In the moment, against seemingly tall odds, it feels unfair.
Christian County’s final football regular season came to a bitterly cold end Friday night in Paducah’s McRight Field, as the defending Class 4A champion Blue Tornado again looked the part — and rolled to a 54-7 win over the Colonels.
A smattering of fans, most of them natives, barely had time to warm their seats, when Sacramento State committment and Class of 2027 Blue Tornado wide receiver Chance McPike took the opening kickoff for an electric 82-yard score and a 6-0 lead.
Ten seconds later, Javin Dukes recovered a fumble at the goal line, making it 13-0, before the Colonels were quickly introduced to another Class of 2027 Blue Tornado wide receiver star in Cam Wade — who picked off an errant pass for a 42-yard pick-six and 20-0 lead, and two minutes after that returned a punt 74 yards for a 27-0 advantage, and more than six minutes still left in the first quarter.
Wade is currently 153rd overall in ESPN’s Top 300, and owns notable offers from Cincinnati, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Missouri, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
However, Kelly Myers, Christian County’s stalwart interim coach, dressed 26 players — players, he said, that “wanted to be there.” And he made no excuses.
“I am here because these kids wanted to play,” Myers added, also noting that he, too, was pushing through personal pain.
“My nephew committed suicide [Thursday night]. And my family is destroyed right now. I brought my ass up here because these kids wanted to play, and I’m here for them. I got to bed [Friday morning] at 3, got my butt up and drove to school because kids needed to see me in the hallway.”
After another punt return touchdown from Paducah Tilghman made it 41-0 late in the second quarter, this one for 77 yards from Blair Sains, Colonels senior quarterback Tom Johnson capped an eight-play drive to end the half with a six-yard score, followed by a Jayleigh Campbell PAT.
“I had freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors out here,” Myers said. “And guys out here that want to play next year.”
About 15 feet away from Paducah Tilghman’s post-game scrum, and Class 4A District I championship trophy presentation, Myers gathered the team and talked with them alongside CCPS administrator Toby Miles, who made the trip.
Soon after, several players began to weep, with Miles consoling them. Seniors Johnson, James Farley and Darius Finch were the last to leave the turf.
Asked if the Colonels would suit up for next Friday’s opening-round playoff game at South Warren, Myers wasn’t sure.
“We were counting heads on Monday,” Myers said. “And I got blood poisoning on Monday, too, believe it or not. Got cleated during practice. It looks better now…
“But this is up to the powers that be.”
‘Very proud of him’
If there was one Christian County performance that created some tape, it was from junior running back Paul Abren, who would finish with 88 yards from scrimmage on 11 carries and one catch for 10 yards.
In the first quarter, and two plays after Colonel defensive back Travous Haskins snagged an end-zone interception of Tilghman quarterback Stone Crowe, Abren scampered for a hard 17 yards — and one of the team’s best overall flashes against the Blue Tornado first- and second-stringers.
“He shined tonight,” Myers said, “on both sides of the ball. He didn’t come off the field until he got hurt down there [late in the fourth quarter].”
Myers wants it
This schedule, Myers admitted, “was atrocious.”
And it’s tough to argue. A home loss to Clarksville Northeast opened the school’s final year as a program, and outside of district play, matchups against the Blue Tornado, Mayfield, and Tennessee schools like McKenzie and South Pittsburgh did little to build confidence or camaraderie before consolidation.
A head coach resignation only added compound interest against a debt the student-athletes will never get repaid.
But Myers, who resides in Clarksville, wanted to be on this staff — and he wants to be a foundational assistant for the coming Christian County Tigers.
“I brought myself up here to support the coach, and help this season go through,” Myers said. “And then, to hopefully, support the coach at the new school. And that’s still my intention. That’s what I want.”
He has coached high school football for more than 20 years, and was successful in Tennessee after winning two state championships while making the playoffs 25 of 27 years in the Volunteer mix.
“My record as a head coach is pretty doggone good, but I don’t want to be a head coach anymore,” Myers reiterated. “I want to come up here and help build that new school. I’m 60 years old. I lost 50 pounds this season. It was a good 50 pounds, but I probably didn’t lose it the right way. This has been a tough year.”
Paducah Tilghman 54, Christian County 7
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County Colonels | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado | 35 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 54 |
Scoring Summary
| Team | Scoring Play | Score | Time | Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT | Chance McPike 82-yd kickoff return (Rex Gay PAT) | 7–0 | 11:48 | 1Q |
| PT | Javin Dukes 0-yd fumble recovery (Rex Gay PAT) | 14–0 | 11:38 | 1Q |
| PT | Cam Wade 42-yd interception return (Rex Gay PAT) | 21–0 | 8:32 | 1Q |
| PT | Cam Wade 74-yd punt return (Rex Gay PAT) | 28–0 | 6:23 | 1Q |
| PT | DJ Wilson 24-yd rush (Rex Gay PAT) | 35–0 | 5:01 | 1Q |
| PT | Blair Sains 77-yd punt return (Rex Gay PAT) | 42–0 | 9:25 | 2Q |
| CC | Tom Johnson 6-yd rush (Jayleigh Campbell PAT) | 42–7 | 0:02 | 2Q |
| PT | Mason Copeland 11-yd rush (2-pt aborted) | 48–7 | 1:23 | 3Q |
| PT | Nate Gregg 3-yd pass from Nate Gates (2-pt aborted) | 54–7 | 1:13 | 4Q |
Individual Leaders
Passing
| Team | Player | C–A–Yds–TD–INT |
|---|---|---|
| CC | Tom Johnson | 3-13-34-0-1 |
| PT | Stone Crowe | 3-4-51-0-1 |
| PT | Avery Gates | 3-3-32-1-0 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Att–Yds–TD |
|---|---|---|
| CC | Paul Abren | 11-78 |
| CC | Tom Johnson | 2-12-1 |
| CC | Tristin Dillard | 5-18 |
| PT | DJ Wilson | 3-41-1 |
| PT | Mason Copeland | 4-30-1 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Rec–Yds–TD |
|---|---|---|
| CC | James Farley | 1-21 |
| CC | Paul Abren | 1-10 |
| PT | Avery Thompson | 2-45 |
| PT | Nate Gregg | 2-14-1 |
| PT | Corde Rawlins | 1-18 |
Team Statistics
| Category | Christian Co. | Paducah Tilghman |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 7 | 7 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 1-6 (17%) | 1-1 (100%) |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 0-1 (0%) | 0-0 (—) |
| Rushing (Att–Yds–Avg) | 20-105-5.3 | 11-56-5.1 |
| Passing (Att–Yds–Avg) | 14-34-11.3 | 7-83-13.8 |
| Pass (Cmp–Att–Int–%) | 3-14-1 (21%) | 6-7-1 (86%) |
| Sacks–Yards | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties–Yards | 3-20 | 4-35 |
| Fumbles–Lost | 1-1 | 2-1 |
| Punts–Long–Avg | 4-37-30.8 | 0-0 |
| Field Goals (M-A) | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Total TDs (Run–Pass) | 1-1-0 | 8-2-1 |
| Possessions | 9 | 9 |
| Time of Possession | 28:40 | 19:20 |
