Tough lessons often don’t arrive in pretty packages.
Hopkinsville learned this firsthand Friday night at War Memorial Stadium, when the Tigers committed six turnovers — five lost fumbles and one interception — and saw the Mayfield Cardinals take advantage in a 59-6 victory.
Any momentum the Black & Orange seemed to muster would get muffled by a mistake. Maybe it was because the heat was sweltering, as heat indices remained uncomfortable and the oblong ball was slippery. Maybe it was because the Black & Red brought a significant pass rush, making the offensive line and center twitchy at times. Or maybe it was because the Cardinals held the Tigers to one passing yard, forcing Coach Marc Clark and his staff to remain grounded in their attack.
Whatever it was, Tigers senior Devin Coleman said it wasn’t an excuse.
“We’ve just got to learn from our mistakes,” he added. “Once we face adversity, we can’t just get down on ourselves. We’re young. We’re young. But these last two games are great learning experiences for us.”
The Tigers opened with a three-and-out, and the Cardinals immediately capitalized. Zane Cartwright, who finished a near-perfect 7-for-8 and 124 yards passing, capped their opening response by hitting senior DB/WR Xavier Biggers for a 22-yard screen.
Biggers would later score on a 43-yard screen and haul in an interception — all before the second quarter.
Twice early, the Tigers had chances to keep the game within reach. A bad snap led to Cartwright being sacked by senior Leonarion Pendleton, and forced Mayfield into a long field goal for the 10-0 lead. Then, after Biggers returned his pick all the way down to the Tigers 4-yard line, senior RB JuJu Starks lost control of the football, and Pendleton scooped for a 40-yard gain.
Malcham McKee, however, lost the football in a scrum on the very next play, in what was back-to-back-to-back miscues combined from both squads, and the Cardinals wouldn’t go wayward again. With 1:59 left in the first frame, Cartwright buried a 17-yard rainbow to the back-left corner of the end zone — well out of reach from star DB Ireal Leak, and into the hands of Malik Kirby for the 23-0 advantage.
Three second-quarter fumbles directly led to scoring drives for Mayfield: a 7-yard score from Starks, a scoop-and-swoop from linebacker Carter Morris, and an inside screen pass from Cartwright to Mak Hoover for 27 yards.
By halftime, Hopkinsville was down 45-0 — the clock running and a stunned sideline left only to ponder second-half positive plays.
The Tigers finished with more than 110 yards rushing, most of which came after halftime. Tristin Dillard had 53 yards on 17 carries, but Coleman brought about the most cheer from the stands — bruising for 36 yards on three touches after the break.
It could be the smash-and-dash Clark is looking for this season, with other touches being doled to junior Treston Kay.
“We just had to make adjustments,” Coleman added. “We’re going to be better, and that’s going to be us. I just want to do whatever I can to contribute to my team. Obviously, this means a lot to me. It’s my senior year. I just want to win with this team. These coaches, they’ve put a lot in for us.”
Hopkinsville also got a ruthless sneak peak at the coming talent of Mayfield’s Josiah England, who returned the second-half opening kickoff to the house, then did it again on the ensuing Cardinals possession. Both scampers were north of 60 yards, each a dart through traffic and up the right sideline.
Freshman Rashad Moore fried the goose-egg in the third quarter, courtesy of a 19-yard scamper with one minute left before the fourth.
Next up: Christian County on September 1, in what will be the final-final chapter of the Christian County Public Schools gridiron rivalry.
NOTES
— Coordinator Dustin Lopez was not on the field for the second half, following his transport to a local hospital. Authorities indicate that, as of 11 PM Friday, he was in stable condition. Mayfield school leaders discovered him unconscious near the team’s busses. No factors have been indicated at this time by officials, but it’s possible heat played a role in a medical event.
— Through two games, the Cardinals have forced nine turnovers.
MAYFIELD 59, HOPKINSVILLE 6
Tigers (0-2) 0 0 6 0 — 6
Cardinals (2-0) 24 21 14 0 — 59
SCORING
MAY: Xavier Biggers 22 pass from Zane Cartwright (Lincoln Suiter PAT), 7-0, 9:37 1Q
MAY: Lincoln Suiter 36 yd. FG, 10-0, 6:28 1Q
MAY: Xavier Biggers 43 pass from Zane Cartwright (Suiter PAT), 17-0, 4:44 1Q
MAY: Malik Kirby 17 pass from Zane Cartwright (Suiter PAT), 24-0, 1:35 1Q
MAY: JuJu Starks 7 rush (Suiter PAT), 31-0, 10:45 2Q
MAY: Carter Morris FR TD (Suiter PAT), 38-0, 10:30 2Q
MAY: Mak Hoover pass from Zane Cartwright (Suiter PAT), 45-0, 4:11 2Q
MAY: Josiah England KR TD (Suiter PAT), 52-0, 9:35 3Q
HOP: Rashad Moore 19 rush (kick blocked), 52-6, 4:30 3Q
MAY: Josiah England KR TD (Suiter PAT), 59-6, 1:00 3Q
PASSING LEADERS
HOP: John Aiden King 2-7-1-0. MAY: Zane Cartwright 7-8-124-0-4, Gray Robbins 2-4-33.
RUSHING LEADERS
HOP: Tristin Dillard 17-53, Devin Coleman 3-36, Rashad Moore 2-18-1. MAY: Juju Starks 7-55-1.
RECEIVING LEADERS
HOP: None. MAY: Xavier Biggers 2-65-2, Malik Kirby 1-17-1, Mak Hoover 1-27-1, Jett Hawkins 2-33.
OTHER
First Downs: Hopkinsville 5, Mayfield 5. Penalties: Hopkinsville 6-55, Mayfield 5-30. Turnovers: Hopkinsville 6, Mayfield 1.
