When the clock struck zero during the state quarterfinal matchup between Bearden and Maryville, it marked the end of another successful season for Bearden football, but one the players had hoped would last a little longer.
The Bulldogs fell 41-20 to the perennial state-champion Rebels in that state quarterfinals for the second straight year, and that’s only one similarity between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“Last year we started off 0-2 and started out 1-2 this year,” senior tight end Keaton Gilbreath said. “Last year, we felt like we could have started 2-0, and definitely should have. This year we should’ve started 2-0 also, but as the season went on, both years we definitely got better.”
However, even as the last two seasons shared similar origins and endings for the program, they also had their differences.
“Compared to last year, this team felt like we had more firepower,” Gilbreath said. “We felt like if we were going to make a run that this was the year.”
Although the season did not end with the program celebrating its first state championship, Bearden football is arguably in the midst of its most prosperous era, having made consecutive state quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
“Starting off, we were 3-3 at one point, and everyone pretty much wrote us off and left us for dead, saying ‘You all might not make the playoffs’ or ‘5-5 is your best case scenario,’” Coach Josh Jones said. “Lo and behold, we went on a six-game win streak against some good teams and unfortunately came up short against Maryville in the quarterfinals.
“Overall, it was a success. You factor in your quarterback missing five games, your all-state tailback missing five or six games, and your all-state linebacker missing almost the whole season along with several other injuries sprinkled in. For most teams, that’s enough to cripple them. That’s a 2-8 season for most teams, and we were fortunate enough to have enough talent and depth, our kids kept battling, and we finished 9-4.”
This achievement can be heavily attributed to this year’s senior class.
“Since they’ve been here, I feel like they have boosted the winning [mentality] in the program,” said Deameion Leavell, a junior wide receiver and defensive back. “Now, we’re winning consistently and not just going out [on the field] and tucking our tails and losing.”
Added Coach Jones: “[The seniors] are finishing out three winning seasons in a row. It’s been a long time since Bearden has won three years in a row. [They] finished out hosting playoff games. It’s been a long time since that’s happened at Bearden. [They] finished out back-to-back quarterfinals, the first time in school history. I could go on and on about all the things they have accomplished on the field.”
The recent winning tradition set by the seniors leaves some pressure on the younger players, but most in the program are more excited about the standard the Class of 2025 has set moving forward.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good chance of winning state next year,” Leavell said. “I feel like we can make a run for it.”
Most of Bearden’s starters on both sides of the ball will return next season, including quarterback DJ Hunter and running back Jayzon Thompson.
“We return about eight starters or so on offense and I think we return around seven or so on defense,” Coach Jones said. “We’re going to miss these seniors and they’re going to be really hard to replace, but we’ve got a lot of talent coming back.”
Added Gilbreath: “If [next year’s senior class] is going to set a record, it is probably going to be for the most people signing at Division I colleges. There’s a lot of talent in that group. With another year of all them working out in the offseason, getting stronger, and getting faster, I think the sky’s the limit for them.”