The Christian County Tigers football team is moving on to the next phase in preparation for their inaugural high school season.
After finishing runner-up at the highly competitive Southern Illinois 7v7 Passing Tournament over the weekend, the Tigers began their first official practices of the season on Monday evening at their practice field behind the Hopkinsville High School Blockhouse.
Christian County Head Coach Dustin Lopez said he saw some good things and some not so good things during the passing tournaments, but he was excited to see his team once the pads come on.
Lopez said he had 73 players from sophomore to seniors and another 35-42 freshmen most days.
He said the most important thing to him in the first year of the program was setting the culture.
The Tigers’ first scrimmage is Aug. 7 at against Clarksville Northeast. They also are scheduled to play at Louisville Dupont Manual in their second scrimmage on Aug. 14.
The opening game of the season is scheduled for Aug. 21 against Cooper High School. The game is scheduled to be at the Stadium of Champions. The field is being turfed and if it is not ready, Christian County will travel to Cooper.
Lopez said the former Christian County and Hopkinsville players have come together with few problems. But he said he discovered something when he interviewed the former Colonels, who will be seniors this season.
The Tigers will play in Class 6-A, District 1 with Henderson County and McCracken County in the 2026 season.
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