Photo - Ava Roberts
If Friday turns out to be the last-ever rivalry football game between Hopkinsville and Christian County High Schools, senior quarterback Jordan Miles will be remembered as the player who gave the Colonels forever bragging rights.
After throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the first half to give his team a slight lead at the midway break, Miles used his legs to spark a furious rally and run County past Hoptown 22-20 in front of a raucous Stadium of Champions crowd.
It’s the first Colonel win over the Tigers since Sept. 7, 2018, and snaps a four-game losing streak in the rivalry series. Coming into the contest, the storied programs were tied at 28-all in the historic series. It’s also been speculated that, as part of the CCHS-HHS consolidation, the two athletic programs could merge following the 2023-24 seasons. No official decision has been announced.
Despite the uncertainty of the merger, Miles left no doubt during his squad’s final offensive drive Friday night. The speedy senior used a clutch 16-yard sprint to convert a 4th & 12 play with 5:25 to go. Over two minutes later, he struck again for a 12-yard run to the left to set up a 1st & goal situation.
With Christian County trailing 20-16, Miles capped the heroic 14-play, 8-minute drive with a three-yard TD run that put the Cols ahead 22-20 with 1:50 remaining. Miles finished with 107 rushing yards on 25 carries, accounting for nearly half of County’s total offense.
Hoptown, which had won the past two rivalry matchups via shutout, took advantage of two CCHS penalties to reach the Colonel 25-yard line during its last-ditch comeback attempt. On fourth down and with 10 seconds left, the Tigers opted for a 42-yard field goal attempt, but Gavin Harton’s kick was low and swatted to seal the deal, sending Hopkinsville to its third loss in as many games to begin the 2023 season.
Before County could take a final kneel-down to finish off its streak-ending triumph, CCHS senior transfer Jeremiah “JT” Sanders had to be attended to on the field for nearly 25 minutes. He was eventually stretched off the field and loaded into an ambulance. His condition was unknown after the game.
Hoptown’s offensive approach was drastically altered in the second quarter Friday, when one of its own players — second-string quarterback John Aiden King — was also removed and taken away in an ambulance with an undisclosed injury. The Tigers, who were already without the services of regular starting QB Zach Moss, shifted to the Wildcat formation and did not attempt a single pass during the second half. Despite his injury, King still had 90 rushing yards.
Treston Kay shouldered the load and nearly gave HHS the come-from-behind victory by himself. Kay, who rushed for 105 yards on 15 carries, gave the Tigers their first lead — a 20-16 advantage — on a seven-yard touchdown run with 9:49 to go. He and Darrius Green dominated the touches during the run-laden half, leading to 222 rushing yards for HHS.
Despite the abrupt change in scheme, Hopkinsville never flinched — even when the Colonels struck for a 70-yard TD pass from Miles to Prince Northington II on their first offensive play from scrimmage. It was the first of two scoring hookups between Miles and Northington, who had five snags for 98 yards.
CCHS was clicking on all cylinders when Andrew Barton’s tackle of King in the end zone led to a safety and 8-0 Colonel lead with 6:31 left in the first quarter, but Hoptown would answer with a defensive score of its own early in the second period, when Amoni Johnson recovered a fumble in the end zone to get HHS within 8-7 of Christian County.
Northington (19-yard catch) and Green (8-yard run) traded TDs in the second quarter, leading to a three-point County lead at halftime. The two teams combined for 32 penalties and 268 yards off flags.
Artavius Moses had a monster night on defense for Hoptown. He led the way with eight tackles and a pair of sacks. DeAnthony Brown and DeAndre Watkins both had interceptions in the County secondary.
Christian County (1-1) will seek its second win in a row when the Colonels travel to Medina, Tennessee, next week for a matchup with South Gibson. Hopkinsville (0-3) will remain home and try for its first win during a showdown with Clarksville (TN) High School.
NOTES
– Legendary Christian County High School head football coach Dan Goble presented the game ball prior to kickoff. Goble, who is a KHSAA Hall of Famer, is the winningest coach in CCHS Football history with 114 victories in 20 years.
– State championship teams from CCHS (1982 and 1984) and HHS (1965 and 1966) were represented during pregame festivities, including Hoptown’s RIchard Graham, as well as former Kentucky Mr. Football Curtis Pulley
– Friday’s contest was the 57th ever played between rivals Hoptown and County; if it ends being the final pairing, the Colonels will own the all-time series victory by a count of 29-28.
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q
HHS (0-3) 0 13 0 7 — 20
CCHS (1-1) 8 8 0 6 — 22
Scoring Plays
CCHS: Prince Northington 70-yard catch from Jordan Miles; two-point conversion no good (8:28, 1Q)
CCHS: Safety, Andrew Barton tackle (6:31, 1Q)
HHS: Amoni Johnson fumble recovery in end zone; Gavin Harton PAT (11:46, 2Q)
CCHS: Northington 19-yard catch from Miles; Miles to JaSean Riley two-point conversion (6:40, 2Q)
HHS: Darrius Green, 8-yard run; two-point conversion no good (2:55, 2Q)
HHS: Treston Kay, 7-yard run; Harton PAT (9:49, 4Q)
CCHS: Miles 3-yard run; two-point conversion no good (1:50, 4Q
