The Hopkinsville Tigers picked up their second win in a row and evened their district record at 2-2 with a 30-6 win over visiting Hopkins County Central on Friday at the Stadium of Champions.
The Storm entered the contest averaging over 30 points per game, but the Tigers held them to a single touchdown to improve to 4-5 with a trip to Paducah Tilghman next week to wrap up the regular season.
Hopkins Central lost for the third time in four weeks to also stand at 4-5. The Storm will close their regular season slate on the road at McLean County next Friday.
Hopkinsville senior Isaiah Manning began the night with only two career catches, but he opened the scoring when he collected a pass from Zach Moss for a 27-yard yard score with 6:47 left in the first quarter.
On their next possession, the Tigers settled for a 28-yard field goal by Moss, his first attempt of the season.
Moss threw his second TD pass of the night when he hit Jacquez Coleman down the left sideline for a 49-yard score early in the 2nd quarter. The extra point attempt was blocked, and the Tigers led 16-0.
Hoptown was in total control after Manning continued his career night with a 36-yard reception over the middle for another touchdown with just under two minutes to play in the half.
However, after a 60-yard run by Calil McNary down to the Hoptown 2-yard line, the Storm got on the scoreboard on a Harlee Egbert plunge with :46 left. Hopkins Central went for two, but the Tigers forced a fumble for a 23-6 lead at the half.
McNary rushed 17 times for 121 yards on the night, giving him 1,038 total yards this season for an average of 115 per game.
The game slowed to a crawl after the break due to a steady stream of penalties. For the game, the teams combined to draw 22 flags for a total of 208 yards, with most coming in the 2nd half.
The Tigers posted the only points after halftime when Trushaun Matt got around the edge on the left side and hit the sideline for a 17-yard TD run with 6:40 left to play. Moss’ extra point was good to cap the scoring.
Moss was 12-24 for 175 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers rushed for 109 yards, led by Devin Coleman’s 80 yards on 19 carries. Matt finished with 41 yards and a score on six attempts.
Manning had four catches for 8 yards and two TDs, and Jacquez Coleman hauled in two passes for 60 yards and a score. The Tigers finished with 284 yards of offense.
Warren East’s 26-21 win over Franklin-Simpson on Thursday means Hopkinsville will head to Franklin in the first round of the playoffs.
The Storm will open the postseason at Warren East. The Raiders clinched the top seed in the 2nd District and are one of only two undefeated teams in 4A.
