Farragut Rallies, Deals Ooltewah Stunning 56-49 Playoff Loss In Double OT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Ooltewah bullied its way into a 28-point third-quarter lead and appeared to be ready to nail down a semifinal playoff berth at the expense of once-beaten Farragut.

Then, the Admirals came up with a mind-boggling 28-point rally to tie the ballgame with 65 seconds left in regulation and went to on post a spine-tingling 56-49 double-overtime victory over the Owls in a TSSAA Class 5A quarterfinal playoff thriller at Bill Clabo Field on Friday night.

“That’s the toughest loss I’ve ever had in my life,” said Ooltewah quarterback Collin Thurman, who threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns while completing 21 of 30 passes.

Farragut tied the score at 42-all on a Adam Fulton-to-Jacob Warren pass with 1:05 left on the clock – that was Fulton’s fifth TD pass in the game.

The Owls’ offense, which had been silenced for most of the second half, went right back to work, driving 43 yards in six plays to the Admirals’ 10-yard line, milking the clock as they went.

Owls coach Mac Brown called his last timeout with 2.4 seconds showing.

Players and coaches huddled. Then both teams went back to the field.

Owls place-kicker Aleksander Toser lined up the football with the uprights, stepped back and awaited the snap. He got the kick away, but it sailed wide right as the final seconds ticked off.

“We played a great first half of football,” Bryan said. “Farragut played really well in the second half; their execution was better and they made some big plays. We didn’t execute very well in the second half and some penalties hurt us.

“We got the ball down there for that field goal that would have ended the game, but we missed it. That’s a hard way to lose a game. But our players did a tremendous job this year.”

With the loss Ooltewah ends its season with a 10-3 record. A win would have given the Owls their first appearances in the semifinals since 2008 when they lost to Oakland 35-0.

Farragut (12-1) advanced to the semifinals and will host South Doyle (8-5) on Nov. 25. South Doyle beat Morristown West 41-34.

“Farragut’s quarterback and that receiver (Braden Collins) really made some nice plays in the second half,” Bryan said. “We tried to cover them, but the quarterback avoided some pressure and they just kept making plays.”

Ooltewah went on offense to start the first overtime at the 10-yard line.

On fourth-and-two, tailback Cameron Turner scored and the Owls regained the lead at 49-42.

The heat was on Farragut.

Cooper Hardin picked up eight yards on first down. He quickly took care of the last 2 and after the extra point kick the Admirals were again level with the Owls on the scoreboard.

On the extra-point play, Ooltewah was called for a roughing-the-kicker penalty and when the second overtime began Farragut set up shop at the Owls’ 5.

Hardin scored on first down, giving Farragut its first lead of the game, and it turned out to be the final margin.

Ooltewah needed a touchdown and extra point to keep its season alive.

On first down Turner picked up 3 yards to the 7. Thurman connected with Tahj Cargle on a 2-yard pass play. Turner gained 3 up the middle, setting up a fourth-and-two.

Thurman handed off to Turner, who was stuffed by the Admirals’ defensive front began a wild celebration after the remarkable comeback that eliminated the Owls from title contention.

Turner closed his prep career by rushing for 152 yards on 33 carries. In his last four games with the Owls, including three playoff games, Turner gained 796 yards and finished the season with 1,362 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Ooltewah played brilliantly in the first half, stunning the Admirals (12-1) with an offensive juggernaut that produced a 35-14 halftime lead.

The Owls’ five first-half scoring drives covered 80, 48, 61, 40, 80 and 80 yards and Farragut didn’t appear to have any defensive answers.

Thurman got the scoring started with a 24-yard strike to Tahj Cargle, who finished with five receptions for 48 yards and capped the first of three 80-yard drives by the Owls.

Ooltewah’s second TD, Turner’s first 2-yard run, was set up by Elijah Wigfall’s interception – Kendell Robinson got a pick on Farragut’s first possession of the game.

The Owls pushed the early lead to 21-0 when Turner again found the end zone from 2 yards out.

After Fulton’s first TD toss to Collins, Quinn bolted 63 yards for a score that reinstated Ooltewah’s 21-point advantage at 28-7. Quinn ended the game with 134 rushing yards on 13 carries.  

All that changed after halftime.

“We knew they would bring the fight to us in the second half,” Thurman said. “The missed field goal in the fourth quarter definitely hurt.”

Thurman completed touchdown passes to Tahj Cargle and Cam Chambers covering 24 and 36 yards, respectively.

Fulton definitely had a favorite target on Friday. He threw four of his five touchdown passes to Braden Collins on plays of 15, 7, 35 and 19 yards.

SCORING

Ooltewah                   14 21 7 0 7 0 – 49

Farragut                    0 14 14 14 7 7 – 56

First Quarter

OOL – Tahj Cargle 24 pass from Collin Thurman (Alek Toser kick), 4:34

OOL – Cameron Turner 2 run (Toser kick), 2:42

Second Quarter

OOL – Turner 2 run (Toser kick), 10:28

FAR – Braden Collins 15 pass from Adam Fulton (Joe Doyle kick), 8:14

OOL – Sincere Quinn 63 run (Toser kick), 6:14

FAR – Collins 7 pass from Fulton (Doyle kick), 4:26

OOL – Turner 1 run (Toser kick), 29.2

Third Quarter

OOL – Cam Chambers 36 pass from Thurman (Toser kick), 9:08

FAR – Collins 35 pass from Fulton (Doyle kick), 7:40

FAR – Collins 19 pass from Fulton (Doyle kick), 7:40

Fourth Quarter

FAR – Amon Johnson 19 run (Doyle kick), 9:12

FAR – Jacob Warren 7 pass from Fulton (Doyle kick), 1:05

First Overtime

OOL – Quinn 2 run (Toser kick)

FAR – Cooper Hardin 2 run (Doyle kick)

Second Overtime

FAR – Hardin 5 run (Doyle kick)

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)