BY DAVE LINK
CLASS A
KINGSTON – Kingston (17-1-1) returns to the Class A state semifinals for the second consecutive season after beating Madison Magnet of Jackson 2-1 in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at Chattanooga Baylor School. The Lady Yellow Jackets rallied from a 1-0 deficit at halftime, getting goals by Emery Conway and Maddie Bailey in the second half. Troi Boshears had the assist on Bailey’s goal. Kingston, making its fourth trip to state, improved to 2-3 in tournament matches. Madison Magnet (12-5-2) made its 11th trip to state but fell to 0-11 in state matches. Kingston won its eighth consecutive match since a 2-2 tie against McMinn County on Sept. 24. The Lady Yellow Jackets’ only loss this season came against Holy Cross of Covington, Ky., by a 6-3 score on Sept. 7. Kingston plays in Thursday’s 4 p.m. semifinal against the Merrol Hyde Magnet of Hendersonville (16-3), which beat Liberty Creek 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Merrol Hyde won state championships in 2021 and ’22 and was runner-up in 2023, ’20, and ’18.
CLASS AAA
BEARDEN – Junior forward and Tennessee commit Jayla Bluescored three goals Wednesday night as Bearden posted a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Murfreesboro Siegel at Chattanooga’s Girls Preparatory School. Bearden (19-1-1), ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps, is two victories from winning a fourth consecutive state title. The Lady Bulldogs dominated Siegel, firing 28 shots (16 on goal) to Siegel’s three shots (three on goal). Bearden had 11 shots at halftime – the match was tied 0-0 — and Siegel had no shots in the first half. Blue scored in the 51st minute for a 1-0 lead, crossing a shot that got past goalkeeper McKenzie Allen. Blue gave the Lady Bulldogs a 2-0 lead with an unassisted goal in the 55th minuteand scored again in the 64th minute off an assist by Maci Ritzman. Blue finished with 13 shots and Halle Bibee had six shots for Bearden. Senior goalkeeper Drew Tolley made three saves and got the shutout. Bearden had nine corner kicks to Siegel’s one corner kick. Bearden advances to Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal at GPS against Page, which beat Collierville 4-1 in the quarterfinals. Page (16-5-2), of Franklin, won Class AA state championships in 2021 and ’22 before moving up to Class AAA.
CLASS AA
GREENEVILLE – After advancing to last year’s state final, Greeneville’s season ended with a 5-0 quarterfinal loss to Franklin County on Wednesday night at Chattanooga Christian School. Greeneville finished the season with a 13-9 record after making its 10th consecutive trip to the state tournament. Franklin County of Winchester won its first match at state in its fourth consecutive trip; the Lady Rebels were in the Class AAA state tournament in 2021-22 before dropping to Class AA for the 2023 season, when it lost to Station Camp 3-0 in a state quarterfinal. Franklin County advances to Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal against Signal Mountain, a 3-1 quarterfinal winner over South Gibson. Class AA semifinal matches are at Chattanooga Christian School and the state championship is Saturday at Boyd-Buchanan in Chattanooga.
THURSDAY
DIVISION II-AA
WEBB – The Lady Spartans (14-1-1) make their first-ever state Final Four appearance against Nashville’s Harpeth Hall (13-0-3)on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Chattanooga’s Girls Preparatory School. Lipscomb Academy (12-3-1) plays Chattanooga Baylor (16-4-2) in Thursday’s first semifinal match at 11 a.m. at GPS. Harpeth Hall went 14-4 last season and finished state runner-up,losing to Baylor 3-0 in the championship match. The Honeybears won the Division II-AA state title in 2021 with a 2-0 win over Baylor in the final. Harpeth Hall is ranked No. 4 in the state (all divisions) by MaxPreps and Webb is No. 5. Webb has won two straight matches since a 4-2 loss to Chattanooga Christian School on Oct. 1. Harpeth Hall defeated CCS 2-0 Saturday in the state quarterfinals, while Webb beat Memphis Hutchison 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Webb senior/team captain Pearce Groer sustained a leg injury in the second half of the Hutchison match and won’t play in the Final Four. Groer, a Texas commitment, is one of two seniors on Webb’s roster along with Abby Weigel.