Bearden High School top ten sports moments in 2013

2013 proved to be an incredible year in sports for Bearden High school. From state titles to first ever state tournament appearances to Bearden alumni representing their Bulldogs on both the professional and college levels, Bearden has experienced a multitude of athletic successes this year. To celebrate that success, we have created a list of Bearden’s top 10 best sports moments of 2013.

10. Doubles team of freshmen goes the state tournament – Last spring, freshmen Griffin Davis and Charlie Adams represented Bearden tennis in the Class AAA doubles state championship against Brentwood’s Will Jayne and Michael Arguello. Davis and Adams beat Hendersonville’s Blaire Godsey and Braden White 6-1, 6-4 in the quarter finals and beat Oakland’s Charley Myers and Mitch Burnham to advance to the state championship match.

9. Bearden swim wins its fifth city title in a row – The Aqua Dogs have always had a high standing tradition of excellence, but last season they topped the bill by winning their fifth city meet in a row.

8. Aaron Schoenfeld scores first ever MLS goal – Aaron Schoenfeld graduated from BHS in 2008 after having helped lead the Bulldogs to a state title and state championship appearance. Schoenfeld played on the men’s soccer team at ETSU and was signed by the Columbus Crew in March of 2012. On Oct. 27, he scored his first ever-professional career goal against the New England Revolution.

7. Bearden water polo wins state in inaugural season – Last March, Bearden established its first ever water polo team. Three months later, the Water Dogs made history by bringing home a state title.

6. Devrin Young scores first touchdown for UT – Devrin Young is probably one of the most well-known Bearden alumni and is playing football on the collegiate level for the University of Tennessee. On August 31, Young caught a nine-yard touchdown pass – his first ever-collegiate touchdown – in the Vols’ season-opener against Austin Peay.

5. Wrestling team goes to state – Bearden’s wrestling team has undergone a facelift under the direction of Coach Donnie Floyd, who has helped bring new training facilities and a renewed sense of pride and dedication to the program. Last spring, Coach Floyd was able to take Ben Kaemmerer, Jacob Gerken, Luis De La Cruz, Brandon Fitzpatrick, and Tristan Majors to the state individuals tournament.

4. Coach Jack Tate goes to his 500th consecutive football game – Coach Tate made history by attending his 500th consecutive Bearden football game on Nov. 1, where he witnessed his Bulldogs beat William Blount 28-20 in their last game of the season.

3. Bearden dance wins state (twice) – Bearden’s dance team has a long-standing tradition of excellence and competes for state titles every year. However, this year, the Lady Bulldogs became the first team in history to win first place in both pom and jazz.

2. Lane Thomas represents USA in Taiwan – Thomas, a University of Tennessee baseball commit, earned the honor of representing his country and his Bulldogs in Taiwan on the USA Baseball 18-under team in August where he, along with 19 other Americans, competed in the IBAF Junior ‘AAA’/18U World Cup. The USA ended up winning the World Cup and bringing home a gold medal.

1. Bearden girls basketball team clinches spot in state tournament at home – The Lady Bulldogs made history last March, beating Tennessee High 57-50 in a substate game to go to the state tournament for only the second time in school history; the previous trip was in 1981 (a year before Coach Justin Underwood was born). Senior Erin Walsh led the way, scoring 30 points and passing the 1,000-point mark for her career.