by Jared Jensen
The Paducah Sun
September 27, 2024
Used with permission.
The Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado fought through adversity Thursday night, battling through some rain against a tough Allen County-Scottsville team. Both teams entered the contest undefeated, but only Tilghman walked away that way, sealing the deal with a 42-16 victory.
Getting the victory wasn’t the only significant accomplishment of the night for the Blue Tornado though. Senior quarterback Jack James sealed his name in the KHSAA history books by claiming the all-time touchdown pass record 147 touchdown passes and counting. He entered the game needing just three to take the title, but added two more for good measure for five total on the night.
“To be up their to be up there with some of the greats, Tim Couch, Elijah Sindelar, it’s a blessing,” James said. “I give thanks to my o-line, all my teammates that put in the work with me every day, and my coaches too. I want to thank all of them for putting me in the place where I am today.”
Out of those five TD passes, three of them landed in the hands of freshman receiver Avery Thompson including the record-setting touchdown. On the night Thompson had seven receptions for 85 total yards on 13 targets, proving to be a dynamic duo between the senior and freshman.
“He’s (Avery) is awesome,” James said. “I can put it anywhere and he’s going to grab it. I think the more that we play together the more that you’re going to see that connection. I’m sad I only get to play one year with him because he’s a player and I know he’ll do great things when I’m gone.”
On the night the Blue Tornado played a well-balanced game, going for 279 yards in the air and 238 yards on the ground. And, now knowing what they are capable of in less than ideal conditions, they know even more what they are capable of when conditions are pristine.
“I think it’s good for us to face a little adversity,” James said. “Now we know we can run the ball in the rain and we can throw the ball in the rain. We had a few moments where we had some adversity, a fumble, some dropped catches, but we ended up capitalizing on those mistakes, so I think that was good for us.”
The other two receivers to pull in touchdown passes from the new state record holder were Martels Carter Jr. and Je’Marion Purdiman.
Tilghman added one more score on the ground, a 45-yard sprint up the left side as part of his 179 yard night.
“That’s a well-coached football team in a hard-fought football game,” Tilghman head coach Sean Thompson said. “And I don’t just mean tough as a team, I mean those kids are literally tough, it’s instilled in them. Our guys were locked in and they answered the call and got the job done.”
Allen County, a team that prides themselves in running the football, was held to just 53 yards on the ground against Tilghman with Chase Ross leading that state with 40 of those yards. In the air, Braylon Adams threw for 127 yards for two touchdowns and an interception.
That interception came courtesy of Martels Carter Jr. and the Tilghman defense also brought down Adams for a pair of defensive sacks for a loss yards both times.
Tilghman will get an extra do off with the Thursday night game and will turn their attention towards Logan County on the road for week seven.