Caldwell County and Fort Campbell are two schools looking to end their playoff droughts.
One of them will be successful Friday night when the Tigers visit the Falcons for a Class 2A first round matchup.
Caldwell County is seeking its first playoff win in six years.
The last time the Tigers advanced in the postseason was 2018, when they beat Edmonson County 37-20 in the first round. Caldwell then fell to LaRue County in an epic battle, 44-41, in the second round.
It’s been an even longer wait for Fort Campbell. The Falcons last claimed a playoff game in 2013 when they beat Edmonson County 48-7 in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs. The Falcons then lost in the second round to South Warren 48-16.
The two teams have met in the playoffs three times previously — all Falcon wins in 1995, 2005 and 2009, and all at Fort Campbell.
But all signs this season point to an even matchup.
Caldwell, the No. 3 seed from the 1st District, is ranked 14th in Class 2A according to the KHSAA RPI at .55363.
Fort Campbell, the No. 2 seed from the 2nd District, is 15th at .54736.
The teams have three common opponents, with opposite outcomes against all three. Fort Campbell’s biggest win of the regular season came against Madisonville-North Hopkins while Caldwell fell to the Maroons. However, Caldwell owns victories over Hopkins County Central and Trigg County while the Falcons fell to both of those teams.
Fort Campbell (5-4) averages 33.1 points a game while allowing 28.7.
Caldwell (4-6) scores 27.7 while surrendering 32.7.
Both sides have their share of playmakers on offense.
Junior quarterback J.P. Perryman has throw for 874 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Falcons, completing 60 of 141 attempts with five interceptions.
Perryman is also a threat in the running game with 575 yards and seven TDs.
Eric Greene, another junior, is the big-play receiver for Fort Campbell. He has 18 receptions for 405 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Torrance Dixon has 20 catches for 185 yards and a score.
Out of the backfield, junior Keshawn Dixon has rushed for 873 yards and 11 touchdowns this season while also recording 18 catches for 170 yards and a TD.
For Caldwell, sophomore quarterback Daelyn Lander has thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns the last two weeks. For the season, he is 132 of 231 for 1,740 yards with 18 touchdowns but 17 interceptions.
Senior Kameron Spikes leads the Caldwell ground game with 547 yards and five scores.
The Tigers have a solid stable of receivers, with senior Gus Fox leading the way with 45 receptions for 593 yards and five TDs. Senior Luke Parker has 39 catches for 582 yards and three scores while Luke Maddox, another senior, has hauled in 31 aerials for 442 yards and a pair of scores.
Parker is also chasing a school record on the defensive side of the football. He leads the state with eight interceptions this season. That is just one shy of the school single-season mark, held by Pete Moore in the 1963 season.
Meanwhile, Fort Campbell has the state’s leading tackler in linebacker Keshawn Dixon. He is averaging 17.3 tackles a game with 156 total tackles and 21 tackles for loss.
For Caldwell, Spikes is the leading tackler this season with 105 while junior Jack Roach has 103.
While Fort Campbell has historically had Caldwell’s number in the playoffs, the Tigers have actually won the last nine matchups overall to take a 19-17 lead in the all-time series.
Kickoff time Friday night is 7:00 at Fort Campbell’s Fryar Stadium.
The winner figures to be headed to No. 1 seed Mayfield in the second round. The top-seeded Cardinals will host Todd County Central in the first round.
