GAME RECAP: Bearden 3-1 Hardin Valley
In the Onrise Care High School Game of the Week, the Bulldogs clip the Hawks' wings to claim a third straight regional title.
The Hardin Valley Academy Hawks (11-3-6) only lost to one team this season: the Bearden Bulldogs (17-0-3), including in Thursday night’s AAA-Region 2 championship. The 3-1 result cemented a third straight regional championship for the Bulldogs and determined both teams’ opponents in the sectional round on Saturday.
In their first matchup, on April 13, the Bulldogs scored a 5-0 victory. The two teams met again on May 12 for the AAA-District 4 championship. That closely fought contest ended with Bearden winning 1-0 in overtime.
The teams came into the regional championship with little rest, as storms on Tuesday delayed the semifinals to the night before the final. In those matches, the Bulldogs shut out Region-3 runners-up Oak Ridge to secure their spot, and the Hawks battled West to a 3-1 victory—all four of those goals coming in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The quick turnaround could have posed a challenge. But playing well on a tight schedule is crucial for any team hoping to make a run in the state tournament, which features three games over four days.
The Hawks came out of the gates on fire, scoring in just the fourth minute. Junior defender Marques Powers took a clear shot from out in the middle to the top right side of the net.
Through the rest of the first half, both teams battled up and down the pitch for control. Bearden managed a few shots but spent little time with the ball. Senior forward Lucas Nordin (the all-time Bulldog scoring leader) drove most of the attacks, with assistance from senior Hamid Djouadi and junior Jack Raulston in midfield.
Throughout the first half, the Hawks’ defensive line looked solid. When the visitors took trips upfield, they passed around Bulldog defenders and midfielders. Freshman midfielder Dane Hammer guided many of the attacks, sending long arcing passes to his forwards, including junior Brady Hammer and sophomore Ben Brophy.
The Bulldogs tied the score in the 30th minute. Senior midfielder Chandler Donohoe sent an aerial pass from the left side toward the penalty spot, where senior forward Hayden Tate slid to direct a shot toward the net. It deflected off the crossbar, but Nordin found it in space to head the ball to the left of the keeper.
Bearden returned from halftime with the same fire the Hawks had to start. In the 44th minute, sophomore midfielder Cole Stopka headed in a corner near the net to put the home side ahead.
The Bulldogs controlled possession early in the second half. Hardin Valley wouldn’t take a close shot on goal until the 54th minute. Senior defender Ish Palacios stepped forward for the Hawks, directing play as the visitors tried to level the score.
The first part of the second half was defined by Bearden’s attempts to break through the defensive wall, with the ball staying almost entirely on the Hawks’ end of the field. For the final 20 minutes, play shifted to midfield, where players from both sides continued angling for a chance to close the fight.
Nordin sealed the victory in the 74th minute. He dribbled to the edge of the box, then paused and feigned a shot. As the keeper lunged forward, he drilled it to the left side of the net for 3-1.
As the winners, Bearden hosts Saturday’s sectional match against Region 1 runner-up Science Hill from Johnson City. Hardin Valley travels to Region 1 champion Dobyns-Bennet in Kingsport on the same day. The sectional round is another win-or-go-home game. The winners earn berths to the state tournament in Murfreesboro that kicks off on Monday.
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Bearden Head Coach Ryan Radcliffe
On playing with short rest:
“You hope the other team may be more tired than you are. It’s the same format as the state tournament. You take the times in the day when you can rest and rebuild. We talked at halftime that we’d see who has more in them for the second half. I thought the resiliency the boys showed was great.”
On going down early:
“After the first goal, you’ve got to think there’s still a ton of time. Then the boys picked themselves up. I didn’t have to say anything after that goal. I thought they did a good job of working together. I was displeased with the goal, but I wasn’t displeased with how we responded after.”
On Lucas Nordin’s performance:
“As a coach, you don’t often have to challenge your All-American. But I thought that last Friday, he was a bit off, and he’ll be the first one to admit it. I thought there were some things that he could have done better to open things up more for us. The first thing I said in the meeting today was, ‘Lucas, we’ll see if you want to step up.’ And that’s how he responded. He’s a player that loves a challenge and loves to prove people wrong.”
Bearden Senior Forward Lucas Nordin
On the result and outlook:
“I feel pretty good, but the job’s not finished. When you see a team three times, they might start feeling like they have nothing to lose. I’m just glad we’re able to host, and staying undefeated is great. We’ve just got to work hard and play defense. Defense wins games.
Hardin Valley Head Coach Jessica Stephens
On her team’s performance:
“They don’t get scored on often, so it’s nice to come out and build your confidence. I think everybody was sitting there trying to figure out what legs we had underneath us. I think when you look at coming out with that intensity and having those opportunities, it speaks to the fact that we came out here to give it a go. We weren’t going to roll over. I was proud of our boys for that.”
On the game’s challenges:
“We just had such a hard game yesterday. We had to fight tooth and nail to play here. Then to play back to back with no rest, I think you just saw our legs start to go. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have the next gear after that. These games are brutal down the stretch. We came off two of the most physical teams in our area. We’re not big, so you have to figure out how to be strong in other ways.”
On the outlook for the season:
“You’ve just got to give it all. We tell the seniors, ‘As long as you’re proud to walk off the field at the end of the game, then you’ve done what you need to do.’ I think we’ve got to go in there with the mentality that this isn’t something this team has done in a while. If we want to go to state, we need to go out and play like that.”