The Hopkinsville Tigers used big plays from its star players and earned “Bragging Rights” for the fifth time in six years as they defeated Christian County 40-7 Friday night in a storm-delayed football game at the Stadium of Champions.
Senior quarterback Aiden King connected on scoring passes of 72-yards and 54-yards to senior Treston Kay and Kay also had an 80-yard punt return in the first half to give the Tigers their first win since last Sept. 29.
After struggling on its first possession, Hoptown went ahead 6-0 when King found Kay on the 72-yard scoring toss with 8:08 to play in the first quarter.
The duo connected again on a 54-yard scoring play with 9:18 to go in the second quarter. James Bradley’s conversion run gave the Tigers a 14-0 advantage.
Kay then padded the lead to 20-0 when he returned a punt 80 yards to paydirt with 6:58 to play in the half.
The two teams traded possessions in the third quarter until the 1:11 mark when King tossed his third touchdown pass of the night, this time to Keyshun Teal. A Colonel defender batted the ball in the air and Teal ran under it behind the Christian County defense and ran to 72 yards paydirt. The score gave Hoptown a 26-0 lead.
King finished the night 8-for-15 with one interception and 300 yards. Kay had three catches for 161 yards.
Christian County finally found the end zone for the first time this season with 5 seconds left in the quarter. Colonels’ quarterback Jaiden Williams was injured and had to leave the game and back-up Sebastian Dazey hit Aiden Jesse on a 58-yard scoring pass on the next play to draw Christian County to within 26-6.
Jesse was a thorn in the Tigers’ paw all night. The Colonels’ freshman wide receiver caught nine passes for 192 yards.
But Hoptown put the game out of reach on its next possession, driving 80 yards in 10 plays. King’s 20-yard run and Artavius Moses’ conversion run pushed the Tigers’ lead to 34-6 with 7:19 to go in the game.
Moses picked off a Dazey pass on the Colonels’ next possession and returned the ball to the Christian County 11 with 6:47 to play. Xzaivion Panapa finished off the scoring with a 3-yard run with 4:41 left.
Christian County had an impressive drive after the first Hoptown touchdown. Williams and Zyon Wharton helped the Colonels drive 75 yards in 18 plays. However, Tristan Dillard fumbled at the Tigers’ 4-yard line to end the drive.
Williams finished the night 9 of 21 for 157 yards and he was sacked three times. Dillard led the Colonels in rushing with 28 yards on eight carries.
Bradley led a balanced rushing attack by the Tigers with 83 yards on 10 carries. Moses ended with 69 yards on nine carries and King had 56 yards on 11 carries.
Hoptown outgained the Colonels 529 to 284 on the night.
Penalties plagued both teams as Christian County had 13 flags for 82 yards and Hopkinsville ended the night with 12 penalties for 143 yards. The Colonels had a 60-yard touchdown pass from Dazey to Jesse called back by a penalty late in the game.
The win evens the all-time series at 29-29 on the field, although Hopkinsville had to forfeit its 1997 win for using an ineligible player. Officially, Christian County owns a 30-28 advantage and next year’s game should be the last between the old rivals. The two schools will consolidate for the 2026 season.
Hopkinsville returns to action next Friday night at Clarksville (Tenn). Christian County heads to Medina, Tenn., to take on South Gibson.
Score by quarters:
Christian Co. 0 0 7 0-7
Hopkinsville 6 14 6 14-40
Scoring summary:
HHS: Treston Kay, 74-yard pass from Aiden King; Kick failed.
HHS: Kay, 52-yard pass from King; James Bradley conversion
HHS: Kay, 80-yard punt return; conversion failed.
HHS: Keyshun Teal, 72-yard pass from King; Conversion pass failed.
CCHS: Aiden Jesse, 58-yard pass from Sebastian Dazey; Tyler Stokes, kick.
HHS: King, 20-yard run; Artavius Moses, conversion run.
HHS: Xzaivion Panapa, 3-yard run; Conversion failed.
Photos by Mollie Goode