It has been 16 long years since the Bearden High School football team has won the region championship, but they are 48 minutes away from one in 2023.
Anticipation is high as the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-0 Region 2-6A) will take on Bradley Central (9-0, 4-0) Thursday night at 7 in a de facto region championship game.
Bearden’s close losses to start the season may have kept them out of many conversations about the better teams in the state, but senior safety Kai Young has big aspirations for this next month with a plan to achieve the team’s goals.
“I mean our record is 7-2,” Young said. “If we were 9-0, we would be number one in all of the rankings, we’d be predicted to win state, we’d be this powerhouse of a team; yet still it motivates us more to keep playing.”
But before thinking about the playoffs, the Bulldogs have one more regular season game, and it’s for a title.
Young and other seniors such as safety and captain Sam Tummins will be counted on for their leadership skills to keep the team mentally sound before a game as pressure-filled as this one.
“We don’t really have a set leader on the team, people rise to the occasion and do what needs to be done, whether that is a sophomore or a junior or coaches,” Young said. “The seniors are really good leaders, but when we need to step up, we will step up when we need to fill in that role.
“I am really glad that our team has risen to the occasion and learned how to deal with hard things.”
Added Tummins: “This is good preparation for the playoffs as we will see many good teams, like Bradley Central, so it’ll be a fun one.”
This game was moved to Rivalry Thursday due to the significance it has for the playoffs. Bearden will have a challenge in handling four-star Tennessee commit and Bradley Central star Boo Carter.
“They are making it all about Boo Carter, and I think he’s a good football player, but I don’t think he will singlehandedly win the game,” Young said. “Our team morale is going to bring it home for us.”
Bearden is not letting the fact that Bradley Central has numerous college commits get under their skin and become a problem.
“We don’t need to let Bradley Central’s record or the players that they have control our minds or the game,” Tummins said.
The season is far from over, but both Young and Tummins can’t help but think about the legacy that they hope their senior class will leave behind.
“The culture shock has been drastic and coming in as a freshman and sophomore and not really winning much, and not being looked at as a superior team, but now being in a position to maybe win the region is exciting for all of the guys,” Tummins said.
Added Young: “I just think it is really cool that it is my senior class that is making all of this history. I want the underclassmen to really remember our senior class and look back when they are playing and be like, ‘Dang, the seniors are hard on us, but in the end it was worth it.’
“Hopefully they can take away something that’s not ‘we had to do this’ or ‘we had to do that,’ but instead ‘we get to go out there and do it’ because on Thursday we get a chance to play some of the best players in the state.”
Win or lose, they will still have finished the regular season with one of the best records they have had in years.
“Our mindset is that we are 9-0, we are undefeated, we are the best team in the state of Tennessee,” Young said.