Why Bearden soccer coach Ryan Radcliffe brought 42 players to the TSSAA state tournament
MURFREESBORO — Bearden senior Julian Strickland struggled to celebrate after the Bulldogs beat Oakland 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance to the Class 4A state championship. He hasn't forgotten the feeling of losing last year to Houston in the title game.
"We need that redemption, because that was a terrible feeling. We don't want to feel that again," Strickland said. "It makes this a little bit less exciting because (the championship) is really the game."
But coach Ryan Radcliffe knows how it feels to win the title — he led the Bearden girls to the AAA championship in October — and said the biggest thing he learned from that run was to savor the experience.
"I forget sometimes then that I need to enjoy being out here, because I'm not going to be able to do this forever," Radcliffe said. "I don't want the boys walking away saying, 'I wish I would have actually enjoyed the journey we've had to get to this point in the season.' I want them to enjoy being around each other and make some memories that will go with them forever."
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Bearden (21-1-3) will face Brentwood (21-2-1) in the championship game on Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
Radcliffe took over as the coach of both Bearden soccer programs in 2014-15 and has appeared in four state championships between the two teams.
Strickland said the Bulldogs' biggest strength is the sense of brotherhood among the team, and Radcliffe's philosophy helps foster that camaraderie: He brought 42 players with him to the state tournament.
"Not many people bring 42 boys with them when only about 16 or 17 are actually playing," Radcliffe said. "That's our message, that we started and finish together as a big group. We talked to the freshmen about we bring you because we want you to know what it's like to get here. Then when you're in this role in two or three years, you know what it took."
Most of Bearden's team has two experiences at the state tournament for that reason. The Bulldogs won their last championship in 2019, and last season's loss to Houston has loomed especially large over the upperclassmen all year.
"Before we even started the season, a lot of people were asking 'How much is it going to motivate you?' and I was like, hey, we've got to just get out of districts," Radcliffe said. "It's kind of weird because you talk about it so much, it's like is it actually going to come? Are you actually going to be there? I mean, what more can you say about this group of boys that they've done it."
Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA Spring Fling: Why Bearden soccer brought 42 players
