Belfry vs, Harlan County.

It doesn’t get any better than this this.

Yep, the mountains’ game of the week will take place at Harlan County High School Friday when the two undefeated teams will square-off against one another.

The Pirates (1-0) are coming off a hard fought 37-12 win over Somerset in the Pike County Bowl while the Black Bears are 2-0 with wins over Class 6A’s Madison Central (49-6) and Clay County (42-0).

“This game is going to gauge us,” Harlan County coach Tom Larkey said. “We’ve had two big wins so far, and this game is going to be a bigger test for us.

“It’s an honor for me to be able to go back up against (Belfry coach) Phillip Haywood,” he added. “The last time I went up against him was back in 1992 when I was coach at Rockcastle County. We played them in the Pike County Bowl, and they beat us by one or two touchdowns. It’s an honor to go against him again.”

Harlan County will be tested Friday.

The Pirates have a solid running attack that saw senior tailback Trenity Carr run for two touchdowns against Somerset, while senior tailback Justin Johnson scored from 35 yards out and freshman tailback Jordan Doan raced 46 yards for a score against the Briar Jumpers.

“It’s going to be a great football game,” Larkey said. “They’ve got a dynamic offense and our kids on defense will have to be ready to play.

“Belfry has a great football team and we’re going to have to play our best and eliminate turnovers and penalties,” he added. “Belfry is a very well-coached team and they have a great football coach. Phil and his staff have done a fantastic job and they are very athletic.”

Harlan County is loaded on both sides of the ball, too.

The Black Bears are led in rushing by Carson Whitehead’s 203 yards on the ground while quarterback Scotty Baily has ran for 107 yards.

Whitehead leads the way with four rushing touchdowns while Baily and Kelin Gist each have two apiece. You’ve got to keep an eye on Zach Chitwood (92 rushing yards and one TD) and Dylan Cornett and Fred Massey as well. Each player ahs scored a rushing touchdown this season.

Baily has done a good job keeping opponents honest on defense by completing seven-of-14 pass attempts for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Cole Wilson leads the way with 61 receiving yards and a touchdown while Chitwood also has a receiving score.

“This team has the potential to be the best team I’ve had here,” Larkey said. “I’ve got a good group of hard working kids. Some are athletic and some have speed. This could overall be my best team here, but we might not finish with the best overall record. We play some very good teams.”

And Belfry is one of those teams.

“I’m sure there will be a good crowd for both teams,” Larkey said. “We always have a good crowd and it’s going to be a long travel for them, but Belfry always has a good crowd, too. I’m sure they’ll fill up their side. I believe it will be a great football game.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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