Caleb Hopkins all smiles after signing with Hiwassee
Panthers
Gordon Lee head baseball coach Mike Dunfee said the first thing he noticed about Caleb Hopkins during Hopkins’ freshman year was the near-permanent smile that the rookie had on his face as he showed his passion for the game.
Hopkins had another big smile on his face Thursday afternoon as the senior signed papers to continue his career in college.
The left-handed first baseman, who helped the Navy-and-White advance to the Class A Public School state finals last season, will and play a lot of manto-man. Tonight it bit us a little bit. I don’t think there was a time when (the Jefferson receivers) were wide open. Our guys were right there on them. They just made some great catches on great throws in tight windows.
“They had a few runs here and there, but for the most part, I think our defense did very well against (Wood), but their receivers made plays. That’s how we’ve set up our defense all year. We’re going to stop your number one threat and if you’ve got some other guys that can beat us, then that may happen.”
The game had the makings of another Ridgeland blowout early on as the Panthers led 14-0 after their first two possessions. Tanner Hill capped a 73-yard opening drive with a 15-yard TD pass to Stephon Walker and, following a strip sack by Derayl Helton near midfield, Hill hit Walker on a 24-yard pass to help set up an 8-yard TD run by Jalyn Shelton with 3:44 left in the first quarter.
But the momentum would immediate swing to the side of the visitors just moments later.
Wood knifed through the Panthers’ kick coverage for 76 yards before Justin Cole broke free for a 16-yard TD run just one play later. The Dragons would miss the extra point, but their be headed to Madisonville, Tennessee next fall to begin his collegiate career as a Hiwassee Tiger.
“I was a little worried thinking that the last game of my senior year was going to be the last time I ever put on cleats,” Hopkins said. “I didn’t want that to be the case so it feels good to sign. I’m ready to get this season going and ready to start playing.”
The junior established himself as one of the Trojans’ offensive leaders with a .341 average last spring to go with 11 doubles, two triples, two homers and 20 RBIs as he earned Walker County Dream Team first team status. defense would stop the Panthers on fourth down at the Jefferson 49 to get the ball back for their offense.
Moore went 4-of-6 on the ensuing drive, while Corbin got things going with a spectacular onehanded catch. Addison Clay added a big 14yard reception on thirdand-long and Corbin came up big on fourthand-goal from the Ridgeland 9, catching a pass and getting a foot down for his first score of the night. Tight end Garmon Rudolph, all 6-foot-6 of him, snared the conversion pass to knot the game with 9:05 left in the half.
Ridgeland thwarted the Dragons’ next drive as Cole had the ball punched out just before he crossed the goal line. Markeith Montgomery pounced on the ball for the touchback, but Kade McNally would get the ball right back for Jefferson, picking off a Hill pass inside the Ridgeland 30. Two plays later, Corbin hauled in a 26-yard TD pass, while Rudolph’s second conversion catch gave the Dragons a 22-14 halftime lead.
Moore and Corbin would strike again to begin the third quarter. Moore completed passes on third-andnine and third-and-11 to keep the drive alive before Corbin pulled in a 21-yard scoring strike with 6:38 left in the period. A failed conversion pass kept the score at 28-14.
Late in the third, the Panthers forced a punt and responded with an 11-play, 66-yard march. Montgomery had runs of 33 and
“Caleb is a good, hardworking kid,” Dunfee explained. “He just loves the game. He had a smile on his face no matter what we did that first year. He really truly loves the game and he has worked his tail off. I’m just so happy for him.
“We’re going to rely on him on the mound again some this upcoming season, but he’s been an excellent first baseman for us the past few years. He can play some outfield, but he’s more natural and more comfortable at first base, which is where he’ll play (at Hiwassee). He did well for us last year, but I think he’s going to step up and do even 13 yards on the drive before Shelton got in from the 1-yard line on fourth down. Conner Middleton’s third PAT of the night cut the gap to seven with 8:53 remaining.
The defense would step up to force a Jefferson punt and they would get another three-and-out with 3:32 left to set up the offense at the Dragons’ 42-yard line. But backto-back penalties would put Ridgeland in a hole and on second-and-12 from midfield, Terrell Wall would end the final Panther threat with a pick.
Jefferson would pick up one final gamesealing first down with just under two minutes to play before successfully running out the clock.
The Panthers had 255 yards of offense, 199 coming on the ground, while Dragons had just 230 yards, carrying 31 times for just 78 yards. Montgomery was the workhorse for the Panthers with 125 yards on 20 carries, while Shelton - back on the field after missing last week with a highankle sprain - had just 28 yards on 11 rushing attempts. Hill was 4-of10 for 56 yards in the air with Walker making three catches for 46 yards.
“Ridgeland’s only been past the second round one time,” Tankersley explained. “It’s not an easy thing to do. I’ve got to figure out as a coach what I need to do better and what I need to do differently with our kids to get us over that threshold.”
The Panthers’ thirdyear coach said he more for us this year.”
Hopkins said he loved Hiwassee’s hometown feel.
“I felt like home when I visited,” he added. “It felt like I’d only driven about 15 minutes outside of Chickamauga. That’s what I like most about it. Hopefully I can bring some hitting to their program. They have a pretty solid program, going to World Series two years in a row, and they’ve been recruiting a lot of guys from around here.”
Hiwassee’s roster includes players from LFO, LaFayette, Heritage, Ridgeland and Northwest Whitfield.
Hopkins said he plans to major in Business. would greatly miss this group of seniors, who helped the team to backto-back Region 6-AAAA championships, three straight state playoff appearances and a 20-3 record over the last two years.
“Every one of them means something to me,” he added. “They came out and really showed a lot of character tonight in adverse situations. You just tell them that you hope they take these lessons learned on the field and apply then to the game of life.”