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HENDERSONVILLE — Steam curled into the sky from Beech quarterback Kaden Powell’s long hair and tears were in his eyes.
He didn’t expect to be crying after the Buccaneers’ Sept. 11 game against East Nashville. But he didn’t know just how close he was to becoming the school’s all-time leading passer, and the realization overcame him.
Powell reached 2,778 yards for his TSSAA football career after a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jeramy Laster with 6:27 in the third quarter, which was the difference for Beech (3-1) in a tense 22-19 win over the Eagles (0-3).
“It means everything. It’s something I always wanted since I was a little kid,” Powell said. “It means a lot. This is a place I wanted to be my whole life. This is home.”
Powell, a Kentucky baseball commitment, grew up around Beech football. His dad, Keith, a 1993 Beech graduate, was defensive coordinator for Bucs coach Anthony Crabtree when the program won its first state title in 2009.
The Powell family moved away from Sumner County and returned in 2022.
Powell’s roots in Shackle Island didn’t entitle him to anything. He had to re-earn his starting job as quarterback this preseason after missing two weeks playing baseball showcases in Arizona, Alabama and Georgia. He later broke his ring finger in the week before the first preseason scrimmage.
He and junior Sawyer Phillips split snaps in Beech’s season opener against Green Hill. Against East Nashville, Powell led every drive. He was 6-of-12 for 137 yards passing and a touchdown, to go with 115 yards rushing and a 40-yard TD.
“I didn’t have anything guaranteed, they made that clear,” Powell said. “I had to fight for that spot every day.”
Powell was thrilled for Crabtree afterward. The two have a transparent relationship. They’re not afraid to tell each other how they feel, Powell said, and sometimes that leads to spirited conversations.
“He’s a very emotional kid. Your relationship as a coach and a player, sometimes kids earn the right to say certain things,” Crabtree said. “But he’s just emotional because he wants to do well. I think he’s grown from that. I think the world of him. I’d do anything to help him. I couldn’t say enough positive things about him. We’re thrilled to have him as a Beech Buccaneer.”
Crabtree said he wanted to push Powell with the extra competition, and to Powell’s credit, he never complained. “And he’s playing very well right now,” Crabtree said.
Beech got all it could handle from East Nashville, which is expected to be a state title contender in Class 2A. Eagles quarterback Dallas Covington threw for 307 yards and two TDs, and led a fourth-quarter scoring drive to cut their deficit to three points. After a defensive stop, Covington got East inside the Beech 10 before losing a fumble with 2:18 left in the game.
Powell’s dad met his son with a big hug afterward.
“It’s cool. I never thought (breaking the record) would happen,” Keith Powell said. “He kind of understands, this is such a run-first team, I didn’t think he ever looked at those goals.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also helps write The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
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