth (16:21.00), Nathan Jurbergs in fifth (16:33.50) and Riley Horton in 10th (17:07.20).
“He stayed relaxed the first mile, and on a course like that, you have to,” O’Neil said of Duncanson, who also competed for Team USA this summer in Italy. “He did a really good job; once he made a move, he pushed himself to do more and wanted to see what time he could run. He did a good job keeping the pressure on.”
Read More
September 23, 2026 by Jake Nichols
After scoring quickly and hanging on against Farragut, the Hardin Valley girls soccer team went with the same formula against Bearden.
Only the Lady Bulldogs struck back, claiming a key 2-1 district win over HVA last Friday, Sept. 18, at the Bearden soccer complex.
Makayla Hammond nailed the first strike for HVA in the first minute, opening the scoring in a hurry.
Reese Underwood proceeded to even things up at 1-1, then Madi Bowlin nailed a penalty kick in the second half to give BHS a lead it would not relinquish.
With the win, Bearden moved to 2-0 in district play for the 2026 campaign.
“We knew they scored early against Farragut, and with this being our Senior Night, my message to the girls was that they’re a fast-starting team,” head coach Ryan Radcliffe said last Friday. “So you’ve got to get rid of the emotion of that early and be ready, because it’s a huge district game.
“I feel like I need to stop saying those things because I feel like I speak it into existence sometimes. But it was a great response, and it was encouraging to see.”
“It’s always nice to score right off the bat, but we’ve been struggling to score goals after that,” added HVA assistant Mandy Marshall of the Lady Hawks. “And teams like Bearden, there’s only so long you can hold onto a 1-0 lead.”
Read More
