Hopkinsville senior James Bradley, Jr. rushed for three touchdowns and hooked up with Aiden Jesse for two more on Friday to lead the Tigers past visiting Stratford, TN 49-13 in the program’s first opening-night victory since the 2020 season.
A running-clock win didn’t seem to be on the cards early on when Stratford took the lead with a 39-yard TD pass to Jaxyn Law after the Tigers failed on a 4th-down conversion. However, Bradley, Jr. found the endzone for the first time on a 20-yard run up the middle, and the teams were tied after the opening quarter.
DeAndre Watkins’ six-yard run on 4th and four put the Tigers in front for good with 10:25 left in the first half, and Bradley, Jr. added his second rushing TD to give Hoptown a two-score lead with just over two minutes to play in the second quarter.
With Stratford threatening on 1st and 10 from the Tiger 25, Griffen Meacham picked off a Spartan pass to send Hopkinsville into the halftime break with a 21-7 advantage.
Stratford closed to within a touchdown after Law’s 58-yard TD reception early in the third quarter, but the Tigers pitched a shutout the rest of the way and reeled off 28 unanswered points to cruise to the win.
After Tremayne Clay blocked the Spartan extra-point attempt early in the second half, Jesse collected a Bradley, Jr. pass for a 63-yard scoring strike. Carlo Jones gave the Tigers back the ball with a pick at the goal line, and Bradley, Jr. motored 55 yards on 4th and 1 to push the lead to 34-13 with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
Jesse’s interception denied Stratford a scoring chance late in the third, and he hauled in a 19-yard pass from Bradley, Jr. to stretch the margin to 28 points with a minute and a half played in the final quarter. After Hakim Skanes recovered a fumble to set the Tigers up at the Stratford 8, Kyrien Cannon triggered the running clock with a scoring scamper and the two-point conversion.
Hopkinsville will travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins next week in the first meeting between the programs since a 21-14 Maroons’ win in 2022.
