H.S. FOOTBALL: Lexington, Hardin Co. brace for shootout

The football teams at Lexington and Hardin County had quality starts to the season last week.

They each played rival teams from smaller schools and beat them by more than 30 points.

Now the rival Tiger teams get to pick on someone their own size when they play each other in each team's Region 7-4A opener.

But it would've been a big game had they not been placed in the same region.

"This has been one of our biggest games every year for as long as I can remember," said Lexington head coach Bryant Hollingsworth, who played his high school ball at Lexington. "And we typically don't play our best game when we go to their place for whatever reason."

Hardin County got the win last year, 30-28, on a last-second score. Lexington won 37-17 the year before, but the game was closer than the 20-point final score would suggest. Savannah has been the scene of a couple of Lexington losses in the last few years where Lexington had a chance to win late but couldn't for various reasons.

Hollingsworth said his team plans to avoid that situation this year.

"We know Hardin County will have something to say about that, probably a lot to say," Hollingsworth said. "But if do what we're supposed to do on every play, then we're good enough to beat them."

While Lexington has athletes like Ole Miss commit Tariquious Tisdale, Tylan Johnson and Deandre Scott on its sideline, they know the defense will need to play its best to stop Hardin County's athletes, including Cal Gobbell at quarterback.

"He's a great athlete with a lot of speed and is very elusive," Hollingsworth said. "But as soon as we key in on him very much before the snap, he'll start getting the ball out of his hands very quickly to his receivers.

"So we can't sell out to stop their run, because the pass game is just as effective for them. We've got to be ready in all areas."

Brandon Shields, 425-9751