Bowling Green running back C.J. Sullivan is pursued by Hopkinsville defenders in the first half Friday. Photo by Clinton Lewis

HOPKINSVILLE Long after the field had cleared of football players and the stadium of fans, the final score still flashed on the scoreboard. Hopkinsville 21, Bowling Green 14.It didnt matter, in the end, that the Purples held the explosive Tigers, ranked third in the state in Class 3A, to 21 points Friday in the Stadium of Champions when their previous lowest output all year had been 33 points. They really did a great job of defending us, Hoptown coach Craig Clayton said. Bowling Green, which has had a penchant of finding ways to win games, especially late in the season, was unable to pull out one more heartstopper to stay alive in the postseason. I thought we hung in there tonight, Bowling Green coach Kevin Wallace said. … I couldnt say enough about our effort defensively. Offensively, we moved the ball really well, especially in the first half, but we just didnt finish. Youve got to take advantage of every opportunity you have. The last time the two teams met in 1997, Hoptown also knocked the Purples out of the playoffs. But that game later was overturned and the Purples were awarded the victory when it was discovered the Tigers had an ineligible player. The Tigers got all the way to the state championship game that year, but lost even with the ineligible player. This time, meanwhile, Hoptown (12-1) clinched the Class 3A, Region 1 championship and will host Boyle County next week in the state high school football semifinals. Bowling Green ended its season at 10-3.Not even the fact that Bowling Green had come a long way since the preseason and got this far in the playoffs eased the sting of the loss for Wallace and his Purples, however. Thats hard to think about right now, Wallace said. My heart bleeds out for the 17 seniors weve got. They wont get to play again, at least not for the Purples. Bowling Green gave the Tigers a game, though. After falling behind 14-0 with 56 second remaining in the first half, the Purples went into the locker room with the momentum in their favor. Keyed by a 27-yard kickoff return by Terrell Green and a 37-yard halfback pass from Aaron Johnson to John Moore, Bowling Green finally was able to finish off a drive. Quarterback Kyle Sledge later capped the six-play, 58-yard drive with a 13-yard pass to Green to make it 14-6. Adam Mercers ensuing PAT kick further shortened the gap to 14-7.The Purples tied the game on its second offensive series of the third quarter. And it was the multi-talented Johnson who provided the Purples with the scoring opportunity. Johnson intercepted Tigers quarterback Blake Ladson at the Hoptown 45, returning the pick to the 18. Six plays later, on fourth and goal from the 1, Johnson helped his own cause by running it in. The tie was short-lived, however. A 37-yard kickoff return by Emmanuel Jessup and a 51-yard run by Marcel Lesueur put the Tigers at the Bowling Green 1 in the waning moments of the third period. The Purples kept the Tigers out of the end zone twice in a row, by Ladson ran it in from two yards out on a quarterback keeper on third and goal for the game winner. A costly holding penalty and a fumble killed two of Bowling Green’s last three drives of the game; another stalled when the Purples gave the ball up on downs. Hoptown’s a great football team and we had to play perfect to win, Wallace said. I thought our effort was superb, but we werent perfect. Bowling Green finished with 239 yards of total offense to Hoptown’s 302. Lesueur led all rushers with 177 yards and one score on 19 carries. Johnson paced the Purples with 56 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Green added 31 yards on seven carries and returned three kickoffs for 83 yards. C.J. Sullivan had 37 yards on nine carries. Sledge ran for 36 yards and passed for 42 more.