Bearden gets redemption in district showdown
Bearden High School’s boys soccer team picked up a measure of revenge Friday night, April 10, when it defeated Hardin Valley Academy in a key District 4-AAA match.
The Bulldogs ran past the Hawks, 4-1, before a packed and spirited house at BHS’s Turner-Allender Field.
The victory avenged Bearden’s loss to Hardin Valley in the Class AAA state quarterfinals in Murfreesboro in 2025.
But Bulldogs’ coach Ryan Radcliffe knows
his side still has plenty work to do in 2026 to reach its ultimate destination.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know how much this means in our district when you’ve still got West, Farragut and Maryville coming up on our schedule,” Radcliffe said. “It’s a good first step. But in all honesty, I think that’s all it is right now.
“It’s kind of one step forward and you’ve still got to win those three other rivalry games.”
The Bulldogs (9-1 overall, 2-0 in the district) lost last year’s state quarterfinal match when the Hawks scored three goals in the final 23 minutes, erasing a 2-0 deficit.
But on Friday night, the Bulldogs made sure they didn’t have a repeat performance as they converted a pair of penalty kicks, swinging the tide their way.
Bearden seized the upper hand early in the match as Aidan Ainsworth found the back of the Hardin Valley net in the 18th minute. Hawks’ goalkeeper Harrison O’Dell stopped Ainsworth’s initial shot. Ainsworth, however, got the rebound and promptly buried it past O’Dell.
Hardin Valley (5-5-1, 1-2) scored the equalizer approximately three minutes later when Asher Stimson tallied, making the score, 1-1, in the 21st minute.
The Hawks, the 2025 state champions, have battled injuries all season and things got worse for Hardin Valley in Friday night’s match.
“We had some guys get dinged up in the second half that had to come out of the game,” HVA coach Ray Dover said. “They’re integral to this team’s success.
“We’ve had a different starting lineup in all 11 matches we’ve played. These guys need to get continuity together and get a little bit healthy in places. I saw some good things out there.”
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead before halftime as Fadel Hamdan converted a penalty kick in the 30th minutute.
Ainsworth tallied on a penalty kick in the 51st minute.
Aidan Zalk closed out the scoring in the 79th minute of the match.
