Warren East’s 2017 season came to an end with a 21-7 loss to Hopkinsville in the first round of the Class 4A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl on Friday evening at Jim Ross Field.
The Raiders (6-5 overall) struggled to find their usual offensive rhythm and couldn’t answer the Tigers’ many successful plays offensively.
Hoptown quarterback Javier Bland completed 8-of-16 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns while running back Mitchell Degenhardt rushed for 46 yards and a TD to go along with two receiving scores and 62 additional yards.
The Tigers (5-6) will now meet Logan County (11-0) in a second-round matchup next Friday in Russellville. In the regular-season meeting between the two sides, the Cougars won 13-12 on a game-winning TD by quarterback Tyler Ezell.
It took Hopkinsville and Warren East a little while to get going.
Both sides’ first drives resulted in turnovers. The Tigers fumbled and then Raiders’ quarterback Nolan Ford threw an interception. Then, on the next two drives, both sides went three-and-out.
After an all-defensive first quarter, Hopkinsville’s offense clicked in the second quarter.
The Tigers took a 7-0 lead at the 6:17 mark of the period on Bland’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Degenhardt. The running back reeled in the reception, spun around a few times and then broke a couple of tackles and sprinted into the end zone.
That same duo struck again just over five minutes later.
Leading 7-0, Bland received the snap, stepped back and found Degenhardt open near the right side of the field. Degenhardt then made the catch, and made his way down the right sideline and crossed the pylon to give Hoptown a 14-0 advantage at halftime.
At the break, Bland had completed 8-of-13 passes for 141 yards and his two scores. Alongside him, Degenhardt had two receptions for 62 yards and the pair of TDs. Additionally, Gavin Marschand had tallied 43 yards on three catches.
After a scoreless third quarter, Hoptown added to its lead early in the fourth. After intercepting East’s Ford for the third time on the night, the Tigers used Degenhardt repeatedly – and on a fifth carry in the Raiders’ territory, he scored from two yards out.
Degenhardt’s first rushing TD of the night – and third score overall – pushed Hopkinsville’s lead to 21-0 with 10:06 remaining in the contest.
Warren East finally broke through midway through the fourth on Ford’s one-yard TD run. On the previous play, Ford connected with wide receiver Jastin Proctor for a 38-yard gain down to the Tigers’ 7.
Ford followed up with a six-yard rush before his score made it 21-7, but that dealt the final score.
Tyler Mansfield; @_TylerMansfield
