The Corbin Redhounds are one win away from another Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship berth, but standing in their way is a Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado team that is trying to keep their impressive undefeated season alive.
The Hounds improved to 12-1 on the season last week when they defeated visiting Ashland Blazer, 42-7. It was the very definition of a dominating performance, with Corbin tallying up about 400 yards of total offense while limiting the Tomcats to only about 200 yards and a single score on the night.
Senior quarterback Kade Elam led the way for the Redhounds in their win over Ashland, rushing for four touchdowns and passing for an additional two. This follows playoff games against Russell County and Wayne County where he threw for a combined ten touchdowns, with five in each outing.
Meanwhile, Jonah Mahan, Griffin Bates and the Corbin defense has done a fantastic job of keeping the opposition out of the end zone, only giving up a combined 38 points since October 11.
The defensive unit will have their work cut out for them this week against Paducah’s explosive offense, featuring the talents of senior quarterback Jack James and an athletic trio of senior wide receivers in Jakevion Perry, Joshua Campbell and Vanzale Hinton.
James has surpassed 3,500 passing yards on the year, including 55 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Blue Tornado have done a good job of limiting their opponents’ offensive production. Through 13 games, the team boasts an impressive combined score of 659-114.
With all of that being said, Head Coach Luke Salmons’ Redhounds squad seems to be peaking at just the right time. At full strength coming into this semifinal round contest, the team should present Paducah with their toughest test to-date this season. It is difficult to make comparisons between the two schedules considering they feature no common opponents, but it’s probably safe to say that Corbin’s path to the state semis has been at least slightly tougher in terms of the overall quality of opponents.
The big question coming into this game is, after playing in front of home crowds every week for the past month, how will the Hounds adjust to not only having to go on the road, but having to travel over 300 miles and into a different time zone to play this game? We will find out Friday evening with a trip to the 2024 KHSAA Class 4A State Championship on the line.
