Inclement weather this week has caused Hopkinsville’s second round playoff game to be moved to Saturday afternoon at two at the Stadium of Champions. The closing of school due to Monday’s snow means coaches can’t require players to attend practice.
It’s the first time Hopkinsville has played a Saturday afternoon playoff game since 2006 when the Tigers, ironically, hosted Madisonville at the Stadium of Champions. Emanual Taylor ran for 266 yards as the Tigers, coached by Dixie Jones, edged Madisonville 16-13.
Hopkinsville lost to Madisonville 20-18 back on October 11, but a three-way tie in the district that included Logan County favored the Tigers in the tie-breaker and gave them home field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Saturday will be the 116th meeting between the schools in a series that is one of the oldest in western Kentucky and dates back to 1907. Hopkinsville leads the all-time series 65-45-5, but Madisonville has won the last four against the Tigers.
According to the late Madisonville sports historian Bob Mays, Madisonville and Hopkinsville played on Thanksgiving Day 37 consecutive years from 1921-1957. While several of those turkey day games probably included snow, it’s likely very few Tiger-Maroon matchups had snow in the second week of November.
It’s the seventh time Hopkinsville and Madisonville have met in the postseason with the Tigers holding a 4-2 advantage.