Hopkinsville got off to another fast start against Franklin-Simpson, but the Wildcats were able to sustain success for all four quarters and scored the final 35 points of the game in their 35-20 win over the Tigers.
In their 43-8 playoff win over Logan County last week, the Tigers scored 29 points in the first quarter, and they knew another fast start was needed against the Wildcats. On their third offensive series, the Tigers delivered as Jay Bland hit Gavin Marschand on a 45-yard scoring pass to put Hoptown ahead 7-0 with 4:33 left in the opening quarter.
Both teams exchanged punts after that, but it was Taylor Harton, who earlier boomed a 68-yard punt in the quarter, who pinned the Wildcats at their own two-yard line with another spectacular punt. Two plays later, Franklin-Simpson quarterback Rylan Thomas threw a pass that was deflected twice and picked off by Marschand who returned it 11 yards for the score and a 14-0 Hopkinsville lead with 1:56 left in the quarter.
As the first quarter ended, a bank of lights failed on the Hopkinsville side of the field, casting darkness over the west endzone. Game officials decided to delay the game 20 minutes to allow the lights to be turned off and turned back on.
While the delay may have appeared to cost Hopkinsville momentum, you wouldn’t have known it as Bland hit Marschand on a 46-yard pass on the first play out of the delay. Four plays later, Bland found Jordan Hopson on a 21-yard pass play to give the Tigers a 20-0 lead with 9:25 left in the half.
Franklin-Simpson, who entered the game averaging 335 rushing yards a contest, found their footing and marched 65 yards on six plays and scored their first touchdown of the game on a 34-yard run by James Baker with 6:26 left in the half.
Hopkinsville lost a fumble on their next drive, and the Wildcats capitalized as Thomas found Tre Bass on a 17-yard rollout pass to trim the Tiger lead to 20-14 with 4:03 left.
Hopkinsville recovered the second half kick but couldn’t capitalize as a fumble ended the drive. Franklin-Simpson ran 58 plays in the game, including 27 rushes in the second half for 210 yards. Bass added his second touchdown of game when he went around the right end, hurdled a defender, and scored from 37 yards out to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game 21-20 with 8:27 left in the third quarter.
Baker’s second touchdown run was a 55-yard counter 3:10 left in the third quarter that took the wind out of Hoptown’s sails. Baker, a senior finished with 13 carries for 171 yards, just 13 fewer yards than his season total.
The final nail was driven when the Wildcats drove 69 yards over 15 plays and scored when Thomas hit Baker with a 21-yard pass with 5:17 left. Thomas only completed two passes in the game on seven attempts for 38 yards – both touchdowns.
Franklin-Simpson finished the game with 340 yards rushing and 38 passing on 58 plays.
Hopkinsville had 220 yards of offense but just 72 yards in the second half. Bland was 12-of-28 passing for 216 yards.
Marschand caught four passes for 132 yards while Hopson had 11 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards. For the game, Hoptown had 15 rushing attempts for four yards.
Franklin-Simpson (10-3) will host Collins (11-2) next week in the state semifinals. Collins beat Mercer County 34-28.
While the season ended on a downer, the Tigers won five straight games, including two in the postseason, to finish at 6-7.
