The Dustin Lopez era at Hopkinsville High School officially gets underway Friday night. Lopez took over the reins of the Tiger football program when Marc Clark stepped down in February after two seasons on the job in his second tenure with Hopkinsville High School.
Lopez brings an intensity and energy to the Tiger sideline and the expectation is that at least some of that will carry over onto the field on Friday nights.
If preseason scrimmages are any kind of indication, the Tigers look to be much better and defensively, and against their schedule they will need to be. Last week, the Tigers held Fairdale scoreless in a scrimmage and the week before, Hopkinsville contained a potent Russellville offense in a scrimmage where the two played to a tie.
In 2023, the Tigers gave up more than 40 points five times in ten games. That number will need to come down if Hopkinsville is to take steps forward in 2024.
Senior Amoni Johnson led the team in tackles last season with 50 and had two sacks. He also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Artavius Moses, another senior on defense, had 35 tackles and two sacks in 2023.
Takeaways could play a big role for the Hopkinsville defense. Last season, the Tigers only came away with nine, 7 on fumble recoveries and 2 on interceptions. If those numbers could climb a bit, the offense, which has some playmakers, could get more opportunities to make things happe.
Aiden King is back at quarterback for the Tigers in 2024. Last season, King passed for 649 yards and 8 touchdowns. King’s running ability makes him a bit of a double threat. He rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns. In the scrimmage at Fairdale, King scored both of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
Senior Treston Kay appears to be poised for a big final season at Hoptown. Kay scored 9 touchdowns last year and a two-point conversion. Three of the touchdowns were on the ground, five were catching the ball, and one was on a kickoff return. If the offense can find a way to get him the ball in space, he is a threat to head to he house every time he touches the ball. Kay scored twice in the scrimmage against Russellville.
Another name to watch out for on offense is James Bradley. Bradley did not see much time at running back in 2023 but did average more than 10 yards a carry in the scrimmage against Russellville. He caught 7 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown last season.
The first half of the schedule is a tough run for the Tigers, featuring games against Greenwood, Mayfield, Christian County, and Paducah Tilghman. So, Hoptown will be well-tested by the time they arrive at the district portion of the 2024 schedule.
Hopkinsville opens the season Friday night at Greenwood in a late evening affair, with kickoff set for 8:30.
The home opener is August 30 when the Tigers will host the Mayfield Cardinals.
