Bearden rolls region win over Hardin Valley
By David Klein
The Bearden Bulldogs got off to a fast start Friday night and never looked back against the visiting Hardin Valley Hawks. Time and time again, Bearden’s wide receivers and running backs got whatever they wanted down the field in taking a 35-0 halftime lead on the way to a 35-7 Region 2-6A win over Hardin Valley.
The Bulldogs wasted no time on their first offensive possession, gaining first downs on their first three plays of the game. Senior running back Torian Riggins ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 10:01 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
A scant three minutes and 45 seconds later, the Bulldogs scored again on Drew Parrott’s 20-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 Bulldog lead with 6:16 left in the first quarter. Parrott started the game in place of injured quarterback DJ Hunter. Parrott had switched to wide receiver before the start of the season after playing quarterback last season for the Bulldogs. He would finish the game by passing for a perfect 8 for 8 for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Moments later, cornerback Keshawn Mills intercepted the Hawks’ Dylan Umansky’s pass. Bearden took advantage of the turnover as Parrott threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Deameion Leavell in the left corner of the endzone. The score made it 21-0 Bearden with 3:09 left in the first quarter.
Following a defensive stop of the Hawks, the Bulldogs blocked a punt and recovered the football in Hawks’ territory. On 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line, Tory Beaufort ran for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 28-0 lead with 9:04 left in the second quarter.
With 2:39 left in the second quarter, Beaufort found the endzone again to give Bearden a 35-0 lead. Beaufort started left, then cut the ball back to the right side for the touchdown.
“I just wanted to score,” Beaufort said. “I ran outside zone. They play a funky defense, bring nickel defense all the way down so we like cut it off. I couldn’t get there, I seen the other side open. I just trusted my speed, and ran to the outside, trusted my blocking, got the touchdown.”
The second half began with a running clock since Bearden was up by 35 points. The Bulldogs were able to get their backup players in and Bravo Maddox saw time as quarterback. Neither team did much offensively as both teams turned the ball over as Hardin Valley threw an interception and Bearden fumbled the football.
The Hawks prevented a shutout and got on the scoreboard with an 11-yard Kaden Cutcher touchdown run. That made the final score 35-7 Bearden. The Bulldogs finished the night rushing 27 times for 243 yards and three touchdowns, averaging nine yards per carry.
“All week long it was about us getting better and being 1-0 in region play on Saturday,” Bulldogs Coach Josh Jones said. “We had a really great week of practice, a good week of prep. I thought the focus was good. We played well, got ahead early and we got a lot of guys in and that’s what makes Friday nights fun.”
Hardin Valley (1-4) travels to Maryville Friday while Bearden (2-2) plays at arch rival Farragut (0-4) Friday night. “It’s a rivalry game,” Jones said. “Coach (Geoff) Courtney and his staff do such a good job. Throw the records out the window. Those guys are going to play hard. Farragut’s won a lot of games in this rivalry and we’re trying to reverse that.
“For us, we’ve just got to focus that it’s another region game. We can’t get caught up in all the hype of the rivalry. We got to get better this week in practice and go out there and play harder than they do, play more physical than they do on Friday night.”
