Playing in its first December football game since 1997, Hopkinsville knocked off John Hardin 14-10 Friday at the Stadium of Champions to win the region title and advance to the state semifinals for the first time since 2004.
Hopkinsville must wait to see who its semifinal opponent will be, although it’s likely they will be headed to Danville next Friday to play top-ranked Boyle County.
Hopkinsville‘s most impressive offensive drive of the night was its last. Although they didn’t put points on the scoreboard, they ran off the final 7:50, twice converting on fourth down to keep the drive alive and keep the ball out of the Bulldogs’ hands.
Reece Jesse had a key 8-yard catch on fourth-and-five, and Daisjaun Mercer went to the ground to pull in a 17-yard pass from Treyvon Jefferson with 1:40 left to seal the win.
Hopkinsville did a good job of controlling the football against the run-oriented Bulldogs. Hoptown won the time of possession 28:25 to 19:35 and ran 54 plays to John Hardin‘s 30. In the second half, John Hardin only ran 13 plays and had the football for 7:35.
Hoptown got on the scoreboard first on its second possession. Jesse caught a pass at the John Hardin 20, broke through a tackle, and powered to the end zone for a 40-yard scoring catch. The play capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive that was kept alive with a 7-yard run by Zach Moss on a fourth-and-two play at Hoptown‘s 37-yard line.
Hoptown was on its way to tacking on another score after blocking a John Hardin punt inside the final minute of the first quarter. The Tigers had it first-and-10 at the Bulldog 17, but the drive ended three plays later after gaining just 9 yards.
John Hardin got its wing-T rolling on the ensuing drive with a 24-yard run by Keyandre Strand and a 31-yard run by Isaiah Harris. Two plays later, quarterback Kadon Wilson lofted a pass toward the end zone that was deflected by a Hopkinsville receiver and right into the hands of Tishawn Moore for the touchdown. The game was a 7-7 deadlock at halftime.
Hopkinsville again used a ball-control style to score its second touchdown of the game. Jayden Dillard scored on a 3-yard run with 3:31 to go in the third quarter that was the culmination of an 11-play, 73-yard drive that took 6:06 off the clock. Jefferson was 5-of-6 for 72 yards on the drive
Jefferson’s only mistake of the game was an interception thrown near midfield early in the fourth quarter. However, the Hopkinsville defense again came up big forcing the Bulldogs to go three-and-out. John Hardin punter Zach Owens blasted a 61-yard punt that pinned Hopkinsville on its two-yard line with 7:50 to play.
Dillard, who had been stymied by the Bulldog defense for most of the night, ripped off a 26-yard run to the Tiger 28 that gave the offense some breathing room. Jesse made a nice leaping catch on the sideline for a 33-yard gain that moved the Tigers to the Bulldog 38. Twice on fourth down, Jefferson found a receiver to keep the drive alive, and Hoptown was able to run out the clock for the win.
Jefferson finished 16-of-26 passing for 263 yards. He was 10-of-13 in the second half for 146 yards. Both Jesse and Mercer had five catches for the Tigers. Jesse had 115 yards, and Mercer added 93 yards.
Hoptown only managed 49 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Dillard had 23 yards on six carries. Hoptown finished with 312 yards of total offense.
John Hardin had 142 rushing yards on 24 carries. Strand had 57 yards on 12 carries and Wilson had four carries for 43 yards. John Hardin only had six first downs in the game with four of those coming before halftime. The Bulldogs finished with 145 yards of offense.
Hopkinsville improved to 7-2 with the win, and the Tigers won the school’s first region championship since 2004. John Hardin season ends with a record of 5-3.
Hopkinsville coach Craig Clayton, who gained his 200th career coaching victory in Kentucky in the Tigers’ playoff win over Calloway County, will be leading Hoptown into the semifinal round for the eighth time.
Hoptown must wait until Saturday to learn who their semifinal opponent will be. Allen County-Scottsville‘s Friday game with Franklin County was pushed back to Saturday due to Covid concerns. If Franklin County wins that game, Hopkinsville will make the trip to Danville Friday to play Boyle County and rekindle a playoff rivalry that was big for both schools back in the early 2000s. The Rebels beat Hoptown in the state semifinals three times in four seasons from 2001-04.
If Allen-County Scottsville comes away with the win, Hopkinsville will go to Johnson Central for the semifinals.
PHOTO GALLERY: Hopkinsville Downs John Hardin 14-10
