Sports
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
With 3:54 left in the second quarter against Rhea County on Tuesday, Jan. 6, Farragut senior KJ McNealy darted into the lane and leaped for the ball as it caromed off the right side of the backboard.
When she emerged from the scrum, ball in hand, McNealy became the Lady Admirals’ new program leader in rebounds with 1,010.
In the process, she broke a 23-year-old record held by 2002 Farragut graduate and former FHS assistant coach Alex Munday, who finished her career with 1,009.
“This is actually her first year not being here,” McNealy said of Munday. “So I broke her record of rebounds in a game two years ago, and then she texted me this week about breaking this one. It was really sweet, so I was aware of it.”
On the play in question, McNealy utilized the same tools that led her to sign with Grand Canyon University: effort and physicality.
“It happens a lot,” she said, shrugging off the physical nature of rebounding in general. “It’s a lot harder because as tall people, we get hung on, pushed out, dirty stuff all the time. But, I’ve tried to go offensive rebound as much as I can. Anyone can get one if they just go after the ball, and that’s always what I’ve done.”
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
Trinity Curry looked surprised then broke into a grin near the Farragut bench last Thursday night.
Teammate Lilly Mullins had just leaped into Curry’s arms to celebrate Curry’s first 3-pointer of the season, which she nailed during the Lady Admirals’ 75-17 win over West on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
That victory made up one part of a milestone week for the Lady Ads as they returned home following a post-holiday tournament in Gatlinburg.
“I didn’t think it was going in, but I’m glad they trusted in me,” Curry said of her shot. “I was like, ‘Lilly, what are you doing?’ But it was pretty funny though.”
Two days prior, FHS took down Rhea County in district action Tuesday, Jan. 6. That 58-49 win featured 20 points from Zoe Porter, who hit five first-half 3-pointers in the win to pace the Lady Ads.
“She’s getting better defensively and in her decision-making, but she’s a person that’s stepped into that role with Gabby (Vanacker) and Livi (Slagle) hurt,” Farragut girls coach Jason Mayfield said. “We’ve told her to fire it up when you see an opening, and she has done a really good job of that.”
Later in that same game, senior KJ McNealy set a new program rebounding record when she passed former Farragut assistant coach and 2002 graduate Alex Munday in career boards.
After the win and the record, Mayfield still noted a defensive lapse through the first portion of the game. But FHS put on the clamps in the second half to pull away.
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
J.P. Burris has a saying he repeats often to his Farragut boys basketball team: “Us is greater than you.”
Translation? “Share the ball,” Burris said. “Play together.”
The Admirals answered that call perfectly this week, beating Rhea County 87-63 on Tuesday, Jan. 6, in a District 4-4A matchup. Two days later, they dispatched West 72-59 on Thursday, Jan. 8, in a non-district affair.
Against Rhea County, FHS saw six double-digit scorers. Reid Vining led the way with 19 points;Dan Lanning supplemented with 16 and Britton Lewis added 12 points. Matthew Dickens, Aiden Foshie and Parker Lane scored 10 each.
Forty-eight hours later, all but one of those guys hit double-digits again in the
Admirals’ win over West:
Vining and Lewis with 16
each, Foshie with 13, Lane with 12 and Dickens with 11 points.
Each game featured a few different elements, but one constant remained: Farragut’s ability to spread the wealth.
“We have several guys that can score,” Burris summarized. “Any night, any one of them can go off. When we share the ball, I feel like we’re harder to guard because we have several options.”
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
As the calendar flips to 2026, there are plenty of questions to answer and championships to seek.
One of those questions lies at Webb, where George Quarles has taken over the Spartans’ football program.
“I’m really excited to be back in East Tennessee and the Knoxville area,” Quarles told the farragutpress. “Also glad to be back in high school football. It’s a fresh start, not just for Webb but for me.”
The Farragut Middle School dance team will be seeking its fifth straight national title in Junior High Pom this year while the middle and high school dance teams will seek back-to-back state titles in jazz. The same goes for the FMS cheer squad, which won a state championship in the large division.
The Hardin Valley boys soccer team will be looking for its second straight state title, while the same goes for the HVA boys golf team and the CAK girls golf program.
Both Webb programs will be looking for similar finishes after ending on strong notes last year, and the Bearden Lady Bulldogs will be seeking vengeance in Class 4A basketball with a push for a fifth state title in six years in soccer.
“We return a really strong core group,” BHS coach Ryan Radcliffe said. “I think only three of our starters were seniors. So seven returners out of our starting group. I also think we have a really strong freshmen class coming in that I’m extremely excited about.
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
LENOIR CITY — CJ Martin drove the lane last Friday, Jan. 9, his intent clear as he barreled onward.
Panthers defender Hunter Click slid over to cut off the Hardin Valley sophomore,
then Lenoir City’s Ben Barr and Jagger McKelvey converged to leave Martin with no escape.
The ball slid from his grasp as the game slipped away from Hardin Valley, which fell to Lenoir City, 69-57, in a District 4-4A battle.
The loss brought a harsh end to a mixed week for the Hawks as they beat Jefferson County 66-58, in a non-district affair on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Kymani Smith led HVA with 14 points that night while Colin Dyrness added 12 with 11 from Kristian Oliver.
Two days later, a bout of sickness left two of those scorers hampered against Lenoir City.
But, Arendt cited his team’s physicality as the primary difference in the two outings.
“One of the differences was my two lead guards had the flu, so they weren’t very good tonight,” Arendt said Friday. “But again, it’s the same thing. They were more physical. Jeff County was just as physical, but we made a choice in that game to play hard and to do our work early and keep them out of the paint. Today, we let them punk us.”
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Jake Nichols
LENOIR CITY — This season, Jennifer Galloway has seen plenty of positives in her young Hardin Valley girls basketball team.
Those were on prime display Tuesday, Jan. 6, as HVA dismantled Jefferson County 55-45 in a non-district affair. That night, three players hit double digits in the scorebook: Marley Edwards (15), Holly Lindsey (11) and Audrey Riehn (10).
But three days later, on Friday, Jan. 9, Galloway saw a different version of her team in a 47-29 district loss against Lenoir City. The Lady Panthers took control early and never let up, totaling three double-digit scorers against the Lady Hawks: Rylee Boling (12), Kymbal Williams (11) and Kara Gresham (11).
Meanwhile, Alaina Lineberry led HVA with 9 points with 6 each from Edwards and Sarah Galloway.
“I can’t share all of what I said, but the main message is that we got out of playing Hardin Valley basketball, and we’re better than what we showed,” Galloway said. “We can’t wait until the fourth quarter to start doing some things. We have to be the aggressor first and can’t wait to feel it out.”
It was a tough outing for a youthful group, as Hardin Valley features 12 players who are freshmen or sophomores with just two juniors listed on the team.
With that ratio, the future is laid out in two separate points.
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Knoxville — Despite seeing his team pick up a key District 4-4A victory at home early last week, Bearden High School girls basketball coach Justin Underwood admitted that he was a bit frustrated.
“We played well in spurts but we also had spurts where we were spectators,” Underwood said after the Lady
Bulldogs toppled Lenoir City, 66-50, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Bearden High. “That’s a little frustrating.
“I know it’s a Tuesday night game and I know that we’re just getting back in school after the break, but we have to be more consistent.”
The Lady Bulldogs had a 40-16 lead at halftime against the Lady Panthers, coached by former Webb School of Knoxville head coach Shelley Collier.
But Bearden got a little sloppy after the break and Lenoir City took advantage of some Bearden miscues. The Lady Panthers scored the first seven points of the second half and pulled to within 40-23 with six minutes, one second remaining in the third quarter after Lexi Varner buried a three-point shot.
From there, Bearden and Lenoir City slugged through an evenly-matched third frame as both teams scored 16 points over that eight-minute span.
Read More
January 14, 2026 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Knoxville — Bearden High School boys basketball coach Jeremy Parrott was a bit concerned before his team resumed District 4-4A play in the new calendar year.
And his worries looked to be warranted early as the Bulldogs struggled to manufacture offense early in their league tilt against Lenoir City, as the game remained scoreless for nearly the first four minutes.
And when a team finally broke the offensive drought, it was the Panthers that grabbed the lead when Ben Barr made a basket with 4 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Bearden would finally get untracked and rout the Panthers, 81-49, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at BHS.
“We were worried about that,” Parrott said of his squad’s early offensive struggles. “We spent Christmas break at a tough tournament and we played three games against teams that were nationally ranked, two of which, we won.
“Our guys have to be ready to play, regardless of the environment and who the opponent is. We struggled early, but eventually we got it together and we were able to do enough to win the game.
The Bulldogs would establish a bit of offensive rhythm and open an 18-11 lead by the end of the opening frame.
Read More
