Hopkinsville senior running back James Bradley, Jr. began Friday’s playoff opener being honored for eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards this season before finding the end zone five times to help the Tigers maul Daviess County 50-20 in the program’s final game at the Stadium of Champions.
Bradley, Jr., the 6A District 1 Player of the Year, racked up 223 yards on the ground against the Panthers to take his season total to 1,407 with 25 touchdowns.
After a missed field goal on Daviess County’s opening possession, quarterback Jasiah McCarley hit Aiden Jesse for a 64-yard gain down to the Panther 5 to set the table for Bradley, Jr.’s five-yard run up the middle to open the scoring with 6:54 left in the first quarter.
Bradley, Jr. was back in the end zone just three minutes later on a 15-yard run, with two-point conversions tacked on to both scores for a 16-0 Tiger lead after the opening quarter. However, Daviess County answered on the first play of the second frame with a 12-yard scoring strike from Garrison Barker to Hunter Corbin to cut the lead to 16-6.
The teams traded touchdowns over the remainder of the first half, beginning with Bradley, Jr.’s third TD on a 44-yard run. But after a Tiger fumble on their next drive, Daviess County cut the margin to a single score on Barker’s pass to Jace Hunt in the right corner of the end zone to make it 22-14.
With the Panthers threatening to pull even on a drive inside the Hopkinsville 30-yard line, DeAndre Watkins picked off a pass on 4th and 11 to send the Tigers to the locker room with an eight-point edge.
But it was all Hoptown after the break, with Tremayne Clay scooping up a Daviess County onside kick and motoring 55 yards for the first of four unanswered Tiger touchdowns. Just a minute and a half later, Bradley, Jr. scored on a four-yard run, and the Tigers closed the third quarter with a Jeremiah Smith nine-yard TD run to make it 43-14.
Bradley, Jr.’s fifth TD capped the Tiger scoring and triggered a running clock in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. With Hopkinsville giving its starters the rest of the night off, Daviess County got in the end zone with 2:41 to play on Barker’s 67-yard strike to Hunt.
Hopkinsville totaled 430 yards of offense on 41 plays, including 167 yards on 6/10 passing by McCarley. Jesse finished with two catches for 70 yards, Clay had two grabs for 52 yards, and Keyshun Teal caught two passes for 45.
Daviess County finished with 357 yards on 64 plays. Barker completed 19 of 37 passes for 283 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Hunt had two catches for 188 yards and two scores, and Ridge Roberts rushed 15 times for 48 yards. The Panthers finished the season at 5-6, losing three of their last four games.
Hopkinsville improved to 7-4 with its fourth-straight victory ahead of a trip to undefeated South Warren next week. The Spartans have won all four previous meetings, including a 33-21 decision earlier this season.
