September 27, 2023 by Alan Sloan
In Bearden’s three down-to-the-wire games this season, there have been two fatal — and one near fatal — fourth-quarter mistakes.
Having already suffered heartbreaking losses to a pair of defending state champs it outplayed for most of the game, Josh Jones’ Bulldogs were in control against rival Farragut early in the fourth quarter at BHS’s Bill Young Field Thursday evening, Sept. 21.
Shutting down the Admirals offense in the second half and driving inside the FHS 25 with a strong run game and a 14-7 lead, Bearden’s latest “here we go again” moment hit: the Admirals blocked junior kicker Daniel Kinney’s 41-yard field goal attempt, and with a perfect deflection and bounce, Admiral junior defensive back Landon Collins grabbed the ball and ran 60 yards to tie the game 14-14 with 8:28 to play.
“Next to ‘adversity’ in the dictionary, it’s got a picture of Bearden football,” a happy coach Jones said after the game — happy because this time Bearden regained control.
Using the elusive running of sophomore Jayzon Thompson and the power inside surges of junior runner Torian Riggans, BHS marched from its own 25 to inside the Farragut 40.
It was fourth-down and a half-yard to go with just under three minutes to play at the FHS 36 when Thompson broke open up the gut for a 36-yard scoring run, which gave the Dawgs a 21-14 lead with 2:36 remaining. “The O-line was pushing, so I just had to find a crease and go,” Thompson said.
On Farragut’s first play from scrimmage thereafter, at the FHS 20, a deflected pass was picked off by junior Ethan Couvertiere. The Bulldogs were able to grind out a first down and, with great joy and relief from all wearing Maroon and Gray, celebrated the program’s first win, 21-14, against Farragut since 2018, and just its fourth in 26 games dating back to 2002.
While Bearden has won three in a row in 2023, improving to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 2-6A, Farragut falls to 2-3, 0-2.
About regrouping after the blocked-kick TD, “We knew they weren’t getting anything on offense against us,” said Bearden senior defensive back/receiver Sam Tummins, who along with Couvertiere and fellow DBs Cody Clough (one pick) and Kai Young, allowed just five completed passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns. “It was on our offense to put points on the board, and we did that.”
The Dawgs’ combined defensive effort allowed the Ads just 146 total yards of offense.
“Oh man it feels so great to beat them,” Clough said while wearing an oversized king’s crown on his head.
“It’s amazing; you can’t explain how we feel,” senior offensive lineman Joe Scott said.
“I’m excited for our kids, our school and our community,” Jones said about the win.
“We didn’t make plays when we had to,” Ads skipper Eddie Courteny said. “But I’m proud of my team, they gave great effort.”
Game summary
Bearden took advantage of great field position on its second possession — set up by sophomore Tory Beaufort’s 16-yard punt return — and traveled 51 yards to make it 7-0.
Beaufort’s 16-yard reception from junior quarterback Drew Parrott, plus a half-the-distance facemask penalty, placed the Dawgs at the FHS 12. Three Thompson carries, the last for 3 yards, made it 7-0, with the first of three Kinney extra-point kicks coming with 6:12 left in the first quarter.
But the Ads got tricky, faking a punt on fourth-and-4 at the FHS 26, as senior Jack Alley ran 10 yards for a first down. A 13-yard run from senior Wyatt Drummy and 16-yard pass from quarterback Cam Duncan to Brooks Burnette came before two Drummy runs, a 7-yarder setting up his 1-yard score. The first of kicker Ryan McCue’s two extra points made it 7-7 with 10:13 left in the half.
Though Bearden recovered an onside kick to begin the second half, Farragut held BHS on downs at the FHS 32.
But the Dawgs went 75 yards, mostly on Thompson and Riggans carries, before Thompson’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left in the third.
A special thanks to Carlos Reveiz of CRFOTO for the action shots from the game. Check out CRFOTO.com weekly for a full photo gallery from Friday’s game. See a photo you like? They are also available for purchase directly from his website. Click here for this week’s photos.
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