With the establishment of girls lacrosse as a TSSAA sanctioned sport for the 2025 season, the Lady Bulldogs have asserted themselves as a regional powerhouse.
The Lady Bulldogs (9-1, 2-0 District 1-AA) sit atop of the district standings heading into Tuesday’s game against Dobyns-Bennett (0-4, 0-1).
Lacrosse instilled new habits at the start of the season which have allowed for their unmatched success. Conditioning during the pre-season and technical drills completed each practice have grown the Lady Bulldogs’ agility and stamina, allowing them to play to their absolute potential.
“We have worked really hard all season, and it’s rewarding to see it pay off,” senior Campbell Boney said.
Additionally, the coaching staff has been a key factor in establishing healthy practices within their athletes. The athletes credit Coach Kellie Cope’s role as a team nutritionist and assistant coach and Coach Mark Hacker acting as a motivational speaker—the team even coined the term “Motivation Mark” for his inspiring sentiments.
“My goal is to help them build a healthy relationship with food that supports both their athletic goals and their overall health,” Coach Cope said.
Added sophomore Sophia Huber: “I have learned proper fueling and nutrition for games and even self-worth and confidence.”
Along with the coaches, the senior athletes act as role models for the rest of the team. The veterans understand the importance of adequate mindset prior to games which has challenged them to enforce that expectation upon the rest of the team.
“The seniors set the tone for each game which really impacts how we perform,” Boney said.
Both athletes believe that this precedent allowed for their triumph over rival Farragut earlier this month. The Lady Bulldogs won the game in a nail-biter with a final score of 16-15.
“We felt like we were in a really good spot to beat them,” Boney said. “All we had to do was execute on gameday.”
Added Huber: “After coming up short in the past, we wanted it really bad.”
Bearden lost to DuPont Manual from Kentucky just before the Farragut game and needed to regroup.
“Right after [the DuPont game], we went out as a team to get ice cream,” Boney said. “We didn’t want to dwell on it before Farragut.”
The team feels that preparing for each game as if it will be a battle helps them to remain collected and keeps their egos grounded.
“We can’t go into games assuming we are going to win,” Boney said.
When playing familiar schools, both athletes feel their competitive drive spike; nonetheless, the players pride themselves on their composure.
“When we are playing teams that we know, it can get really personal, but we have done a really good job staying collected,” Boney said.
Coach Cope said that although the staff wants to lead their athletes to success, she values the lifelong lessons the athletes take away once they leave the sport.
“I hope our lacrosse athletes walk away with a sense of pride in who they are, both on and off the field,” she said. “Our goal is that they carry these lessons far beyond the game of lacrosse.”