Photo - Ava Roberts
After a missed extra point that would have given Hopkinsville a one-point lead with 31 seconds remaining Friday, the Tigers opted to go for the two-point conversion in overtime against Allen County-Scottsville.
And as Hoptown quarterback Aiden King was popped and taken down just short of the goal line on the attempt, HHS watched their Class 4A postseason hopes disappear in a 20-19 loss to the Patriots. The loss makes the Tigers the No. 5 seed in the First District. Only the top four teams in the six-team group advance to the playoffs, however.
In one of the most chaotic fourth quarters in Stadium of Champions history, Hopkinsville used a pair of clutch fumble recoveries to remain within striking distance in its 2023 home finale. And when ACS — clinging to a 13-7 lead — opted to run out of its own end zone on a punt attempt with less than a minute to go, the error in judgment suddenly gave Hoptown possession on the one-yard line.
On the next play from scrimmage, King charged in for the one-yard score to tie the game at 13-all with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. The Tigers, who had already lost to Logan County after a missed, fourth-quarter PAT the week prior, watched as this week’s extra point try sailed wide left, sending the game to OT.
The Patriots, who got the ball first, took advantage of an HHS face mask penalty and went up 20-13 on a two-yard TD carry by QB Braylon Adams. The ACS slinger finished the night with just four yards through the air, but carried it 11 times for 76 yards — mostly in the second half — and a pair of rushing TDs.
After the Allen County-Scottsville touchdown and PAT put the visitors up 20-13, Hoptown took its turn from the 10-yard line. And facing third-and-goal from the eight-yard line, King threw a perfect spiral to Treston Kay, who corralled the reception in double coverage for the score.
Hopkinsville took a timeout to talk things over, following Kay’s TD catch. After the Tigers lined up, the Pats took a timeout of their own. When the smoke finally cleared, Hoptown’s two-point try was stopped one yard short when Jackson Morris came off his block and leveled King just before the line. Both players appeared to be shaken up as the officials called the game.
King, who has found his knack for running the ball the past several weeks, had 21 rushing yards and was held to 11-of-31 passing for 105 yards and four interceptions. Jaleek Mitchell accounted for a pair of those picks, including a 92-yard return for a TD late in the first quarter. Of his five interceptions in 2023, Mitchell has now returned a trio of them for scores.
HHS running back Darrius Green, who was playing with a broken hand, took advantage of a failed ACS fake punt attempt late in the second quarter and tied the game at 7-all on a three-yard TD run with 1:46 left before halftime. That’s how the district tilt stood at the midway break.
Adams gave Allen County-Scottsville the lead back on a 23-yard touchdown run with 8:42 to go in the third quarter. A missed extra point by the Patriots, however, kept Hoptown’s deficit at 13-7. After both teams traded possessions to close out the remainder of the period, the stage was set for an incredible fourth quarter.
Trailing by six points, Hopkinsville came up with the second of two fourth-quarter fumble recoveries with just under four minutes to go. On the ensuing drive, Kay did his best to cut into a 3rd & 22 attempt with a clutch 17-yard reception over the middle. On the fourth-down try, though, Mitchell came up with the interception, giving the Tigers a limited window at the 1:37 mark.
After three short rush plays and a pair of Hoptown timeouts, ACS lined up to punt out of its own end zone with 40 seconds to go. On the attempt, though, punter Eddy Chavez took the long snap and ran around the end zone, seemingly in an effort to take the safety and keep Hopkinsville in a 13-9 hole. Instead of going down, however, Chavez took a step out of the end zone and was tackled at the one-yard line with 35 seconds remaining, setting up the aforementioned game-tying TD run by King.
Kay, who has been the HHS offensive MVP this season, finished with another monster night. He had a game-high seven receptions for 72 yards, four carries for 36 yards, and the game-tying TD grab in OT. He’s just shy of 700 scrimmage yards for the year. Green had three carries for 28 yards and the rushing score.
This was the first meeting between Hoptown and Allen County-Scottsville since Sept. 14, 2012, which was the first head coaching win ever for Hoptown’s Marc Clark — also in overtime. Friday’s wild matchup was just the third pairing between the programs all time. The Patriots (4-5) have now won two in a row and will host Barren County in a postseason tune-up next week.
For the Tigers (1-8), the 2023 regular season will end — regardless of the result — following next week’s road game at Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP) in Louisville. It will be the first meeting ever between the Panthers and Hoptown.
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q OT
ACS (4-5) 7 0 6 0 7 — 20
HHS (1-8) 0 7 0 6 6 — 19
SCORING PLAYS
ACS: Jaleek Mitchell, 92-yard interception return; Joseph Hunley-Velasquez PAT (1:42, 1Q)
HHS: Darrius Green, 3-yard run; Gavin Harton PAT (1:46, 2Q)
ACS: Braylon Adams, 23-yard run; PAT no good (8:42, 3Q)
HHS: Aiden King, 1-yard run; PAT no good (0:31, 4Q)
ACS: Adams, 2-yard run; Hunley-Velasquez PAT (1OT)
HHS: Treston Kay, 8-yard catch from King; two-point conversion no good
