Sports
September 17, 2020 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Farragut High School football head coach Eddie Courtney was wondering how his team would respond when it tangled with rival Oak Ridge late last week. The Admirals’ longtime head coach liked what he saw.
“I made it really hard on them for the past week-and-a half. I really did,” Courtney said after the Admirals notched a 45-25 over the Wildcats Thursday, Sept. 10, at FHS Bill Clabo Field, avenging a tough 21-14 loss at ORHS’s Blankenship Field last season.
It was Farragut’s first game since it lost 30-7 to Knoxville West Saturday, Aug. 29. After FHS fell behind early, the Ads roared back, which made the coach extremely happy.
“I didn’t like (the West game). That was not Farragut football and I wanted to see how they responded, and I like the way they responded,” Courtney said. “They could’ve not responded. But they did respond.”
The Ads certainly got their coach’s message. “Coach really made it tough on us and it worked. It really did,” said FHS senior wide receiver Matt White, who had 11 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns. “Coach Courtney is a great coach and he’s even a better man.
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September 17, 2020 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
FOUNTAIN CITY — The 2020 football season has been a struggle for Hardin Valley Academy,
And things didn’t get any easier last week. After suffering losses to Oak Ridge, Cleveland and Science Hill, the Hawks had a date with two-time defending Class 5A state champion Knoxville Central Friday, Sept. 11, at Central’s Dan Y. Boring Stadium on the north end of Knoxville.
After being competitive over the first 24 minutes, HVA saw things come unraveled and the result was a 53-21 loss.
Things started well for Hardin Valley (0-4) as it scored first on sophomore quarterback Caleb Smith’s 1-yard plunge to give the Hawks a 6-0 lead with 8 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter, The ensuing extra point attempt failed, but the game’s first touchdown was set up when the Hawks recovered a fumble by the Bobcats (4-0).
HVA actually recovered a pair of Central fumbles early in the contest, and that helped the Hawks hang around.
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September 17, 2020 by Alan Sloan
CLEVELAND — Bearden overcame adversity once at Bradley Central Friday night, blocking a punt and recovering in the end zone moments after failing to score after having first-and-goal inside the BCHS 1 yard-line.
A second failed scoring attempt inside the Bears 10 in the second half, ending with an interception, plus a pair of huge fourth-quarter penalties — and a balanced Bradley offensive attack taking its toll late — added up to a 35-20 Bears win Sept. 11.
“A lot of improvement from last week to this week, but we’ve still got to overcome our own shortfalls, our own missed opportunities,” said Bearden head coach Morgan Shinlever, whose team fell to 0-2 (40-7 loss at Dobyns-Bennett the previous week).
Junior Griffen Oros blocked a Bradley punt that began with a high snap, and teammate Jack Adams pounced on the ball in the Bears end zone to tie the game 7-7 in the second quarter.
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