HCHS’ last-second drive comes up short inside the Tigers’ red zone
In the final matchup between Henderson County and Hopkinsville, Friday night’s clash at the Stadium of Champions had all the makings of a nailbiter.
But for the Colonels, it ended in heartbreaking fashion.
Despite outgaining Hopkinsville by more than 60 yards and fighting until the final horn, Henderson County fell 31–29 after a last-second drive came up just short inside the Tigers’ red zone. The loss dropped the Colonels to 4–4 overall heading into next week’s senior night matchup with McCracken County.
“This one hurts,” junior Jack Dalton said afterward. “We had a lot of fight in the first, third, and fourth quarters, but we kind of just fell apart in the second.”
The game opened with a Hopkinsville scoring drive as sophomore quarterback Jasiah McCarley hit 6-foot-3 wideout Aiden Jesse on an 18-yard score. Bradley ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8–0 Tigers.
The Colonels soon answered. Following a fumble forced by Christian Haygan and recovered by Hayden Turner at the Hoptown 38, Henderson’s offense went to work. A roughing the passer call moved the ball inside the 20, and two plays later, quarterback Brody Belt scrambled in from 17 yards out. Boone Thompson’s extra point cut the deficit to 8–7.
Moments later, Haygan made another impact play, recovering a botched snap at the Tiger 17. Belt capitalized again, connecting with senior receiver Avant Baxter for a 22-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown to give the Colonels their first lead, 14–8.
Hopkinsville’s next possession ended in chaos as another bad snap led to a fumble recovery by Jack Dalton at the Hopkinsville eight-yard line. On offense, Dalton sped around the corner and scored from five yards out. He then converted a two-point attempt to push the Colonels ahead 22–8 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
It was the kind of first-quarter dominance Henderson County was looking for. The defense had forced three turnovers, and the offense had scored on three straight possessions.
However, momentum shifted sharply in the second quarter.
Pinned at their own 1-yard line, the Colonels gave up a safety early in the second period. On the ensuing free kick, senior James Bradley Jr. displayed the talent that earned him Division I offers from Southern Miss and UT Martin, returning the safety punt 63 yards for a touchdown and adding a two-point conversion to make it 22–18.
The Tigers seized control from there. Belt’s interception on the next drive gave Hopkinsville a short field.
A penalty and sack by Haygan took them back 20 yards, but McCarley answered with a 55-yard strike to Jesse, setting up Bradley’s second score of the game to put Hoptown on top 25–22.
The Colonels stalled off until halftime, holding the same three-point deficit.
Both defenses tightened in the third quarter, but Hopkinsville struck first. After HCHS botched a punt snap, the Tigers pieced together an easy drive capped by Bradley’s third rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 31–22. The extra point was missed short.
The fourth quarter began with adversity, as Belt was intercepted on Henderson’s first possession of the period. Hopkinsville seemed poised to put the game away when they took over at the Colonels’ 20-yard line. But then Baxter came up with his own momentum-changing interception.
That sequence sparked the Colonels’ best drive of the second half. Both Dalton and Belt broke off double-digit runs, highlighted by Dalton’s explosive 29-yard dash down to the Tiger 3. He capped it off with a three-yard touchdown run, and Thompson’s extra point brought Henderson County to within two, 31–29, with seven minutes remaining.
Henderson’s special teams nearly made it a perfect sequence by coming inches away from recovering an onside kick that could have flipped the game entirely.
Instead, Hopkinsville retained possession but stalled thanks to a swarming Colonel defense. Jack Logan broke up a key third-down pass, and with the crowd on their feet, back-to-back false starts forced the Tigers to punt with 5:30 remaining.
Starting from their own 19, the Colonels pushed the ball downfield. On a trick play, Baxter threw deep toward Hezekiah Harris, only for the pass to be intercepted—but in a miraculous turn, Reusch ripped the ball from the defender and turned it into a 27-yard gain.
On the next play, a fumble sent the ball rolling back those 27 yards and then some, setting up a rare second-and-41 situation. Trying to make up the distance, Dalton threw a few balls up in the air until one was picked off and returned to the Colonel 20.
Hopkinsville looked to run out the clock, but a turnover on downs gave the Cols the ball with just 30 seconds remaining.
Dalton connected with Baxter twice in the final seconds, once on a 17-yard swing, then again on a post route for 17 more, moving the ball to the Tiger 46.
With four seconds remaining, Dalton spiked the ball to stop the clock. On the final play, he dropped back against a deep prevent defense, saw no open receivers, and scrambled up the middle before cutting toward the sideline. He raced inside the 20 but was dragged down at the 16-yard line as time expired.
One more second might have given the Colonels a chance at a winning field goal.
In total, Henderson County outgained Hopkinsville 300–238, rushing for 185 yards and passing for 115. But turnovers, seven combined between the two teams, defined the night.
Dalton led all rushers with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, while Belt added 36 yards and a rushing score before his injury.
Baxter caught three passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, while Reusch added two catches for 35 yards and tallied a team-high 17 tackles on defense.
Haygan and Logan each recorded five tackles and a sack, while Zarian Rideout was all over the field, racking up 10 stops. Baxter and Myron Wright added seven tackles apiece, and Marigny contributed six more.
For Hopkinsville, Bradley’s all-around performance stood out: 91 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, and a 63-yard safety kick return score. McCarley completed 11-of-24 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, with Jesse, a Division I prospect, hauling in six catches for 111 yards and a score.
After scoring four touchdowns the week before, Dalton carried confidence into Friday’s matchup.
“I felt good about my running and decision-making,” he said. “I just wish we could have found the end zone one more time.”
Defensive captain Jack Ryan Reusch echoed that sentiment. “We’ve got to execute on offense and limit them to lower yards on defense,” he said.
Haygan added that the team’s mindset remains strong going into next week. “We’re going to stay locked in during practice and throughout the week,” Haygan said. “Hopefully, we can change the outcome next Friday.”
As Hopkinsville prepares to merge with Christian County, Friday’s contest proved a memorable finale.
Henderson County (4–4) will look to bounce back when it hosts McCracken County (4–4) in the last regular-season home game next Friday at 7 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Hopkinsville 31, Henderson Co. 29
Henderson Co. Hopkinsville
18 First Downs 15
36-185 Rushes-Yards 40-58
7-20-3 Comp-Att-Int 11-26-1
115 Passing Yards 180
300 Total Yards 238
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 4-3
8-55 Penalties-Yards 12-92
3-35.7 Punts-Avg. 4-32.5
Henderson Co. 14 8 0 7 — 29
Hopkinsville 8 17 6 0 — 31
Hop – Aiden Jesse 20 pass from Jasiah McCarley (James Bradley run)
HC – Brody Belt 17 run (Boone Thompson kick)
HC – Avant Baxter 22 pass from Belt (Thompson kick)
HC – Jack Dalton 5 run (Dalton run)
Hop – Safety
Hop – Bradley 63 free kick return (Bradley run)
Hop – Bradley 2 run (Gavin Harton kick)
Hop – Bradley 3 run (kick failed)
HC – Dalton 3 run (Thompson kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Henderson Co. – Jack Dalton 17-126, Brody Belt 5-36, Anzerion Marigny 4-31, Kingston Shidler 8-30, Team 2-(-38).
Hopkinsville – James Bradley 32-91, Jeremiah Smith 2-13, Kyrien Cannon 1-2, Jasiah McCarley 3-(-14), Team 2-(-34).
Passing
Henderson Co. — Belt 4-14-2 53, Dalton 2-5-1 35, Avant Baxter 1-1-0 27.
Hopkinsville – McCarley 11-24-1 180, Bradley 0-2-0.
Receiving
Henderson Co. — Avant Baxter 3-57, Shidler 2-23, Jack Ryan Reusch 2-35.
Hopkinsville – Aiden Jesse 6-111, Bradley 2-7, Keyshun Teal 1-30, Tremayne Clay 1-29, Smith 1-3.
