Wildcats Fall To Caldwell County In Gritty Performance

Edmonson County lines up against the Caldwell County Tigers in the class 3A playoffs.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The scoreboard said 37-20 with the Wildcats falling short to Caldwell County in Princeton Friday night but for Edmonson County fans, the game was much closer than that because of the heart showed by EC.

The Tigers were sharp from the very beginning as senior quarterback Joby Jaggers connected with DeEric Hollowell for a 7-yard touchdown. The extra point gave them a 7-0 lead with under a minute into the game. 

Junior Skylar Cline runs the ball against Caldwell County.

Caldwell County's Trace Olden scored again on a 25-yard touchdown run. The extra point gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 4:48 left in the first. The Tigers scored once more in the first quarter as the Wildcats took a 21-0 deficit as the second quarter began.

Freshman Matthew Shaw tries to elude a Tiger defender.

The Tigers kept rolling in the second as Gabe East returned a 70-yard kick off return for a touchdown with 10:27 left in the half. The extra point was good and the Wildcats trailed 28-0. Caldwell County wasn't finished in the half as they scored again with 4:18 left and extended their lead to 37-0.

Many teams would already be down for the count at this point, but apparently no one told the Wildcats that the game was already a blowout. Edmonson County's effort was as strong as it's been all year as they played as if the score was tied in the final quarter. With the quarter winding down, Jon Smith connected with Brock Stethen on a big 37-yard catch to move the Cats into the red zone. Smith scored on a one-yard push and the Wildcats cut the lead to 37-6 at the half.

Senior Jonathan Hollis tries to avoid a Tiger defender.

The Wildcats pressed on and Edmonson's defense held the Tigers at bay during the third as neither team scored. Edmonson County scored early in the fourth on another touchdown run for 15 yards. The Wildcats failed on their two-point conversion and cut the lead to 37-14 with 8:24 to go. 

Sophomore quarterback Jon Smith looks to pass.

Daniel Pereria (56) sacks Caldwell County's Joby Jaggers.

The Wildcats continued their fight as they attempted an on side kick at the next kick off and recovered the ball. That led to another solid run as Smith connected with Isaiah Johnson for a 26-yard touchdown with 4:22 left in the game. Edmonson County attempted another on side kick but the Tigers got on the ball and Edmonson County was unable to score again.

Jonathan Filback cuts away from two Caldwell County players.

Edmonson County ends their season with a record of 4-7 on the year. It was the final high school game for six seniors: Hunter Frederick, Hunter Goad, Jonathan Hollis, James Hollis, Logan Hagan, and Grayson Perdue.