When Sam Tummins’s interception sealed a 23-20 Bearden win last Friday night, it meant history had been made.
The Bulldogs narrowly escaped one-loss Jefferson County and will advance to the quarterfinals of the 6-A state playoffs against Bradley Central on Friday night at 7.
The 2023 Bulldogs (9-3) are only the fourth Bearden football team in school history to make it to the “elite eight” of the state playoffs. To celebrate this accomplishment, we took a look back at the first three teams to make it to this point.
1995
“We weren’t expected to go anywhere in the playoffs that year.”
-Vincent Nicaud
Led by legendary Bearden Coach Bill Young and All-State linebacker Vincent Nicaud, the ‘95 Bulldogs started the season 2-5 before rattling off three straight wins to sneak into the postseason.
As Nicaud observed, not a lot was expected from this group as they had a number of tough teams that they would have to face in order to survive and advance.
After a 14-7 win over South Doyle, the Bulldogs had to take a trip down to Chattanooga to face off against powerhouse Red Bank in the second round.
“Mike Keith (current voice of the Tennessee Titans) was working on the radio in Knoxville at the time, and he mentioned on his show before the game how Bearden High School and Vince Nicaud shouldn’t be in the playoffs and how we weren’t good enough to play with Red Bank,” Nicaud said.
Red Bank was only allowing 17 points a game in that season, but that didn’t stop Bearden from putting 37 points on the Lions, and blowing them out to advance to the first quarterfinal appearance for Bearden football.
Although Bearden lost to Riverdale in the next game, the upset at Red Bank established a precedent for Bearden football, and continues to be a fond memory for those involved more than 25 years since the game took place.
“The best memory from that year was us winning when nobody thought we could, and going as far as we did,” Nicaud said.
2007
“It was nice to kind of shake those cobwebs off and remind the student body and the community in general that Bearden can play ball.”
-Matt Williamson
Regarded as one of, if not the greatest team in Bearden history, the 2007 Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 9-1 record and a region championship. The team was not complacent with heading into the playoffs, though, as that one loss was a 35-28 thriller against arch-rival Farragut, marking their seventh straight loss to the Admirals.
After two dominant performances against Ooltewah and William Blount in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the 2007 team became the second in school history to play for a semi-finals berth. To get there, they had to go through a familiar foe.
The Bulldogs earned a second shot at Farragut, this time for more than just bragging rights.
“We got a chance at redemption in the playoffs,” All-State linebacker Matt Williamson said. “There was a lot of pressure on us because it was a quarterfinal game, but also because of how many times we had lost to Farragut in a row.
“I actually had a picture of the scoreboard from the regular season game in my locker all year as motivation.”
The Bulldogs took advantage of their second opportunity against the Admirals, as they won 28-14 in the quarterfinals behind a big night from running back Torey Works.
The win against Farragut propelled the 2007 team to the state semi-finals, the first and only Bearden football team to make the “final four” of the state playoffs. The Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker at eventual state champion Smyrna High School by a score of 17-14, but the legacy of that team still lives on in the Bearden community.
“Everyone likes to beat Farragut, and everyone likes to make it far into the playoffs,” Williamson said. “I don’t think we are the only team that has done that, but it was much needed at the time.”
2010
“2010 is when we had really gotten back to the level we were at in 2007.”
-Drew Williamson
In Coach Brad Taylor’s fourth year at the helm, the Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 7-3 record. Led by ESPN third-team All-American Devrin Young and a dominant defense, the Bulldogs established themselves as a force to be reckoned with after scoring 72 points against Walker Valley High School in the first game of the season.
After a blowout win in round one against Hardin Valley and an overtime win over familiar playoff foe Dobyns-Bennett, the 2010 team became the third in school history to make the quarterfinal and the first since 2007.
“The 2007 team showed us it was possible,” said Drew Williamson, younger brother of Matt and an All-State linebacker in 2010. “Up to that point, we had never gotten that far into the playoffs.”
A loss to eventual state champion Maryville in the quarterfinals ended the 2010 season for the Bulldogs, but the lessons that Drew learned throughout his time playing football for Bearden stick with him throughout all the different facets of his life.
“You learn a lot about yourself and if you’re going to give up in those moments or if you are going to work harder,” he said. “Now in life, I’m a 31-year-old dad with a 1-year-old son, so those lessons stick with me today.”
The story of the 2023 Bulldogs is still being written, as the Bulldogs will go down to Cleveland for the second time in four weeks to face off against undefeated and top-seeded Bradley Central.
This year’s team has the chance to follow in the 2007 team’s footsteps by avenging a regular season loss in the state quarterfinal, as the Bulldogs lost 46-14 in the meeting with Bradley last month.
“It’s very important for me, especially as a senior, because I just want the chance to keep playing football,” senior receiver Braden Perkins said. “Our goal is to go back there and end their season.”
Added senior Braxton Evans: “Getting the opportunity to play them again in the biggest game we have ever played is definitely going to be a driving factor for us.”
Editor-in-chief Ella Parker contributed to this story.