‘We can’t get complacent.’ Tates Creek faces Lafayette looking to stack district wins.

Every Thursday night, Tates Creek’s football players get together on a video call and chat while indulging in another shared passion: milk and cookies.

“We go over the game plan and just talk about how we’re feeling,” said De’Trell Johnson, a senior. “It’s a nice bonding moment, and you can see that bond out on the field.”

A lot of trust in one another certainly was required in an improbable win last Friday night at Roy Walton Stadium.

The Commodores (3-3) coughed up possession three times in the first quarter alone against Paul Laurence Dunbar. They kept the Bulldogs (1-5) at bay after a tipped ball led to an interception in Creek territory 50 seconds into play. A much more punishing pickoff less than three minutes later gave Dunbar a 7-0 lead, which it tried to extend soon after following a fumble recovery, but the Commodores blocked a field-goal try to close the period.

Creek still trailed, 21-19, late in the fourth quarter because of a blocked PAT and a two-point conversion felled in part by a delay-of-game penalty. After getting pinned deep in their own territory on a punt, the Commodores drove 76 yards before losing a fumble at Dunbar’s 15-yard line with 4:04 left to play. The fourth turnover, in such a pivotal moment and with so little time remaining, could’ve — maybe should’ve — sealed the Commodores’ fate.

But they forced a three-and-out and preserved 2:39 on the game clock. Kane Bell-Pointer evaded multiple tacklers en route to a long return to the Dunbar 32, and on the ensuing play BJ Evans rushed for the go-ahead score. His third touchdown run, coupled with one final defensive stop, allowed Tates Creek to flee with a 25-21 victory to open district play and snuff a three-game skid.

“It was a stressful game,” Commodores head coach Jonathan Hawks said. “Our district doesn’t get the respect it deserves, but every team is getting better, from the top to the bottom. We have to play hard. We can’t come out and take any team for granted.”

The Commodores rolled to a 3-0 record in Class 6A’s 7th District last year and were the presumed leaders to take it again in 2024. Their performance coming off extended downtime — a home game with Ballard scheduled for Sept. 27 was canceled ahead of their bye week — suggests the race in the Lexington-only division might be more contentious than expected.

Or, maybe, Tates Creek just needed a little more time to bake.

“We can’t get complacent,” said Johnson, who had a critical pass breakup down the stretch. “We had a good win today, but it was hard-fought. I feel like we have the guys, and we have everything that we needed, to pull away from these guys. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but we still played together.”

Generals extend streak

While the Commodores came from behind in the final minutes, Lafayette pulled away from Henry Clay in the latest renewal of the city’s oldest rivalry. The Generals claimed a 20-10 win, sealing it with a pair of touchdown receptions by JJ Richardson in the second half.

Lafayette (4-3) already has doubled its win total from last season and hosts Tates Creek this week in a game that could ultimately determine who will hold the No. 1 seed come playoff time. Head coach Jon Lawson said preparing for last week’s game was the most draining since his first season — “when we were getting our tail kicked every week,” he said — because of expectation management. Henry Clay (0-7) entered on a 21-game losing streak; its last win was against Lafayette on Oct. 7, 2022.

“When you’re young and you have so much social media access like they do now, it’s hard to keep them from looking, ‘Oh my God they lost this game, they did this,’” Lawson said. “It’s so hard to pull them back in.”

The Generals focused enough to extend their win streak to three games. Keeping that same composure against the Commodores would probably position them favorably for the playoffs, where they haven’t won a game since 2016 — when NFL offensive lineman Jedrick Wills and now-local quarterbacks coach Walker Wood led the Generals to a second straight finals appearance.

“The competition in our district is tight right now,” Lawson said. “These next two weeks are crucial. Who’s going to make the least amount of mistakes? Who’s going to execute the best? That’s probably going to be the team that wins those games.”

Other showdowns in Lexington

Bryan Station at Frederick Douglass, noon Saturday: This huge Class 6A showdown between the No. 7 Defenders (4-3) and the No. 5 Broncos (4-3) could decide a district title and will help determine each team’s postseason path. Douglass has never lost to a city rival, a streak of 34 straight games.

Lloyd Memorial at Lexington Catholic, 7:30 p.m. Friday: The No. 7 Juggernauts (6-1) put their Class 3A ranking and district title hopes on the line against Lexington Catholic (1-6). The Knights have a chance to prove they are better than their record.

Frankfort at Sayre, 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Panthers (3-3) will try to derail undefeated Class A No. 2 Sayre (7-0).

Other games Friday: Lexington Christian at W.E.B. DuBois in Louisville at 6:30 p.m.; Henry Clay at Paul Laurence Dunbar at 6:30 p.m.

Herald-Leader staff writer Jared Peck contributed to this article.