With stars of years past on hand and a packed Stadium of Champions, Hopkinsville and Christian County closed the book on the teams’ gridiron rivalry on Friday with a 48-13 Tiger victory in the 59th and final meeting with the Colonels.
Hopkinsville took the first matchup 82-7 all the way back in 1962, and while Friday’s game wasn’t quite that one-sided, the Tigers took control early and never looked back.
James Bradley, Jr. got Hoptown on the scoreboard on its first possession with a 13-yard touchdown run. On Christian County’s first play from scrimmage, Tremayne Clay stepped in front of a Tom Johnson pass for a pick-6 and a 14-0 Tiger lead with only two and a half minutes played.
Kayshun Teal added a two-yard TD run on a reverse with 5:50 left in the opening quarter, and Jordan Catlett tacked on the two-point conversion for a 22-0 advantage.
The Colonels showed some life when Deasian Harris got in the end zone from two yards out after a long reception by Zyon Wharton. However, after a 15-yard penalty, the two-point conversion was no good for a 22-6 score.
Bradley, Jr. raced 17 yards for his second TD of the night with 8:53 left in the half. And after a Colonel turnover on downs deep in their own end, Tiger quarterback Jasiah McCarley had Hopkinsville back in the end zone just three minutes later when he hit Aiden Jesse for a 10-yard score and a 35-6 advantage.
Jesse then made the most of his cameo in the Tiger secondary, returning an interception for a touchdown on the only down he played all night on the defensive side of the ball. Hopkinsville was back inside the Colonel five-yard line in the final seconds of the first half, but couldn’t stop the clock and had to settle for a 41-6 halftime lead.
Christian County got back in the end zone with 7:25 left in the third quarter on Johnson’s completion to Darius Finch on 4th and goal from the 10. However, Bradley, Jr. capped the scoring on the ensuing kickoff with a 76-yard return for a Tiger touchdown.
Hopkinsville collected 12 1st downs to the Colonels’ nine, running 33 total plays for 238 yards to Christian County’s 214 yards on 48 snaps. The Colonels were penalized 16 times for 169 yards, while the Tigers were flagged eight times for 80 yards.
McCarley finished 8/13 for 119 yards through the air, with Clay making four catches for 61 yards and Teal collecting two for 46. Bradley, Jr. led the Tigers on the ground with 57 yards on 12 carries, and Teal had four attempts for 29 yards.
For Christian County, Johnson completed seven of 20 passes for 124 yards, with three going to Wharton for 81 yards. Harris accounted for 82 of the Colonels’ 90 yards rushing on 14 carries.
Hopkinsville improved to 5-4 and earned the district’s 2nd seed and a home playoff game in two weeks. The Tigers will wrap up the regular season next week when WEB DuBois visits the Stadium of Champions.
Christian County slipped to 1-8, 0-3 in district play, with a daunting trip to Paducah Tilghman coming up next week.
