Bearden, Gibbs and South-Doyle win district crowns
By Ken Lay
Bearden High School won district boys soccer championship in front of spirited crowd at Turner-Allender Field giving the team a reason to celebrate.
But the celebration was tempered because it was only the first step in the Bulldogs accomplishing their ultimate goal — successful defense of their 2024 Class 4A State Championship.
“This may sound bad but this game doesn’t mean anything as far as getting us to the state (tournament),” Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said after top-seeded Bearden dismantled No. 2 Hardin Valley Academy, 5-1, at Bearden to claim the District 4-3A crown. “Tuesday’s game is the one we need to get to state.”
Like the Hawks (13-4-2), the Bulldogs will face elimination the next time they hit the pitch on Tuesday night in Tuesday night in a Region 2-3A semifinal. Bearden will host Halls, while the Hawks will play at Oak Ridge.
The Bulldogs (16-1-1) got off to a fast start Friday night as they benefitted by an own goal just 54 seconds into the match to take a 1-0 lead. The marker was credited to Lucas Ford.
And that was only the beginning of the onslaught.
Aidan Ainsworth tallied the next two markers and the Bulldogs had a 3-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the match.
Ainsworth has tallied six times in the Bulldogs’ last six matches.
“He’s a workhorse,” Radcliffe said of Ainsworth. “He came on last year and we weren’t expecting him to have a big role as a sophomore, but he came in and kept proving points. It eventually got to the point where you said we can’t not give this guy a chance.
“All he did last year is come in here and play a vital role in us winning a state championship.”
The Hawks would answer when Asher Stimson’s mid-range shot found its way past Bearden goalkeeper Logan Nelson and into the back of the Bulldogs’ net in the 12th minute.
But Hardin Valley couldn’t muster any more offense.
“They came out and jumped all over us,” Hawks’ coach Ray Dover said. “We got embarrassed. We haven’t played like this since I’ve been here.
“We got outplayed. We got out-competed and we got out-communicated. It was just too quiet out there. Now, it’s about what we do with it. The next thing we’re going to do is look at the film, and it’s going to hurt.”
Bearden, on the other hand did exactly what Radcliffe wanted to see — finally.
“We didn’t take our foot of the gas pedal and this was fun,” Radcliffe said. “I told them that we wanted to keep having fun.
“The other night (in a district semifinal win over Maryville), we got up 2-0 and we let them get back into the game. When you get to this point, everybody is good. You have to put these teams away when you get chances.”
Bearden extended its advantage to 4-1 on a goal by Joshua Garcia in the 29th minute. After halftime, Isaac Martinez closed out the scoring in the 29th minute.
Wildcats outlast Halls for District 3-3A Title: Oak Ridge notched a 3-1 win over the Red Devils in the District 3-3A Tournament championship match.
Halls will travel to Bearden on Tuesday to tangle with the defending state champion Bulldogs. Oak Ridge will host the Hawks in the other elimination semifinal on Tuesday.
Cherokees Claim District 5-3A Tournament Championship: South-Doyle, the defending Class 3A State Champions, captured its district tournament championship with a 5-2 victory at Billy K. Nicely Field.
The Cherokees got a pair of goals from Karl Henkenjohann. Finn Straussfogel, Gideon Walker and Taylor Wilson also found the back of the net against the Redskins.
Walker, Isaiah Mitchell and Elijah Riffey also dished out assists for South-Doyle, which will play host to District 6-3A runner-up East Ridge in a Region 3-3A elimination semifinal on Tuesday.
Kickoff time for that match was not set at press time.
In District 3-2A: Fulton claimed the tournament championship with a 5-2 victory over Cocke County Wednesday night at the Emerald Youth Lonsdale Soccer Complex.
The Falcons will play host to Scott on Tuesday in a regional elimination semifinal
In District 4-2A: Gibbs notched a 5-1 victory over Scott in the district championship match. The Eagles will host Cocke County on Tuesday at Ernest Whited Stadium in Corryton.
In the Division II-A East Region Championship match, Grace Christian Academy won the title thanks to three second-half goals. The Rams blanked Notre Dame 3-0, and three different players found the back of the net against the Irish.
Pedro Ungarello, Vitor Robazza and Diego Dourado all tallied for Grace. Robazza and Felipe Evans were credited with helpers for the Rams.
