CLEVELAND, Tenn. — For a football program with enough speed to field multiple 4×100 sprint relay teams, fast starts are to be expected.
But even by its own standards, the start to Bradley Central’s Region 2-6A matchup with visiting Hardin Valley on Thursday night was impressive.
As the defense stuffed the Hawks throughout the first half, Class 6A’s top-ranked Bears opened the game by moving the ball at will, with their first three possessions ending in touchdown passes from Kaleb Martin to Boo Carter on the way to a convincing 40-7 win.
“That’s what we needed, to start the game that way,” said Carter, who finished with nine catches for 88 yards and the three scores. “It showed what we’re capable of doing. Really our defense was setting us up with stops and giving us the ball back in good position, so we just took advantage of that.”
Bradley’s first touchdown pass covered 29 yards, with Carter taking a short reception and weaving his way through the defense to find the end zone. The next two came from 7 yards, with the Bears’ second score set up by an interception by Max Wilson near midfield.