It was the biggest game of the week in Western Kentucky this week, and it lived up to that billing. The Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons took the lead on the game’s first possession and never trailed as they knocked off top-ranked and defending Class 4A state champion Paducah Tilghman in front of a boisterous Maroon fan base.
Paducah Tilghman entered the game having not lost a game since the state championship game in 2023 and having not lost a regular-season game since an October 22, 2022, loss to Hopkinsville.
The Maroons set the tone for this one early. After winning the coin toss, Madisonville took the ball and went right down the field. After a big run from Markezz Hightower set them up, the Maroons found themselves facing fourth down and three at the five-yard line. Coach Chris Price decided not to go for a field goal and instead gave the ball to Travion Stafford, who bulled into the end zone with 8:37 to go in the first.
One of the big moments of the night came on the extra point try when Tilghman was called for an offside on the initial try. The Maroons then elected to go for two and converted, making it 8-0, and that extra point would linger in the background all night long.
The Blue Tornado came right down the field on their opening drive, capping it off with a 5-yard touchdown run from Demarkus Wilson to cut the lead to 8-7 with 5:27 left in the first.
Another big 4th down play for the Maroons came in the opening moments of the second quarter. Facing 4th and goal at the two, quarterback Alex Richards ran a keeper and reached the ball across the goal line to extend the lead to 15-7.
Tilghman got on the board again with 6:08 to go in the half when Stone Crowe ran it in from five yards out, trimming the lead back to 15-14.
The Maroons had a late chance to score after an interception from Travion Stafford, but Noah Mays’ 38-yard field goal attempt was just wide left, and Madisonville took a razor-thin one-point lead into the break.
After stopping Tilghman on the opening possession of the second half, the Maroon special teams came up big. Joseph Gunn got a piece of the punt with Markezz Hightower then catching the punt at the Tilghman 27-yard line and sprinting into the end zone, giving the Maroons a 22-14 lead and sending the Maroon faithful into a frenzy that would only get louder each minute for the rest of the night.
Later in the third, Joseph Gunn came up with another big play. While making a tackle inside the ten, Gunn puched the ball loose and Bryson Shoulders ran it back to the Madisonville 42-yard line.
The Maroon offense then ate up clock and added three more points on a Noah Mays 27-yard field goal with 6:25 left that gave Madisonville a 25-14 lead.
It looked as if Madisonville had the game put away after stopping the Blue Tornado on downs with 5:10 left, but then things got a little dicey.
The Maroons attempted a 45-yard field goal, but it was blocked, and Tilghman took full advantage, going quickly down the field and striking on a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 to go. The two-point conversion brought Tilghman to within 25-22 and set up an onside kick attempt.
However, the Blue Tornado touched the ball before it went 10 yards, and the Maroons were able to kill out the rest of the clock, and the celebration was on.
Tilghman actually outgained the Maroons for the night, 283 to 201, but it was the Maroons who made the big plays and the timely plays. The Blue Tornado had two turnovers and had a punt blocked in the contest.
Markezz Hightower finished with 93 yards rushing for the game as the Maroons had a total of 164 yards on the ground.
Madisonville improves to 4-0 and will be on the road next Friday night in Draffenville to take on the Marshall County Marshals.
