Powerful start for Dawgs vs. Hawks in shutout
BEARDEN — Friday night at home on Bill Young Field, Bearden High School’s football team built a 29-0 lead early in the second quarter, then cruised to a 35-0 win over Hardin Valley Academy Sept. 2. It was the first regional game for both of the Region 2-6A rivals.
The Bulldogs (2-1 overall, 1-0 in Region) had big plays on both sides of the ball. HVA fell to 0-3, 0-1.
“Winning’s always a lot more fun than the alternative,” Bulldogs first-year head coach Josh Jones said. “All we talked about this week was being 1-0 in the region.”
While his team grabbed three interceptions — two by junior linebacker Pierce Palmer and one by senior cornerback Dolan Walker — Hawks head coach Jeff Miner said he was “proud of the way we kept fighting. The last two-and-a-half quarters we played really well. The first one-and-a-half we didn’t do a whole lot right. I gotta find a way to get us ready to play.”
Bearden took a quick 6-0 lead on a 63-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Drew Parrott to freshman Tory Beaufort on the second play from scrimmage.
On the ensuing possession for HVA (0-3, 0-1), a snap over the head of quarterback Hayden Bryant resulted in a safety and an 8-0 Bearden lead.
It was 15-0 fewer than three minutes later when Parrott hit Ethan Ford for a 25-yard score.
When the Bulldogs’ Kai Young returned an interception to HVA’s 15 on the next possession, Kai Ironside’s 6-yard scoring run made it 22-0 with 2:03 left in the first. Sam Nicaud, BHS senior linebacker, also grabbed an interception.
Parrott’s 53-yard scoring connection with Ford came 9:53 left in the second quarter, making it 29-0.
Brown and Ironside carried the ball 14 times for 107 yards and two scores. “Presean Brown and Kai Ironside tonight ran like men,” Jones said.
“It’s a big win,” said Brown, a transfer from Carter. “We’re 1-0 in the region. We did what we had to do.”
In the first half, Parrott was 12-of-16 passing for 229 yards and three scores. “Parrott did some good stuff as well,” Jones said. “Obviously he had some moments he’d like to have back (three interceptions).
“The O-line really stepped up,” he added. “The entire defense has been there from day one.”
“There’s two ways to respond: you can give up and lay down or you can keep fighting,” Miner said. “We’re gonna keep doing everything we can to get this thing going in the right direction.”
