Bearden edges Farragut to end historic campaign
The Lady Admirals ended the regular season on a four-game win streak, defeated Powell 14-0 for the program’s first playoff win last weekend and, after leading Bearden 7-6 for most of the second half, appeared poised to advance even further on Monday, May 8, in the District 1-AA semifinals at Clinton’s Dragon Stadium.
But in a stunning two-minute sequence, the Lady Bulldogs bit back.
On 4th-and-12 with 1:49 to go, BHS quarterback Nicole Smith-Harris heaved a pass to go-to receiver Emma Rainey. Bearden’s three-sport star came down with the game-winning grab in the corner of the end zone, then MC LeMarbre followed with a leaping conversion grab to make the score 13-7. Moments later, with Farragut looking to respond, Bearden freshman Leighton Corum intercepted FHS quarterback Aydan Skelton to put the game on ice.
The result left Farragut mourning a sudden end to a remarkable campaign while Bearden celebrated a district championship berth that, based on the current format, puts them one win from the state tournament in Murfreesboro.
“When I was running, I saw it was a little short, so I’m like, ‘Oh crap, I have to go get that,’” Rainey said of her catch. “I just did everything I could — a lot of pride. I really didn’t want to lose this game, wanting to win for the team and coaches and everyone watching.”
“That’s our third win by that same score, and it’s so cool to see them turn on the jets and run away from people,” Bearden coach Zach Scott added. “But when other teams are playing better than us for periods, they don’t flinch. There were some long faces in that third quarter, but they just kept grinding.”
The Lady Bulldogs hit pay dirt on their first possession, as Smith-Harris laced a pass to Amileigh Crippen for a 6-0 lead with 6:17 left in the first quarter.
A conversion stop by Emma Pearl Riffer prevented the seventh point, though. And thanks to a staunch FHS defense, the Lady Bulldogs would not score again until their final possession.
On its second possession of the evening, the Lady Ads’ offense answered the bell.
Skelton avoided the rush and found Frida Lizarraga for a first down, then Moya Sakhleh and Bella Bruton combined for a hook-and-ladder that Bruton turned into a touchdown. Sakhleh snagged the conversion pass from Skelton for a 7-6 lead, as FHS took the advantage into halftime.
The teams traded punts through the third quarter and into the fourth, as Farragut’s defense continued to keep the Lady Admirals in the game.
“I was really impressed with how they reacted today,” FHS coach G.W. Curtin said. “When we got a penalty we’ve never seen before, instead of complaining about it, we just buckled up and stopped them. So many times, this could have gotten out of hand. It could have been 27-7, but our defense kept us in it.”
But when Bearden took over with 2:41 left, the Lady Bulldogs had a different ending in mind.
Smith-Harris hit LeMarbre three times in four plays along the Bearden sideline, forcing a Farragut timeout with 1:41 left.
The Lady Admirals stopped three straight BHS attempts with defensive backs doubling Rainey. But on the fourth one, Scott whipped out a pen and scratched out a different formula that ended with her cradling the ball in the end zone.
Curtin pinned the loss on the Farragut coaching staff, noting that the offense could not seem to find its footing Monday.
“As a coaching staff, we can put that one on us and say that we have to prepare our offense to score at least twice a game,” Curtin said. “And that lets our defense have a shot to help us win it.”
He said they have a flag football clinic set for Wednesday and Thursday, June 3-4, for anyone who wants to give the sport a shot.
That clinic, combined with this season’s progress, left him feeling buoyant about the future, even with a stinging result in the season finale.
“Nobody really asked for this team,” he said. “This was handed to us from the TSSAA, and the first coach they had quit before the first game in 2024. So it’s like an island of misfit toys. We didn’t take it too seriously the first year, having two practices a week. Now what we’ve built, it’s a
serious varsity program and the school has adopted this team.”
A lot of hard lessons to learn this year, but we’re using it as fuel for next year. And I hope the juniors remember days like today.”
