CLEVELAND, Tenn. — As the regular season reached the finish line, and with the playoffs just ahead, it all came together for the Bradley Central football team.
The Bears had been ranked No. 1 in TSSAA Class 6A for much of the season, but they hadn't always looked the part. Maybe it was a stagnant offense; maybe it was a defense that had some mishaps or mental lapses.
But with the Region 2-6A championship on the line Thursday night at home against Bearden, the Bears put together the sort of performance that completely justifies the level of attention they've received all year.
Bradley Central made all the plays, racing out to an 18-point halftime lead and cruising to a convincing 46-14 win over the fifth-ranked Bulldogs at Bear Stadium, completing an undefeated regular season that resulted in the program's first region title since 1980.
"This is an unbelievable feeling, and not just because we won the game, but because of the way the team came together at the right time, right place," said Damon Floyd, who is in his 18th season as Bradley's head coach. "We've been struggling offensively, just not clicking, and we come out and put 32 points up in the first half — but everybody did their job tonight. It was a total team effort.
"The good thing is a lot was on the line tonight, and our team showed up. It says a lot about what kind of guys we have."
Quarterback Kaleb Martin threw for 316 yards on 15-of-19 passing with a score, and he rushed for 75 yards and four more scores for the Bears (10-0, 5-0), who caught the Bulldogs (7-3, 4-1) off guard with screens in the middle of the field that led to huge gains. Those also led to opportunities on the perimeter, and Jarrius Rogers had a huge game with 117 yards on three catches, including a touchdown.
Boo Carter compiled 120 total yards, scored a touchdown and intercepted a pass in the end zone, while Jackson Wilson added 64 yards rushing and 37 receiving, and J'Alan Terry scored his first rushing touchdown of the year.
"I don't think we're a selfish team," Wilson said. "If somebody scores, we all score.
"This one means a lot to us. We've put in a lot of hard work this year, and this is what we've worked for, but right now we're 0-0."
The Bears had 29 first downs, grinding down a Bearden team that prefers to do that to opponents. The ball control led to a fresh defense that held the Bulldogs to 238 yards.
"That was one of the things we were worried about," Floyd said. "Bearden is a big, strong physical team, and they were going to lean on us and lean on us, and our guys accepted the challenge. We've got some fighters, so I'm just really proud of the guys, but the real work begins now.
"It's a new season."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.