Hopkinsville knew if they were going to beat Logan County, they would have to stop the Cougar ground game that came in averaging 212 yards a contest.
Logan County knew if they were going to beat Hopkinsville, they couldn’t let the Tigers throw the football all over the field as they were averaging 222 yards through the air.
In the end, it was a freshman member of the Hopkinsville defense that made several key plays in the Tigers’ 21-6 win over the Cougars Thursday night at the Stadium of Champions.
Daisjaun Mercer picked off three Tyler Ezell passes and followed with returns that set up the Hoptown offense. Mercer leads the Tigers with seven picks on the year.
At the start of the game, it was Logan County that came out firing on all cylinders. Their first offensive drive went 11 plays to the Hoptown 6-yard line but ended in a fumble.
Logan County’s Braxton Baptiste picked off a Jay Bland pass and returned it to the Tiger 9-yard line. Four plays later, Ezell found Jarrett Sears on an 11-yard touchdown pass with a second left in the opening quarter. Because of a soccer game, the Cougars were without their usual kicker. They went for two and failed.
After picking up one first down on their first three drives, Hoptown put together their first scoring drive following a blocked Logan County punt at midfield. The Tigers got on the scoreboard 12 plays later when Bland found Lane Rushing for a 12-yard scoring strike. Mason Marschand’s first of three extra point kicks gave Hoptown a 7-6 lead with 4:07 left in the half.
A bad snap on a Logan County punt attempt set Hopkinsville up for the score on their next possession. Bland ran three yards for the touchdown and a 14-6 Tiger lead with 2:38 left in the half.
Mercer, whose first pick came in the second quarter, intercepted passes on consecutive drives in the third quarter. Both came in Hopkinsville territory.
Hoptown capped off the six-play, 59-yard drive when Bland scored from one yard out to put the Tigers up 21-6. A 28-yard pass to Jayden Dillard and a 30-yard pass to Reece Jesse helped move the chains on the drive.
Logan County had 65 yards of offense in the first quarter but only 138 yards over the final three quarters. The Hopkinsville defense held Logan to 19 rushing yards on 20 carries thanks to constant pressure in the middle.
Gary Hardy, who entered the game averaging 102 rushing yards per game, had six carries for six yards and was knocked out of the game at the end of the third quarter while trying to make a tackle on defense. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures.
Logan County actually outgained Hopkinsville 203-180.
Ezell finished 15-of-34 for 184 yards passing. Jaden Sells had three catches for 53 yards.
Bland was 10-of-22 passing for 148 yards and a score. He was picked off once. Hoptown only managed 32 rushing yards on 27 carries. Jesse hauled in five passes for 82 yards with Rushing adding 39 yards on three catches.
After winning last week’s district opener over Madisonville with a Hail Mary at the final horn, the Cougars suffered their first loss of the season in seven games. They are also 1-1 in district play.
Hopkinsville improves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the district. They get an extra day of rest before they play at Madisonville next week with a chance to clinch the top seed in the district and host their first two playoff games. A change in the playoff format by the KHSAA in the off-season has teams playing district opponents the first two rounds of the postseason. So, there’s a good chance Hoptown and Logan County could see each other again in the postseason.