CLEVELAND, Tenn.— Two weeks after ending Maryville’s decades-long streak of region football wins, Cleveland’s state playoff chances were all but crushed Friday night.
The Blue Raiders, who had an open date between their upset of the Rebels and their return to competition, allowed 500 yards of total offense as they lost 34-24 to Bearden.
The much larger Bulldogs (6-2, 3-1 Region 2-6A) built a 20-17 halftime lead, then dominated time of possession in the second half and scored on their first two possessions to take a 34-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. By the time Cleveland (4-4, 1-3) got the ball in the third quarter, only 3:06 remained, and three plays and a punt later, Bearden had it back.
By the time Cleveland got the ball again, only 10 minutes remained and the Blue Raiders trailed by 17.
“We got in some situations where we just couldn’t get off the field in the second half,” Cleveland coach Marty Wheeler said. “There’s a bit of a size difference up front, and our pad level was too high. We didn’t execute like we were supposed to on defense, and you’ve got to give them credit for taking what they do well and running right at us.”