Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps spring sports coverage. For over 70 years, KOC has emphasized a unique practice of specialty orthopaedics. Click on their logo above to set up an appointment today.
BY DAVE LINK
MURFREESBORO – Bearden’s soccer team rolled to a 4-0 victory over Walker Valley of Cleveland in the Class AAA state quarterfinals Tuesday afternoon at Siegel Soccer Complex.
The Bulldogs (19-3-1) will play Hendersonville (16-2-3) on Wednesday at 4:30 CT in the semifinals.
Hendersonville beat Clarksville’s Rossview 3-2 in their quarterfinal game.
Gatlinburg-Pittman had to go the distance in its Class A quarterfinal, riding the goaltending of Jeffry Valladares to a 4-2 penalty-kick shootout victory over Independence Academy of Antioch.
G-P and the Lions played to a 1-1 tie after 80 minutes of regulation time and two 10-minute overtimes.
The Highlanders (16-3-2) play defending state champion Madison Magnet (17-3-1) in Wednesday’s semifinals at 6:30 CT.
Here’s a look at how Bearden and G-P advanced on Tuesday:
The Bearden soccer team defeated Walker Valley, 4-0, in a Class AAA state quarterfinal on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker).
SIMS LEADS BULLDOGS
Senior forward Dillon Sims had two goals and an assist, leading Bearden to the victory.
Sims missed last season with a foot injury but was at the Bulldogs’ Class AAA state quarterfinal when they lost to Brentwood 1-0 in a matchup of two nationally ranked teams.
“We came out ready to fight, ready to win,” Sims said. “We had a mentality much better from last year with what happened with the draw against Brentwood. We’re ready to go all the way this year. We’re going to change things up a little.”
They need a change from their earlier match against Hendersonville, which beat Bearden 2-1 on March 15.
Sims didn’t play in that game because he was ineligible due to being home-schooled after his foot injury and having to sit out a calendar year before playing.
“He’s a special player,” Bearden coach Ryan Radcliffe said of Sims. “We’re excited. I think Dillon’s excited because he couldn’t play against Hendersonville the first time.”
Hendersonville beat two-time defending state champion Brentwood in double overtime in a sectional match.
“We’ve got a good idea of what they’re about,” Radcliffe said of Hendersonville. “Obviously they’re on a roll here, knocking Brentwood out of the tournament. We know it’s going to be a bloodbath, so to speak. It’s going to take everything we’ve got, but you’re at the state tournament for a reason.”
Bearden was in control for much of Tuesday’s match and finished with 25 shots to Walker Valley’s eight shots.
Walker Valley keeper Jason Osorie had 11 saves and Bearden’s Logan Nelson had four saves. Nelson was replaced by Eli Keener for the last 8:46.
Sims gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute, scoring from about 12 yards off an assist by Jack Raulston.
Omar Ardahji made it 2-0 in the 27th minute when he scored off an assist by Aidan Ainsworth.
Ainsworth, a sophomore, scored in the 53rd minute off an assist by Lucas Ford. Ainsworth has scored a goal in five of the last six playoff games.
“He’s a classic example of a kid who works his tail off,” Radcliffe said. “That’s why he’s out there. That’s how he earned that spot. He impressed us on the JV field in terms of how hard he works and how hard he battles.”
Sims scored an unassisted goal in the 70th minute for a 4-0 lead, nailing a shot from 15 yards on the left side.
Bearden is making its sixth consecutive trip to state under Radcliffe. The Bulldogs have won five state titles and were runners-up four times, including 2022 when it lost to Brentwood 4-1 in the final.
Radcliffe was glad to get past Tuesday’s quarterfinal, when players had to deal with hot temperatures and Cicadas flying around.
“There’s still a lot of players out there (for Bearden) that haven’t really played in a state tournament, maybe have been here but haven’t played,” Radcliffe said. “It’s good to get your nerves out.
“Ultimately, we had to figure out how to handle the elements: the heat, the turf, the big field, even the dang bugs flying on you. It’s kind of good to get that out and regroup and look at what we did to help ourselves today and hopefully use it again tomorrow.”
Gatlinburg-Pittman outlasted Independence Academy in PKs in a Class A state quarterfinal Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker)
VALLADARES SAVES THE DAY
Valladares, a junior, set the tone for the PK shootout when he blocked a shot by Lions star player Edgar Betancourt in the opening round.
A three-year starter, Valladares was in goal when the Highlanders beat Madison Magnet 3-2 on penalty kicks in the 2022 Class A state championship. He was in goal last year when G-P lost to Madison Magnet 4-1 in the state semifinals.
“He’s not new to it,” G-P coach Zach Schrandt said of PK shootouts. “He’s saved quite a few. He saved three of the five in the state title game (in 2022). He has a terrific read on shooters.”
He got a good read on Betancourt’s shot in the first shot of the PK shootout.
“We thought (Betancourt) would go left,” Schrandt said. “We’d seen him go left twice on film, so (Valladares) just read that. He’s just incredible at it.”
G-P converted on all five of its PK shots by Eli Colbert, Cecilio Rodriguez, Carlton Gheesling, and Carlos Turcious.
“We work on PK shootouts until we’re blue in the face,” Schrandt said. “To me, there’s never any doubt (in a shootout). We have a lot of confidence, starting with a great goalkeeper. There’s five shots, he saves one, we’re going to win. We got to this point, I thought we were fine.”
The Lions finished with 25 shots to G-P’s 13 shots.
Valladares had nine saves, and the Lions’ Edwin Ramirez had seven saves.
Despite getting the win, Schrandt was upset after the match because of his team’s difficult draw.
“TSSAA and the powers that be need to listen to the (soccer) coach’s association,” he said. “We have been begging to get rid of a blind draw and go to an RPI model. We’ve all agreed. We need (TSSAA) to agree.
“For us to come in as the No. 1-ranked team and draw the 2 and 4 team on our side in the first two games is what happened to Bearden last year (drawing Brentwood in the quarterfinals). We need to be rid of it. This needs to be the last time we do it in a blind draw. …
“We just had to play a top-three team our first game. That’s our reward for our record and the teams we’ve played and our strength of schedule. It’s fine. We found a way to get through it, but now, we have to turn right back around and play the defending state champs. And then you look at some of the other games in the setup, and for luck of the draw to be a determining factor, why are we OK with that anymore in 2024?”