Rebels Win First State Title With 18-0-2 Season
In 1987 Franklin HS was beaten in the TSSAA boys state championship soccer game 2-0 by Knoxville’s Farragut.
That’s 26 years ago, and in that span Franklin had never gotten back to the championship.
In 2013 they got back and road an unbeaten season to a 3-1 victory over…..can you believe it, Farragut HS.
They did it with a first-year coach who knew full well about the 26 years between championship games. He is a Franklin HS graduate and a former Rebels’ player.
They did it with a team of players who had grown up never knowing a season ending with a Franklin title.
Conner Quggle opening the scoring at 13:00 for Franklin and Allister Berger made it 2-0 near the end of the half. Matt Brady made it 3-0 with less than 13 minutes left to play.
Fletcher Ekern closed the gap to 3-1 with a free kick goal at 3:17 left to play, but it was too little, too late for Farragut.
As the clock ticked down to zero the TSSAA Class AAA state title belonged to the Franklin High School Rebels for the first time.
While the 2013 Rebels were working their own magic throughout the spring, Coach Michael Burgoyne did not forget 1987 and that team that came up one win short of the title.
“The last couple of days we’ve been reaching out to the Class of ’87,” said Burgoyne, an outstanding player on his Franklin teams that came close, but did not end a season with a state title.
“It was kind of a chance for us to come back and almost rewrite that game.”
Franklin advanced to the final with a 3-12 win over Maryville, while Farragut was beating Hoston by the same score. Farragut finished the year 22-4-0.
A number of Franklin seniors will go on to play college soccer, but they will remember this game as long as they live.
“”Oh my gosh, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for my high school career, that was unbelievable, said Rebels captain Ben Norris, one of those who’ll be playing college soccer in the fall.
“To do it with this team, and all of the expectations we had, and to finally come through with it — it’s a feeling I probably will never experience again.”
CAK Defends Class A/AA Title
Christian Academy of Knoxville won its eighth boys state soccer championship with a 2-1 win over Kingsbury.
Sophomore Stephen Pardue’s header provided CAK with a 1-0 lead late in the first half. CAK (23-3) went up 2-0 midway through the second on a goal from Steve Thompson.
Kingsbury cut the margin to 2-1 on Jose Marquez’ score with six minutes left in regulation, but could not find the equalizer.
Kingsbury reached the championship game with a 3-2 win over Christ Presbyterian Academy on Zakaria Warsame’s late second-half goal. It was his second goal in the game.
CAK also advanced with a 3-2 victory by edging White House with a pair of second-half goals from Josh Morgan and Wade Cruchfield. Cruchfield’s goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, came on a penalty kick.