Fourth BHS state title in 5 years?
KNOXVILLE — Bearden High School’s girls soccer team played in the Class AAA state championship match and had its eyes on an unprecedented fourth consecutive state title.
But the Lady Bulldogs lost a penalty kicks shootout to Germantown Houston and had to settle for a runner-up finish.
As the 2025 campaign looms, Bearden is looking to erase the memories of last year’s final match. And one of its stars is back, senior midfielder Taylor Roth, after missing her entire junior season due to a knee injury.
“I’m excited to have Taylor back,” longtime Lady SoccerDawg head coach Ryan Radcliffe said.
Roth returns just in time to help Bearden in 2025 when District 4-AAA, long considered the toughest league in the Volunteer State, is as strong as it has ever been.
“Anything less than getting to the state tournament is a disappointment for us,” said Radcliffe, who begins his 12th season as Bearden’s head coach. “Our first goal is always to finish at the top of our district, and that’s going to be extremely hard this season.”
The district underwent a facelift thanks to TSSAA re-alignment and re-classification for the 2025 school year.
The Lady Bulldogs, who have won multiple consecutive district regular-season and tournament championships, went 20-1-2 last season and, again, won the district regular-season title and tournament championship, as well as the Region 2-AAA Tournament crown.
Top returners for the Lady Bulldogs include: Roth (who recently committed to Western Kentucky), Jayla Blue (a senior forward and University of Tennessee commitment who was the District 4-AAA Offensive Player of the Year in 2024); Emma Rainey (senior, defender); Kennedy Lucas (junior, midfielder); Cadence Nesbitt (sophomore, defender); Brooklyn Major (junior, forward); Cali Motley (junior, midfielder); Madi Bowlin (junior, forward); Ella Eakins (senior, goalkeeper) and Taylor Cope (sophomore, defender).
Radcliffe said incoming freshman midfielder Hannah Nye will a player “to keep an eye on over the next few years.”
Expectations are high for Bearden and that’s nothing new, but some players will be asked to fill different roles in 2025.
“We’ll have some new faces and we’ll have new faces in new places,” Radcliffe said. “The biggest question for us is going to be whether or not we can find another scorer to go with Jayla.
“People are going to be game planning to stop Jayla and we know that.”
Bearden will open the 2025 campaign when it hosts Knoxville Catholic on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Turner-Alllender Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
‘District of Death’
Radcliffe knows his squad will enter the campaign with a target on its back. The District 4-AAA has long been labeled “the District of Death,” as it features the likes of Farragut, Hardin Valley Academy, Maryville and Knoxville West. Things also got a little tougher, as Heritage was re-classified to Class AA and was replaced by Lenoir City, a program considered stronger that once fielded competitive teams in the district. The Lady Mountaineers almost always finished at the bottom of the standings.
The Lady Hawks will have 10 returning seniors. West always is a tough opponent and has a mix of young and experienced talent. The Lady Admirals should be improved and Maryville is hoping to bounce back after undergoing a massive rebuild in 2024.
“The district has always been the ‘District of Death,’ and now it’s probably as good as it’s ever been,” Radcliffe said. “Hardin Valley, Farragut and West are all going to be good — and Maryville will be back.
“Lenoir City has always been pretty good and William Blount has been getting better,” he added. “... I think our district is going to be really strong this year.”
