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The Bearcats and Ladycats got their first taste of on-field action for the 2024 season with scrimmages against Sumter County Friday night. The Ladycats mercy-ruled the Lady Panthers 10-0, and the Bearcats commanded the Panthers in a 2-1 win.

The Ladycats were humming in their 10-point victory, with multiple players ending the night with more than one goal. 

Juniors Addison Hill and Emma Ryan Shirley netted three goals a piece in the rout. Senior Nicole Tyre scored twice, and seniors Elvira Hernandez and Dallis Thompson finished with one goal. Hernandez finished the night with two assists, and Shirley had one assist. 

“They spread [the scoring] around a decent amount,” said Ladycats and Bearcats head coach Brian Hill. “We were passing the ball and making runs and, I mean, obviously playing good defense.” 

The Bearcats saw a controversial Panther team on Friday. Bainbridge jumped to an early 2-0 lead and held it until the final minutes when the Panthers scored a 78th-minute goal to make the score 2-1. The Sumter County scorer ran to the Bearcat section of the stands to celebrate his goal. He taunted the fans in his celebration, and the action led to him being red-carded and sidelined for the rest of the game. 

Senior Josef Perez opened the scoring for the Bearcats in the 3rd minute with a ball headed into the net off a long throw-in from senior Joel Sarmiento.  

Bainbridge scored again in the 10th minute courtesy of an outside-the-box chip shot from freshman Edwardo “Junior” Miranda. Coach Hill said he was proud of the guys for their effort and the amount of opportunities they created on offense.

“We competed and played hard,” Hill said. “We had a good amount of shots, we just couldn’t get it in the goal.”

The scrimmage wins send both teams into the regular season with momentum. They open the 2024 season with away games against Thomasville High School on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The Ladycats kick-off at 5 p.m., with the Bearcats to follow.