If you ever wondered how important high school football and Friday nights are to a high school in a rural community, you have to look no further than on the turf at the end of the 2nd round playoff game between Caldwell County and LaRue County Friday night at Tiger Stadium. The pain and emotion was overflowing on the field as the Tigers saw their season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, falling to LaRue County 44-41.
When the Tigers last ditch effort on 4th and 5 from the Hawks 33 ended up in an incomplete pass, the emotional wave that set in on the field was immediate and overwhelming. Young men, who would play through physical pain and hurt on the field, were instead visibly sobbing, some almost wailing at the emotional pain of a season, and for some their high school careers coming to an end.
The entire game was an emotional roller coaster for players and fans on both sidelines. LaRue County won the toss and elected to receive the ball. Each team was stopped on their first possession. That would be about the only times either team could stop the other for the rest of the night.
After taking over the ball on their own 45 yard line, LaRue County marched down the field, capping off the drive with a one yard quarterback sneak by sophomore Connor Baker, giving the Hawks a 6-0 lead with 4:11 to go in the opening quarter.
Caldwell County responded on the very next possession when Joby Jaggers scrambled for a six yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal to put the Tigers in front 7-6 with 1:36 to go in the first. The big play on the drive was a 51 yard run from Jameer Riley.
LaRue County did not wait long to get back in front. The Hawks began a drive on the Caldwell County 41 and finished it with a 12 yard run from senior Anthony Adkins to take a 12-7 lead with 10:45 to go in the half.
Caldwell County then went 3 and out, and the Hawks followed with a drive that came to an end when the Tigers stopped a fake punt at their own 40. Caldwell County then drove the ball down the field and scored on a 7 yard run by DeEric Hollowell to make it 14-12 with 6:40 left in the half.
LaRue County again came firing right back. Starting on their own 41, the Hawks marched down the field, finding paydirt on a 13 yard run by Anthony Adkins, who added a two point conversion, to give the Hawks a 20-14 lead going into the break.
The offensive fireworks did not slow down in the second half, and if anything, they picked up. After the opening kickoff of the second half, the Tigers took over at their own 44. Less than 3 minutes later, Joby Jaggers found Gabe East for a 22 yard touchdown, putting Caldwell County back in front 21-20 with 9:04 to go in the 3rd.
Caldwell County got their only stop of LaRue County in the second half on the next possession. The Tiger defense came up with a stop on 4th down to get the ball back on their own 40 yard line. Caldwell moved the ball down the field with Trel Riley finishing the drive with a 27 yard run to extend their lead to 28-20.
And then, the back and forth battle got really serious.
LaRue County started at their own 17 yard line and promply flew down the field, scoring on a 14 yard run from Anthony Atkins, who the Tigers simply could not stop all night long. The big back ripped off yardage in chunks, especially in the second half. The big play on this scoring drive was a 58 yard run by Atkins, who rushed for more than 300 yards on the night. Atkins picked up another two point conversion, and the game was tied at 28 with 2:56 to go in the 3rd.
On the next possession, the Tigers struck for a big play. Joby Jaggers hit Travis Newsom for a 67 yard score, and Caldwell County moved back in front 35-28 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter.
Once again, the Hawks came right back, this time scoring on a big play of their own, and no surprise it was Adkins again, this time exploding for a 71 yard touchdown run, and the ensuing two point conversion to give LaRue County the 36-35 lead with 10:59 left.
Now, it was the Tigers’ turn once again. On the next possession, Caldwell County had not one, but two touchdowns called back due to penalties. However, it did not matter. Joby Jaggers used his athletic ability to scramble for a 21 yard score, and the Tigers took the lead back 41-36.
LaRue County began the next possession at their own 33 and methodically moved down the field, chewing up yardage and time on the clock. Jerimiah Belton capped off the drive with an 8 yard run. Adkins again got the two point conversion, and te Hawks led 44-41 with just over two minutes in the game.
The Tigers took over on their own 47 yard line and began to move down the field. However, the potential game winning drive ended when a pass on 4th and 5 from the Hawks 33 sailed out of bounds and out of the reach of Travis Newsom.
The instant the ball hit the ground, an emotional tidal wave overtook the Tiger sideline, with players dropping to the ground and tears beginning to flow freely. It is not unusual to see emotion at the end of a tough loss that ends the season, but the depth of the hurt for the Tiger players was almost stunning, and the speed with which it overcame the Caldwell County sideline.
The Tigers finish their season at 8-4. LaRue County moves on to the Class 3A 1st Region championship game next Friday at Elizabethtown.
