With 4:16 remaining until halftime, Paducah Tilghman led the Cougars 32-7. With 3:47 showing, the score was 53-7.
A touchdown pass and two fumbled kickoff returns triggered the Blue Tornado storm.
It could have soon been worse. After watching his regulars fumble the ball away twice straight, Cougar coach Lee Proctor sent reserve Justin Forgy in to return Tighman's ninth kickoff of the half. He just got to his seven. Facing a fourth and 14 from the 4, Ryan Mimms had to punt from his end, and Tilghman returned the punt 27 yards to the Cougar 8.
Tilghman coach Perry Thomas was merciful. He had quarterback Hunter Cantwell take a knee twice to run out the clock instead of running up the score.
Logan had a couple of chances to score in the second half, but each time a Tyrone Taylor pass was intercepted to end the drive. The clock ran throughout the second half because of the lopsided margin, and the final score was that same 53-7.
The undefeated Blue Tornado certainly looked like what the Courier-Journal's Litratings called them, the best team in Kentucky. And the Cougars looked like what they were, a team which had made great strides this season but wasn't quite ready for the spotlight of the school's first Class AAA playoff appearance in five seasons.
Tilghman had a balanced attack with University of Kentucky-bound running back Joe Casey looking like a Mr. Football candidate (over 200 yards in just 8 carries), and Cantwell hitting his targets well, especially Curtis Hamilton, who caught three touchdown passes.
Logan dominated time of possession early. The Cougars punted after three downs to start the game, and Cantwell took it back from midfield for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game.
The next time they punted, Tilghman roughed kicker Ryan Mimms, so Logan maintained possession. Then Taylor hit Robbie Osborne with a 12-yard pass for an earned first down. A holding penalty stopped that drive, despite an 18-yard completion to Osborne.
Yet on its first offensive play of the game, Tilghman tried the kind of flea flicker gimmick that's not characteristic of a powerful team, and they paid the cost by Osborne recovering a fumble. Before Tilghman got the ball again, Logan had run 17 plays and 4 punts to one snap for the home team.
Tilghman, however, started its offensive performance with a 7-play, 69-yard drive, ending on a 7-yard pass from Cantwell to Casey.
After another Mimms punt, Tilghman went 41 yards in two plays with Hamilton catching a 12-yarder from Cantwell.
Three Cougar plays, another punt and a long punt return set up Casey's 15-yard touchdown run on first down. That was in the first minute of the second quarter, and suddenly it was 26-0.
Logan moved the ball on consecutive Taylor completions to Todd Adler for 27 and 23 yards, and the ball went to the 9-yard line when Osborne was interfered with on a pass. On the next play, however, Taylor's pass was picked off at the seven. Casey then ran 93 yards on the next play to make it 32-0 with 10:16.
Again Logan moved the ball, getting one first down when Adler was interfered with and a second when Taylor completed passes to Osborne and Adler for 6 and 14 yards, respectively.
Again the drive stalled, and Mimms punted 41 yards into the end zone.
On first down, Adler intercepted Cantwell's pass and returned it 35 yards for Logan's lone touchdown of the night. Steady Matt Brown kicked the extra point with 6:09 in the third.
Then the Blue Tornado struck. Suddenly it was 53-7
Logan moved the ball to start the second half, thanks to a recovery of a Casey fumble and consecutive completions to Adler for 13 and 4 yards. But on third and 8 from the 23, Taylor was intercepted at the 10.
The next time the Cougars had the ball, Taylor was intercepted at the 30.
It was the first game this year that Taylor didn't complete at least two touchdown passes.
The Cougars finished their turnaround season with a 6-5 record.
Bowling Green was the only team in Logan's district to win in Friday's playoffs. Adair County lost to Hopkins County Central, which now plays Tilghman. Undefeated BGH, which shut out Madisonville-North Hopkins, has a much tougher game with Hopkinsville, which romped over Franklin-Simpson.
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