by Jared Jensen
The Paducah Sun
September 21, 2023
Used with permission.
As the starting quarterback in now his third season with the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado, Jack James was bound to make a name for himself. The Tilghman play caller did just that, becoming the all-time touchdown passing leader in program history, claiming the title over the former record holder Hunter Cantwell.
James claimed the honor in week four of play when the Blue Tornado traveled to Henderson County and came home with the 42-27 win over the Colonels. That record sat at 69 under Cantwell and now sits at 73 and counting under the belt of the current QB.
“I’m just trying to play game-by-game, it’s not about the record for me,” James said. “I’m not looking for stats, I’m looking for wins.”
And those wins are coming. The Blue Tornado currently hold a 5-0 record in their 2023 campaign and a 19-14 record with James as QB1.
“Jack James has been a great player for me for the last three years,” Paducah Tilghman head coach Sean Thompson said. “He continues to grow, he continues to be the leader of our team and he continues to get better on the field.”
So far this season, James has thrown 15 TD passes for 1,239 yards in just the five games played. Last season he threw for 2,185 yards and 23 scores and his freshman year had a staggering 2,849 yards and 35 impressive touchdowns.
But, a good quarterback knows his arm is only as good as the guys around him and James is no different.
“Having good receivers makes my job a lot easier,” James said. “I’m just throwing the ball and letting them make plays for me. Also, my line. My O-line is the reason I’m able to throw those passes every game so I give a lot of credit to them too.”
Names like Brian Thomas and Cam Marshall stand out as prime receivers that James targeted his freshman year and has continued his accuracy with receivers like Josh Cambell, LeBran McMullen, Banks LaFont, JoeAvion Starks and Martels Carter just to name a few.
“You see his hard work paying off, but he has a lot of guys around him to help make that happen,” Thompson said. “As a coach I’m just proud to be able to coach guys like Jack.”
With the new all-time TD pass title, James’ name will be among the Tilghman greats, many of whom went on to play professionally including Cantwell, a goal James hopes to get to down the line.
For now though, the play caller will continue focusing one game at a time, looking for win after win, hoping to make that final win a Class 4A State Championship.