GAME RECAP: William Blount 0-5 Bearden
In the Onrise Care High School Game of the Week, the Bulldogs push the action away from home against the Governors.
The Bearden Bulldogs (11-0-3) put an exclamation point to their 3A-District 4 regular season title with a 5-0 victory at the William Blount Governors (13-6-1) in Blount County.
Bearden’s forwards jumped out to a quick start, playing with intensity in the opening 10 minutes. Senior forward Lucas Nordin was quick to meet the ball wherever William Blount’s defenders tried to send it. Nordin, who holds Bearden’s scoring record and was named an All-American last season, delivered the first major shot of the night in the ninth minute, just missing the net off the right post.
Junior Jack Raulston and senior Hamid Djouadi offered ample support to Nordin’s attacking runs, while the visiting defense kept tight on every attempt the Governors made toward the penalty area. Quickly, the match turned physical, with a few severe tackles as both sides battled for control.
Three goals in six minutes set up the visitors with a large lead early.
Sophomore midfielder Daniel Kinney struck first in the 14th minute, heading in a short pass from just in front of the right post. In the 16th minute, senior midfielder Ethan Ford directed a ball toward Nordin just outside the six-yard box. He collected himself, then booted an arcing shot to the left side of the net.
Nordin nearly scored another in the 18th minute. William Blount senior goalkeeper Eli Custer deflected his shot. But, as the ball rolled forward away from him, Bearden’s senior forward Hayden Tate rushed up to drive in another goal.
The setback inspired the Governors forward. For the rest of the first half, William Blount’s midfield controlled possession at the halfway line, and their forwards took several shots at the net.
Senior forward Taylor Aaron led the charge for the hosts. With 35 goals this year, he holds the single-season scoring record for William Blount and sits high in the all-time state ranking. Sophomores Lucas Baker and Tyler Gilliland drove along the touchlines, while senior Alexander Flores helped dominate the midfield.
The intensity grew as the game matured, and fans voiced their discontent with the officiating. Around the 30-minute mark, the referee issued warnings to both sidelines, including a yellow card to one of William Blount’s coaches. Early in the second half, he added a warning to the stands and a second yellow card to the same coach.
Bearden came out hot in the second half. The visitors controlled possession, though they were not as dominant as they had been to open the match. William Blount’s defense kept the Bulldogs away from the penalty area. Flores continued fighting in the diminishing midfield game.
Over time Bearden shifted play closer to the Governor’s goal, and the home team’s defense and midfield showed more wear as the match went on.
Two more second-half goals settled the result in Bearden’s favor.
In the 64th minute, Djouadi hammered a direct free kick from the arc over a wall to the left side of the net. In the 77th minute, junior midfielder Omar Hewzi sprinted into the goal area on a corner kick and headed the ball barely inside the left post.
This game marked the end of the regular season for both schools. They will continue to the 3A-District 4 tournament next week. As the top seed, Bearden receives a bye to host a district semifinal game on May 10. William Blount will play at Maryville in a quarterfinal game on May 8.
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Bearden Head Coach Ryan Radcliffe
On his team’s performance:
“You’ve got to play with whatever circumstances you’re given. Not only are we always going to get everybody’s best shot, but there’s just so many factors in a game you play in. This was a smaller field than what we’re used to, and a good opponent, so I was happy to see we didn’t get too chaotic and lose composure. I was decently pleased with our attitude and our focus. We didn’t have some of the little things against Farragut last week. I thought mentalitywise we weren’t there, and we’ve been preaching that a lot this week. I thought the first five minutes showed that: we came out aggressive, were knocking on the door, and had lots of chances there.”
On his hopes for the district tournament:
“Now the real season starts. This is a district of death. We need to rest and recover; we’ve got to get healthy. I don’t think we’ve played a game in a month with our whole group of rotations. Even tonight we played different people in different positions, we’ve just got to get healthy. I think that’s huge with the first-round bye, we’ll have almost a week of rest.”
Bearden Senior Forward Lucas Nordin
On his performance and hopes for playoffs:
“I don’t think I had the best performance, but a win’s a win. We got three points, so I can’t complain about that. We come out slow sometimes, so I’m glad today we came out with fire. We’re trying to turn a leaf over before playoffs. I’ve lost the state championship two years in a row, and you really feel that deep down. It’s always about just wanting it more. We were able to get there because the guys were able to perform together. I need to be scoring my chances. Putting the ball in the back of the net is how we’re going to win it.
William Blount Head Coach Bill Baker
On the intensity of the game:
“We had to muddy it up, and a lot of this was by design. We had to start without two of our best players, so we did what we could do. We use a lot of heart; we play way above our talent level. I’m proud of them. This team’s a good team; it’s the only one that’s really handled us. I knew it was going to get worse in the second half, and I told them we aren’t getting pushed around.”
On his hopes for the district tournament:
“That game against Maryville is going to be a dogfight. If everybody could get out of this district, I think all of us could make a deep run in state. We’ve been playing lights out, and I’m super proud of this team. They’ve come a long way in two years.”