By Steve Williams
A Clinton fan said it was a tale of two halves.
Yep, it was indeed that.
But Bearden’s girls flag football team left Clinton that night with the Region 1-AA title and a berth in the state tournament at Murfreesboro.
If you missed the game at Clinton, the Lady Dragons led 20-7 at halftime. But Bearden made a 32-0 run in the second half to win 39-20.
“They got the momentum and we couldn’t get it back,” added the Clinton fan.
Ella Hudson’s pick six sparked Bearden’s second half explosion.
“We forced a three-and-out and Nicole Smith Harris hit MC Lemarbe on a 42-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 20,” said Bearden Head Coach Zachary Scott.
Alaya Johnson then took over the game, applying constant pressure on the Clinton quarterback. At that time, Johnson had five sacks and was ranked third in the state in sacks.
The Lady Bulldogs went on another long drive and connected with senior captain Finley Wright with a TD pass. Emma Rainey, a senior, got another interception and Lemarbre, a sophomore, had two more touchdown catches in the final quarter.
“Our defense allowed just 90 yards in the second half,” said Scott.
Lemarbre had six catches for 142 yards and three TDs. She took over the game in the second half and became the go-to-target for freshman Nicole Smith Harris, who threw for 252 yards and four TDs.
Senior Stella Cross had eight flag pulls, putting her over 100 this season. Rainey had two picks and an 11-yard TD run. Amileigh Crippen chipped in six receptions for 63 yards.
The game started with Clinton taking a 14-0 lead after a pick six. Bearden scored on a long drive, but its third interception in the first half allowed the Lady Dragons to lead by 13 at the intermission.
“This season has been very special and the girls have come a long way,” said Coach Scott. “They represent every corner of Bearden High School and have become like a family in a short amount of time. They really love one another and have each other’s back on the field.
“I’ve been so impressed by their toughness.”
The Bearden girls won two games that they trailed 90 percent of the game and another on the last play of the game – not to mention the big second half comeback in the region championship game.
“We lost our star quarterback at the midway point of the season and a freshman had to step in as our starting quarterback,” recalled Scott. “The team rallied around her and she is undefeated as a starter.
“In our loss she was unavailable as well and we had to start our third quarterback, who had never done it before except one day at practice, and we lost. But the way the team rallied around her was beautiful to watch and in hindsight that was a huge moment in our season.
“The team got so much closer during that loss. That third quarterback, freshman Leighton Corum, became the hero of the semifinal game just 12 days later when she got the game winning interception with 20 seconds left to send us to the region championship game. We finished 16-1.”
Bearden girls goes 0-4 in Flag Football at state
Thursday Pool Play
Blackman 25, Bearden 13
West Creek 33, Bearden 6
Nash. Overton 25, Bearden 6
Friday Quarterfinals
Ravenwood 33, Bearden 12
