Jack Bradley didn’t like how he felt walking off the field after playing Campbellsville in each of his first three seasons.
Bethlehem’s senior quarterback had never experienced a win against one of his team’s biggest rivals, with Campbellsville winning the last five meetings between the Class 1A rivals – including ending Bethlehem’s 2025 season in the second round of the state playoffs.
But thanks to his two favorite targets in Noah Hawkins and Michael Crigler, Bethlehem ended all that frustration at Five Star Field.
Hawkins and Crigler combined to catch five touchdown passes from Bradley as homestanding Bethlehem blew out Campbellsville 52-7 Friday night.
“We couldn’t have done this without him,” Hawkins said of Bradley. “He’s the best quarterback in 1A football. We couldn’t have done this without our offensive line, either. It was just an all around great game for us.”
That’s quite the understatement.
Bethlehem romped its way to its third win by at least 45 points this season, and Bethlehem also reached 6-0 for the first time since the 2006 team won its first nine games.
It was total dominance with Bethlehem pulling away convincingly after Campbellsville pulled within 14-7 in the second quarter.
Crigler caught his second touchdown of the night covering 53 yards to start the romp with 5 minutes left until halftime, and Bethlehem methodically built its lead from there. It was 28-7 after Hawkins slipped behind the defense and hauled in a deftly placed pass from Bradley for a 66-yard score with around 2 minutes left until the break.
“That was a great pass,” Hawkins said. “That’s my guy. It’s just awesome to come out here and beat a team like that the way we did.”
Bethlehem wasn’t done.
After Jalen DelValle forced a Campbellsville fumble, Bradley scored on a 1-yard keeper to push the lead to 35-7 at intermission.
“This feels amazing,” Bradley said. ‘I’ve been here all four years of high school, and we’ve lost to them each time we’ve played. So to come out here senior year and put it on them like we did, it’s just a great feeling. I’m grateful for my teammates and coaches and everything we did tonight. We had a great week of practice that allowed us to do what we did tonight.”
Bethlehem got the running clock going on Hawkins’ hat trick touchdown with 8:24 left in the third, catching a 6-yard scoring pass from Bradley in the corner of the end zone.
DelValle’s 29-yard scoring run made it 49-7, and Wyatt Bagby drilled a 29-yard field goal to set the final margin.
Bethlehem is soaring high after its sixth straight win, beating Campbellsville for the first time since 2021.
Bradley said it all goes back to the week of practice and preparation his team had.
“Every week of practice, we strive to have a great week – but this week was something special,” he said. “We were after it. Guys were all focused. We were ready to go and we had one goal in mind and that was to come out here and put it on them. That’s what we did.”
Bethlehem looks to keep its unbeaten season rolling next week, when it plays at John Hardin at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Bardstown 57, Mercer County 13
Elijah Young threw five touchdown passes and Tylan Spalding and Chi Poynter each caught two as the homestanding Tigers rolled past the Titans Friday night at Garnis Martin Field.
Young completed 11 of 12 passes for 183 yards, while Poynter finished with five catches for 107 yards and Spalding caught three for 57.
Gavien Barber added 119 yards and a touchdown on four carries, with Spalding and Christian Yocum each scoring one touchdown on the ground.
Camden Newton returned an interception for a touchdown and Trell Phillips-Maddox also came up with an interception to pace Bardstown’s defense.
The Tigers (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with the win.
Bardstown is back in action this week, when it plays at district rival Casey County at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Nelson County 27, John Hardin 9
Jayvon Bailey rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, helping the visiting Cardinals hold off the Bulldogs in a 4A District 2 game Friday night.
Max Moore also scored a rushing touchdown and threw for two, with Lincoln Lundy and isiah Montgomery each catching one.
Dominic Ramirez was a force on defense, coming up with 11 tackles on the night. He also had five tackles for a loss and recovered two fumbles.
Xavier Lawson chipped in with nine tackles (six for a loss), while Hagan Sims had eight tackles with three going for a loss. Bailey also had eight stops on the night, and Moore came up with an interception.
Nelson County improved to 5-1 overall with the win. The Cardinals host district rival Taylor County at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Marion County 42, Thomas Nelson 20
The homestanding Generals (2-3) lost their second straight game, falling to the Knights Friday night.
Gavin Thompson rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns to pace Thomas Nelson, while Nolan Carter also scored a rushing touchdown.
The Generals play at Washington County at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.