No run game?
No problem.
Caldwell County’s stat sheet showed minus-19 yards rushing Friday night at Trigg County.
However, the Tigers used an aerial assault that saw sophomore quarterback Daelyn Lander throw for 398 yards and six touchdowns in a 54-22 victory over the Wildcats.
Caldwell (4-6) keeps possession of the 139 Bowl trophy for the 12th straight year.
The Tigers never trailed, and built a 26-14 halftime lead behind four first-half touchdown passes from Lander.
A 52-yard deep pass to Luke Parker was Caldwell’s first score of the night. A 66-yard catch-and-run by Luke Maddox gave the Tigers a 13-0 lead in the first quarter.
Kam Spikes turned another pass into a 42-yard scoring connection, and Kam Wilson hauled in a 6-yard touchdown toss.
Trigg (3-7), however, stayed in the game behind the running of Davaree Gude and Joshuan Bridges.
Gude had over 100 yards on the ground in the first half, including a 1-yard scoring carry.
Bridges scored on a 2-yard run with just 21 seconds left in the first half to make it a two-score game at the break.
Trigg received the opening kickoff of the second half with a chance to make it even closer.
However, Caldwell’s Drew Stevens grabbed an off-target Trigg pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. That kick-started a big second half for the Tigers at Perdue Field that saw the score reach the mercy rule before Caldwell held on for the 32-point triumph.
Gus Fox became the fifth Tiger with a touchdown reception when he grabbed a 15-yard scoring pass. That made it 40-14 midway through the third quarter.
Wilson caught a 26-yard touchdown pass late in the third period to help extend the margin to 47-14.
Caldwell’s final TD of the night came early in the fourth quarter when Layton Wall blocked a Trigg punt. Jack Roach scooped up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards to paydirt to give the Tigers a 54-14 lead.
Gude scored on a 23-yard run midway through the final frame to account for the final score.
Gude ran the ball 28 times for 175 yards and the two TDs. Bridges had 100 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.
But Trigg’s ground game couldn’t keep up with Caldwell’s aerial attack.
Lander’s 398 yards are the fourth-most ever for a Tiger quarterback. It’s just the fifth time a Caldwell quarterback has thrown as many as six touchdowns in a game.
Will Barnes had seven TD passes against Reidland in 2008. Barnes also had a six-TD game while Elijah Sindelar twice threw for six scores.
Sindelar holds the school passing yardage record with 552 yards in an 80-62 triumph at Calloway County in 2011. Shane Burns had 493 yards in a playoff win over Adair County in 2015. Sindelar passed for 433 yards in a 78-57 victory at Christian County in 2014.
Lander completed 18 of 26 passes but was picked off once.
Maddox caught six of those throws for 161 yards while Parker had five catches for 130.
Caldwell had 379 total yards while Trigg finished with 334.
The Wildcats had more first downs, 21-14.
Parker made his eighth interception of the season and is now just one shy of the single-season record. Pete Moore had nine picks during Caldwell’s state championship season of 1963.
Roach made 19 tackles for the Caldwell defense with an interception while Wall had 16 tackles with a forced fumble and the blocked punt.
Caldwell and Trigg are the longest continuous rivals on each team’s schedule.
The Tigers and Wildcats have met every year since consolidation at Caldwell in 1954. Caldwell holds a 49-22-1 lead in the all-time series.
Going back to Princeton Butler High School, the Tigers and Wildcats have played every year since 1947.
However, the series dates even farther back than that. The first meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats was a 19-12 Butler victory in 1938.
Princeton Butler was 10-0-2 in games against Trigg.
The matchup becomes a district game again next season when Trigg drops from Class 3A to 2A.
Friday night’s contest was the season finale for the Wildcats.
The Tigers will visit Fort Campbell next week for a Class 2A first-round playoff game.
