The Hopkinsville Tigers welcome John Hardin to the Stadium of Champions on Friday on the heels of a 42-20 second-round win over Logan County a week ago. The Tigers meet the Bulldogs in hopes of advancing to the 4A state semifinals for the first time since reaching the semifinal round five times in six years from 1999-2004.
The Tigers will hope the improved play of quarterback Treyvon Jefferson continues. After regular-season totals of 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, including eight turnovers in the Tigers’ two regular-season losses, Jefferson has thrown for four scores and hasn’t turned the ball over in two playoff victories. He posted 1,114 yards on the season, completing 58 passes on 124 attempts, while averaging just under 140 yards per game.
Jayden Dillard leads the Tigers’ rushing attack, and although an ankle injury in warmups limited his involvement in last week’s win over Logan County, he still posted 83 yards on 16 carries. Dillard ran the ball 110 times this season for a team-high 550 yards with 6 touchdowns. Ventrall Baker has also been a factor in the backfield, rushing for 183 yards and 4 touchdowns on the year.
Wide receiver Reece Jesse enjoyed one of his best games of the season against the Cougars, making 4 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown while also having a rushing score called back for a penalty. Jesse leads the Tigers with 591 yards on 26 catches this season, including 6 TDs, but only had 5 receptions and no scores in the two regular-season defeats. Ryan Myers is Jefferson’s second-favorite target this year with 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 catches.
John Hardin rolls into Friday’s matchup on a five-game winning run, including a 41-0 playoff victory over Spencer County last week. After scoring a single touchdown on the way to an 0-2 record to start the season, the Bulldogs have since outscored their opposition 253-20, including three wins by shutout.
The Bulldogs do most of their damage on the ground, rushing for over 2,000 yards as a team this season. Three players have posted over 500 yards, led by Keyandre Strand with 726 yards on 52 carries with 9 TDs. Dominik Hodges has also found the endzone 9 times, running for 574 yards on 49 attempts. Isaiah Harris rounds out the three-headed backfield monster with 507 yards and 6 scores on 45 tries.
Quarterback Kadon Wilson has been solid if unspectacular, connecting on 25 of his 44 pass attempts with 4 touchdowns and an interception. Isaiah Harris is tops on the team with a pair of TD receptions on 4 catches.
The Bulldog defense has been opportunistic, forcing 19 fumbles and recovering 16 of those while also recording 8 interceptions. Nicholas Surley, Jr. has forced 6 fumbles, equal to Hopkinsville’s team output, while recovering two. Braden Marble leads the team with 4 forces and 4 recoveries.
After last week’s win over Logan County, Coach Craig Clayton looked ahead to the matchup with John Hardin.
