Bearden flag football books first state trip
Zach Scott could tell from the first day of practice that his Bearden flag football team could do something special.
“On day one in February, I showed them pictures of last year’s state champions celebrating and showed them the restaurant next to where the state tournament is played that I said we’d go to,” Scott said. “It was sort of silly but also my attempt to set a vision for something they hadn’t yet imagined. I knew they could be special when each of them wrote their goal for the season, and they wrote eating at that restaurant in May.”
That commitment was made complete last weekend, as Bearden stormed back from a 20-7 deficit to defeat Clinton 39-20 in the Region 1-AA championship. With the victory, the Lady Bulldogs are heading to the state tournament in the first TSSAA-sanctioned year of girls flag football.
“It’s very, very special,” Scott said. “We haven’t really grasped it yet, I don’t think, because we immediately went to the weekend, and I’m trying to wrap my head around getting these girls to Murfreesboro and fed and all the things. It’ll hit me when we get on that bus Thursday morning.”
In the meantime, when he hasn’t been preparing for their trip, it would be understandable if Scott needed a breather after the festivities of last Friday, May 8.
Clinton struck first to make the score 7-0, then a pick-six put the Dragons ahead by two scores. Another Bearden pick gave CHS a chance at a three-score lead, but Alaya Johnson came through with a pair of sacks, finishing with five on the night. Freshman quarterback Nicole Smith-Harris hit rangy wide receiver M.C. LeMarbre for a 35-yard conversion on third down, and Emma Rainey and Johnson finished off the drive with a 10-yard score and extra point catch, respectively, to make it 14-7. But a third BHS interception and ensuing touchdown allowed the Dragons to go up two scores at halftime, 20-7. But, Ella Hudson snagged a pick-six of her own right out of halftime, then Finley Wright caught the extra point pass before LeMarbre took a slant route 42 yards to tie the score at 20 with a failed extra point.
Bearden took its first lead with a couple big catches by Amileigh Crippen and a touchdown grab by Wright, then Crippen hauled in the extra point to make it 27-20.
The very next play, Rainey made one of her two interceptions, and Smith-Harris connected with LeMarbre twice more to make the final margin.
Notably, she finished with six receptions for 142 yards and three scores. Smith-Harris threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns, and senior Stella Cross registered seven flag pulls, putting her over 100 on the season.
Now, after a remarkable season so far — including composure after a season-ending injury to quarterback Sophie Keener — Bearden flag football is headed to state for the first time.
“They come from all corners of Bearden High School and have become a family,” Scott added. “To see them get this close in just 100 days has been a joy for me. There’s something glorious about something so awesome existing where, four months ago, hardly anything did, and six months ago, nothing did.”
