Scrimmages were never meant to show everything a team can do.
But if Friday night at Marquette Stadium was any indication, Hopkinsville senior quarterback Treyvon Jefferson and junior wideout Daisjaun Mercer are bound to have a good time in 2021.
A week after “Mossing” Clarksville Northeast for more than 200 yards receiving in a 35-7 scrimmage win, Mercer did it again to McCracken County — easily piling up another 200-plus by making big catch, after big catch, after big catch.
For the most part, the Mustangs tried to jam up Mercer near the line of scrimmage, in efforts to try and limit his roaming ability and freedom. Instead, Mercer broke free for a 24-yard touchdown with 4:04 left in the first quarter, then turned loose on a broken tunnel screen for an 80-yard touchdown just before the end of the first frame.
Jefferson and Mercer would connect on two other 50-plus bombs that didn’t end up in scoring drives, which is probably the only thing that even slightly miffed Tigers coach Craig Clayton about the overall effort.
But the 80-yard showcase of speed? Clayton called the play “Aladdin,” as all their screen actions and motions have cartoon character names.
Mercer must’ve been “The Genie.”
“We read the defensive end, and if he comes up-field toward our back, then we turn around and throw a tunnel screen on the other side,” Clayton said. “They took the back, so we had the tunnel screen underneath. And our linemen didn’t get out, so basically [Mercer] did the whole thing on his own. We didn’t get any linemen out to pick up those guys. He avoided those first two [with a stiff arm] and just outran everybody.
“I’d say he finished with at least 200, maybe 250 yards. Maybe even more. Because he had a lot of big plays.”
Clayton was particularly pleased with his Tiger defense, which limited the Mustangs to 14 points — a one-yard touchdown from Jeremiah Hughes early in the first quarter (following a tough fumble), and an electric 96-yard kickoff return touchdown from Nate Helmich late in the second quarter, in which he beat the wedge for an up-the-middle gash.
Jefferson flashed some great speed out of the spread, and in fact had two touchdowns wiped off the board. The first would’ve been a 96-yarder, but an inadvertent whistle knocked the play dead. The second would’ve been a 30-yarder, but a chop block from Mercer brought the play back, and the Tigers had to settle for a 41-yard field goal.
“As long as Mercer was trying to block, I was okay with that,” Clayton added. “But it was a block.”
Jefferson’s best play was a 26-yard scamper down the right sideline in the middle of the third quarter, in which he was completely bottled — but he bounced off of a McCracken defender and rolled free.
Both the Tigers and the Mustangs were playing without some key starters due to COVID-19 quarantines, as both squads approach week one opponents. Hopkinsville opens its highly-anticipated 2021 slate with a home game against Louisville Ballard, while McCracken County embraces its crosstown rival Paducah Tilghman next Saturday.
Other key notes:
— Fifth-year senior running back Hunter Bradley lined up on defense for the Mustangs, and erupted for three sacks against Jefferson. The defending All-Purchase Player of the Year will be lining up some defensively for McCracken County this season. He didn’t have his first tote in the backfield until after halftime.
— Hopkinsville got all the way down to its third-string center during the scrimmage, which led to some snapcount issues and low snaps. Clayton acknowledged his team was penalized way too much — fixable corrections.
— A swathe of the Mayfield contingent, including head coach Joe Morris, were on hand to watch the scrimmage. The vaunted Cardinals, looking to rebound after last season’s Class 2A regional championship loss to Murray, play the Tigers in Week 2 and the Mustangs in Week 4, in what should be cannot-miss-games within the west Kentucky slate.
— Clayton worked several players into the backfield, including Emmanuel Cheatham and JeMarcus Jones.
HOPKINSVILLE 17, McCRACKEN COUNTY 14
Tigers 14 3 0 0 – 17
Mustangs 7 7 0 0 – 14
SCORING
MC: Jeremiah Hughes 1 rush (Buchanan PAT good), 10:22 1Q, 7-0
HOP: Daisjaun Mercer 24 pass from Treyvon Jefferson, (PAT good), 4:04 1Q, 7-7
HOP: Daisjaun Mercer 80 pass from Treyvon Jefferson, (PAT good), 1:42 1Q, 14-7
HOP: 41 yd. FG, 4:11 2Q, 17-7
MC: Nate Helmich 96 yd. KR TD, (Buchanan PAT good), 3:56 2Q, 17-14
