On second down from Farmington's 14-yard line with 5:36 to play, Hopkins turned to sophomore running back Jadon Washington, all of a sudden its most experienced player in the backfield.
Senior quarterback Morgan Holmes left the game one play earlier because of an injury and senior Deyon Campbell, the team's leading rusher, was ruled out before the kickoff with an injury.
Washington took a handoff up the middle, broke right and scored the game-winning 14-yard touchdown in the Royals' 21-14 victory.
"There was a wide-open hole to the outside, and I bounced it," Washington said. "There was only one corner to beat with blockers, and I took it in."
Washington rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns. He ran 6 yards for a touchdown to give Hopkins (4-5) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Tigers (4-5) tied the score in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Kole Hinrichsen. He scored again in the third quarter on a 20-yard run to give Farmington a 14-7 lead. Hinrichsen finished with 204 total yards.
"[Hinrichsen] is scary because he can run and throw and doesn't get rattled," Royals coach John DenHartog said. "We were able to contain it in the second half and made some stops on third-and-shorts."
Washington also scored on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter to tie the score 14-14.
Ellis L. Williams
