No recovery from rough start for Bearden vs. unbeaten Red Rebels
KNOXVILLE — Bearden High School won an overtime game at Maryville last year, so the Red Rebels obviously had the rematch circled on their calendars.
And MHS made sure that it didn’t have a repeat performance. Maryville, with the help of a pair of early turnovers by the Bulldogs, notched a 62-28 Region 2-6A victory over Bearden Thursday, Oct. 3, at BHS’s Bill Young Field.
The Bulldogs (3-3 overall, 2-1 in Region 2-6A) had two early fumbles, which Maryville quickly turned into points and opened a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest.
The Rebels (7-0, 3-0), got an early 1-yard touchdown run by Price Davis after Maryville recovered Bearden’s first fumble on the Bulldogs’ 6-yard line.
On its second possession, BHS fumbled again, this time at its own 32-yard line, and Maryville capitalized again a short time later and extended its advantage to 14-0 on a 9-yard run by quarterback Will Jones with 8 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Things didn’t get much better for the Bulldogs on their third possession, as a 32-yard punt gave the Red Rebels a short field again. Maryville, which took possession on the Bearden 48, took a 21-0 lead on Davis’ second touchdown run.
Davis had another touchdown run late in the first quarter and Maryville all but put the game away, opening a 28-0 advantage.
Bearden sophomore quarterback D.J. Hunter, a transfer from Mississippi who had been out due to injury, returned and made the start for the Bulldogs. He finished 11-for-22 through the air for 210 yards and a pair of touchdown passes.
Drew Parrott, Bearden’s former starting quarterback who filled in under center during Hunter’s absence, returned to wide receiver and had three receptions for 98 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown pass from Hunter with 9:13 remaining in the game.
Bearden travels to 6A-state-ranked Cleveland (5-1, 1-0) for a critical region game Friday evening, Oct. 11.
