Pikeville is firmly entrenched as the #3 team in 1A and a top contender for the 1A title. This week they step up in class to play 3A Pike County Central. PCC has taken it on the chin the last two weeks in big losses to Belfry and Lawrence County. Can they give 1A Pikeville a game? How will Pikeville approach this game? Will they rest players and try to avoid injuries heading into the playoffs? Or will they go all out with starters till the game is well in hand?

Should be all Pikeville, all day

 

Pike Central should be getting several key players back from suspension for fighting though. Even with them I think Pikeville rolls, but this is a natural rivalry that has never been played until this season. Pikeville needs to make sure cooler heads prevail if it starts getting chippy.

Even with them I think Pikeville rolls, but this is a natural rivalry that has never been played until this season.

 

Any idea why they've never played before?

Any idea why they've never played before?

 

I can't speak as if I know..but I can throw theories.

 

Maybe Big Five-O can speak better, but here is what I would guess.

 

For starters Pike Central hasn't been a very good program throughout much of their history. They found some limited success under Coach MacNamee (Pikeville's HC), but the majority of his stint was "building" the program. I am sure they tried reaching out to Pikeville to schedule..but for years now the Panthers have been burdened by playing in massive Districts with an abnormal number of teams. As such...with the Pike County Bowl and Belfry being locked as Pikeville's Non-District games the Panthers simply did not have a lot of dates to work with.

 

Pike Central then hired John Chapman who built off Coach Mac's foundation and took PC to new levels. As Mac began the reconstruction of Pikeville.. there were a handful, maybe even several years I think PC would not only have beaten Pikeville... but possibly even smacked them around.

 

With that said, the key here is John Chapman. What most people forget is Chapman and Pikeville have a very distinct history. His son Jonathan, a standout RB, transferred to Pikeville and Chapman spent time as an Assistant Coach. All accounts are that his time at Pikeville wasn't the smoothest in terms of friction with the AD.

 

Chapman is a coach who knows how to win games...but he is also a coach with well documented... shall we say... "Red Flags" around him. Pikeville, and Coach Mac particularly, are a school and program who believes in doing things a certain way and how they want the outside world to view them. It is no secret Chapman did not have a lot of fans at the two Pike County flagship programs.

 

I know PC actively tried to schedule Pikeville and the Panthers declined. This is just my unfounded opinion, but I think it was for three reasons:

 

1. First and foremost Pikeville had no intention to "do business" with Chapman.

 

2. I think Pikeville knew they could and would lose to PC while Chapman was there. When your district boundaries essentially overlap that is dangerous...especially when the wheels were turning on Mac's rebuild.

 

3. For both #1 and #2... why schedule PC and even make this an issue when you have no problem filling your schedule and finding quality teams who want to play you? Even travelling 4.5 hours to Swain County, NC is no biggie to a Pikeville program with a solid budget and unlike Johnson Central and Belfry most every EKY team would love to play 1A Pikeville.

Imo, your pretty much spot on ATLCAT. Particularly your number 1 point. In past times when this topic came up with fellow Panther fans, what was common to hear was "It wouldn't benefit us that much." Like you stated, there are other East Ky. teams that would love to play single A Pikeville. I guess the thinking has been "why negotiate with a thug when you don't have too." Now that last statement is jmo. PCC now has a classy HC and staff, and they will be more competitive in the next few yrs. Personally i'm glad to see these two teams go up against each other. Hope for an injury free game.