Pikeville: 1A Sleeper?

[EKU_05]

Is Pikeville a sleeper contender for the 1A title?

 

The Panthers have lost three games, but those games were to:

 

4A Henry Clay- #4 in 4A, 8-0, and the Panthers played the Devils closer than quite a few Lexington 4A schools.

 

3A East Jessamine- The 5-2 Jaguars have lost only to 4A Henry Clay (see above) and 4A Woodford (5-2) who in turn have only been beaten by said Henry Clay and 8-0 4A Lafayette. The Panthers played the Jags very close on the road and many Panther fans felt should have upset them.

 

2A Belfry- #4 in 2A, 7-1. Panthers actually led the Pirates, who may very well be the best 2A team in the state in the 4th quarter. Belfry's only loss was to 7-1 3A Ashland in OT and the Pirates defeated the reigning 1A champs earlier this year. Many Pirate fans feel the best team they have faced this year has been Pikeville.

 

Take away the three losses to competition that is a combined 20-3 and the Panthers have outscored their opposition 187-26! They have a solid line, a stingy defense, and three outstanding runners.

 

Maybe you think they are a sleeper, maybe not, but at least we can see that this isn't your typical 4-3 1A team.

[RNCSportsaholic]

With those stats I would rank them as a contender rather than a sleeper. Pikeville carries with them a long line of tradition, so no coach is going to look past them. A giant as a hard time sneaking up on people.

[stick1]

Pikeville will always be a contender in 1A IMO. Great coaches, great athletes, great facilities, great community, great support etc.

[Booge]

I think this is a great post. To clarify though, East Jessamine lost to Lexington Catholic. But your post still hits the nail on the head. Belfry is great and lost their game by one point. EJ lost to Woodford by 2. So actually Pikeville's losses are very close to being 22-1. And, they are much bigger schools.

 

Now...can they get over the hump??? Many people in Pikeville are saying they are like the '84, '85 and '86 teams (teams that were very good, but came up just short of getting over the hump, right before they won 3 state titles in a row, and could play with anyone in any class), now they are very good and getting ready to get over the hump. Pikeville is very young and has great talent from grades 12 all the way down through 4, they are getting ready to get over the hump once again. Pikeville will be in Louisville soon, and maybe more than once or twice. :dancingpa

 

And, they are working twice as hard as they ever have since the Hillard Howard era.

 

Is Pikeville a sleeper contender for the 1A title?

 

The Panthers have lost three games, but those games were to:

 

4A Henry Clay- #4 in 4A, 8-0, and the Panthers played the Devils closer than quite a few Lexington 4A schools.

 

3A East Jessamine- The 5-2 Jaguars have lost only to 4A Henry Clay (see above) and 4A Woodford (5-2) who in turn have only been beaten by said Henry Clay and 8-0 4A Lafayette. The Panthers played the Jags very close on the road and many Panther fans felt should have upset them.

 

2A Belfry- #4 in 2A, 7-1. Panthers actually led the Pirates, who may very well be the best 2A team in the state in the 4th quarter. Belfry's only loss was to 7-1 3A Ashland in OT and the Pirates defeated the reigning 1A champs earlier this year. Many Pirate fans feel the best team they have faced this year has been Pikeville.

 

Take away the three losses to competition that is a combined 20-3 and the Panthers have outscored their opposition 187-26! They have a solid line, a stingy defense, and three outstanding runners.

 

Maybe you think they are a sleeper, maybe not, but at least we can see that this isn't your typical 4-3 1A team.

[AverageJoesGym]

Is Pikeville a sleeper contender for the 1A title?

 

The Panthers have lost three games, but those games were to:

 

4A Henry Clay- #4 in 4A, 8-0, and the Panthers played the Devils closer than quite a few Lexington 4A schools.

 

3A East Jessamine- The 5-2 Jaguars have lost only to 4A Henry Clay (see above) and 4A Woodford (5-2) who in turn have only been beaten by said Henry Clay and 8-0 4A Lafayette. The Panthers played the Jags very close on the road and many Panther fans felt should have upset them.

 

2A Belfry- #4 in 2A, 7-1. Panthers actually led the Pirates, who may very well be the best 2A team in the state in the 4th quarter. Belfry's only loss was to 7-1 3A Ashland in OT and the Pirates defeated the reigning 1A champs earlier this year. Many Pirate fans feel the best team they have faced this year has been Pikeville.

 

Take away the three losses to competition that is a combined 20-3 and the Panthers have outscored their opposition 187-26! They have a solid line, a stingy defense, and three outstanding runners.

 

Maybe you think they are a sleeper, maybe not, but at least we can see that this isn't your typical 4-3 1A team.

 

There's a couple of ways of looking at this.

 

Henry Clay that's a misleading statement. You said that they played the Devils closer than "quite a few 4A Lexington schools" when in fact Henry Clay had only beaten 2-5 Bryan Station 42-0 and tonight beat Tates Creek 48-20 who was 5-1 but only beat winless Dunbar 17-14 in overtime.

 

 

Belfry is a rivalry game and that sometimes makes the score closer than it should be. That said they did lead and Belfry did beat the defending 1A champs but they're only 3 and 5 this year and a shell of their former selves. Ashland is 6-1 but their loss was to 1A Raceland so if you're going to paint Pikeville as a sleeper team you by proxy also have to paint Raceland as the same since they beat Ashland and Ashland beat Belfry.

 

And you can't trumpet the fact that the teams that have beaten them are a combined 20-3 without mentioning the fact that the teams that they have beaten are a combined 9-20.

 

Pikeville would also have to defeat Somerset to win a regional title. The Jumpers beat the Panthers 35-7 last year and have been tearing it up as of late. I'm not saying that the Jumpers will beat the Panthers, I do think that the winner of this region has a rare shot of winning in the semi's this year as I think the Northern region is down, but even so I think the Eastern side of the state is playing for 2nd place this year as Danville, Bardstown and Mayfield are the class of 1A. Pikeville may be a sleeper to join them in Louisville, I just don't see anyone from the Eastern sub-state winning it.

[Booge]

Pikeville would also have to defeat Somerset to win a regional title. The Jumpers beat the Panthers 35-7 last year and have been tearing it up as of late. I'm not saying that the Jumpers will beat the Panthers, I do think that the winner of this region has a rare shot of winning in the semi's this year as I think the Northern region is down, but even so I think the Eastern side of the state is playing for 2nd place this year as Danville, Bardstown and Mayfield are the class of 1A. Pikeville may be a sleeper to join them in Louisville, I just don't see anyone from the Eastern sub-state winning it.

 

Pikeville has beaten Somerset 2 out of the last 3 years. Two years ago Somerset came to Pikeville and got thrashed. It will be almost impossible for Somerset to beat Pikeville at Pikeville. Pikeville knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain. Playing for "2nd place" isn't in Pikeville's vocabulary, and shouldn't be in Somerset's either.

 

BTW, Somerset's wins have come against horrible teams, and Somerset's D has given up a zillion points.

[AverageJoesGym]

Pikeville has beaten Somerset 2 out of the last 3 years. Two years ago Somerset came to Pikeville and got thrashed. It will be almost impossible for Somerset to beat Pikeville at Pikeville. Pikeville knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain. Playing for "2nd place" isn't in Pikeville's vocabulary, and shouldn't be in Somerset's either.

 

BTW, Somerset's wins have come against horrible teams, and Somerset's D has given up a zillion points.

 

The players involved in the wins in 2003 and 2004 would have been Freshman and Sophmores in those games. I hardly think that they matter, just as the fact that Somerset beat Pikeville easily last year doesn't matter this year. You've said earlier that Pikeville has a young team so wouldn't it make sense to say that the majority of Pikeville's players were not involved in Pikeville's 2 wins against Somerset and that more likely most of them were on the other end of a 35-7 drubbing last year? BTW the teams that Pikeville has defeated have an overall record of 9-20 while the teams Somerset has defeated have an overall record of 10-11. Don't cast stones while living in a glass house. Somerset's defense has given up a bunch of points but since they've been averaging 66 points a game the last 3 weeks it hasn't mattered. I don't think Somerset is anywhere near a state title contender, but Pikeville isn't either, and it isn't "almost impossible" for Somerset to win at Pikeville, the Panthers are good but they're far from unbeatable and as long as you can score you've got a chance. Either way I'm not convinced either team can beat the team from the Northern Region and even if they do I'll bet the farm that if either team makes it that far they're beaten soundly by the team that comes out of the west. Don't get me wrong I like Pikeville but I think the mountain 1A teams are flawed this year and are no serious threat to do anything other than make the final four or get blown out in the finals.

[Beechwoodfan]

I would love to see Pikeville back to the powerhouse they once were. They were a class act then, and continue to be. The best fans ever! Always worth the long ride. Bring it ON!

[Booge]

I would love to see Pikeville back to the powerhouse they once were. They were a class act then, and continue to be. The best fans ever! Always worth the long ride. Bring it ON!

 

Hopefully you will bring it to us!!! Hope to see Beechwood/Pikeville in the semis at Pikeville...very well could happen!!!:banana:

[Belfry Wins]

Ill say this from seeing Pikeville play and NCC I think that would be an excellent game. NCC and Beechwood is obviously close so I will say Pikeville is a contender. Nobody better overlook this team. They have alot of talent and most of it is young.

[Booge]

Pikeville team this year is much better, much stronger, and much faster than the team that could have beaten Somerset by 100 the last time they came to Pikeville 2 years ago...

 

Somerset's opponents' 10 wins: Jenkins, Betsy Layne, Evarts, Thomas Walker, VA, Pineville, Jellico, TN, McCreary Central, Oneida, TN, Pineville (again) and Gallatin Co. Not too good, lol...

 

Somerset gave up 70 points to the team that just lost to the team that Pikeville gave up 20 points to.

 

Somerset gave up 180 to their non-district teams --- Franklin Co. (lost to East Jessamine), Danville, SW Pulaski, Warren East...

 

Pikeville gave up 81 to Henry Clay (4th overall in state), East Jessamine (beat Franklin Co, the team that put 70 on Somerset), Prestonsburg, and Belfry...

 

Somerset giving up 25 points a game (180-81) more than Pikeville to good competition...

 

The players involved in the wins in 2003 and 2004 would have been Freshman and Sophmores in those games. I hardly think that they matter, just as the fact that Somerset beat Pikeville easily last year doesn't matter this year. You've said earlier that Pikeville has a young team so wouldn't it make sense to say that the majority of Pikeville's players were not involved in Pikeville's 2 wins against Somerset and that more likely most of them were on the other end of a 35-7 drubbing last year? BTW the teams that Pikeville has defeated have an overall record of 9-20 while the teams Somerset has defeated have an overall record of 10-11. Don't cast stones while living in a glass house. Somerset's defense has given up a bunch of points but since they've been averaging 66 points a game the last 3 weeks it hasn't mattered. I don't think Somerset is anywhere near a state title contender, but Pikeville isn't either, and it isn't "almost impossible" for Somerset to win at Pikeville, the Panthers are good but they're far from unbeatable and as long as you can score you've got a chance. Either way I'm not convinced either team can beat the team from the Northern Region and even if they do I'll bet the farm that if either team makes it that far they're beaten soundly by the team that comes out of the west. Don't get me wrong I like Pikeville but I think the mountain 1A teams are flawed this year and are no serious threat to do anything other than make the final four or get blown out in the finals.

[AverageJoesGym]

Pikeville team this year is much better, much stronger, and much faster than the team that could have beaten Somerset by 100 the last time they came to Pikeville 2 years ago...

 

Somerset's opponents' 10 wins: Jenkins, Betsy Layne, Evarts, Thomas Walker, VA, Pineville, Jellico, TN, McCreary Central, Oneida, TN, Pineville (again) and Gallatin Co. Not too good, lol...

 

Somerset gave up 70 points to the team that just lost to the team that Pikeville game up 20 points to, lol...

 

Somerset gave up 180 to their non-district teams --- Franklin Co. (lost to East Jessamine), Danville, SW Pulaski, Warren East...

 

Pikeville gave up 81 to Henry Clay (4th overall in state), East Jessamine (beat Franklin Co, the team that put 70 on Somerset), Prestonsburg, and Belfry...

 

Somerset giving up 25 points a game (180-81) more than Pikeville to good competition...

 

You see there you go again talking about the year before last. That was Somerset's worst team talent wise in 9 years. Does Pikeville truly have a young team? If they do then the game from 2 years ago doesn't matter. Most of the players that played last year are playing this year, Somerset dominated that game 35-7 and yes it could have been worse so you can't have it both ways, if Pikeville has a young team then most of them weren't playing much two years ago so last years game would be the more indicative of this years game, are they young or not? The thing is none of those games have any bearing on what happens this year.

 

If you want to compare Pikeville's opponents 9 wins are against Paintsville(whose 4-3 record was built up on Besy Layne, Phelps, and Allen Central), Sheldon Clark, Magoffin Co., Betsy Layne, Phelps, Jackson Co. and South Floyd. I'm not seeing any state title contenders in this bunch either--just like Somerset's.

 

Somerset did get spanked by Franklin Co. in the first game of the year. East Jessamine did beat Franklin Co. East Jessamine also was beaten by Woodford Co. that was spanked by yep Henry Clay so what was the fluke Pikeville playing East close or getting drilled by Henry Clay. The thing is it is high school football, any given week anything can happen. The thing is Somerset has scored 74 points more than Pikeville against a very comprable schedule. Pikeville has allowed 151 less so if you just take that they've played equal schedules then Pikeville is 11 points better a game than Somerset. That would make them the favorites but let's not confuse an 11 point favorite with it being almost impossible for Somerset to beat Pikevile. If I'm not mistaken they're 2-2 over their last four games and while Somerset's defense may be behind Pikeville's it would be foolish to suggest that Pikeville's offense is better than Somerset's.

 

However, like I said the winner of the region will be lucky to win in the semi-state and has very, very little chance against the west winner.

[Booge]

I'll just agree to disagree...Somerset will not come to Pikeville and win...end of story...

 

You see there you go again talking about the year before last. That was Somerset's worst team talent wise in 9 years. Does Pikeville truly have a young team? If they do then the game from 2 years ago doesn't matter. Most of the players that played last year are playing this year, Somerset dominated that game 35-7 and yes it could have been worse so you can't have it both ways, if Pikeville has a young team then most of them weren't playing much two years ago so last years game would be the more indicative of this years game, are they young or not? The thing is none of those games have any bearing on what happens this year.

 

If you want to compare Pikeville's opponents 9 wins are against Paintsville(whose 4-3 record was built up on Besy Layne, Phelps, and Allen Central), Sheldon Clark, Magoffin Co., Betsy Layne, Phelps, Jackson Co. and South Floyd. I'm not seeing any state title contenders in this bunch either--just like Somerset's.

 

Somerset did get spanked by Franklin Co. in the first game of the year. East Jessamine did beat Franklin Co. East Jessamine also was beaten by Woodford Co. that was spanked by yep Henry Clay so what was the fluke Pikeville playing East close or getting drilled by Henry Clay. The thing is it is high school football, any given week anything can happen. The thing is Somerset has scored 74 points more than Pikeville against a very comprable schedule. Pikeville has allowed 151 less so if you just take that they've played equal schedules then Pikeville is 11 points better a game than Somerset. That would make them the favorites but let's not confuse an 11 point favorite with it being almost impossible for Somerset to beat Pikevile. If I'm not mistaken they're 2-2 over their last four games and while Somerset's defense may be behind Pikeville's it would be foolish to suggest that Pikeville's offense is better than Somerset's.

 

However, like I said the winner of the region will be lucky to win in the semi-state and has very, very little chance against the west winner.

[AverageJoesGym]

I'll just agree to disagree...Somerset will not come to Pikeville and win...end of discussion for me...

 

I never said that they would win. I just pointed out numerous reasons why it would be foolish to suggest that they had very little chance. You're reasoning was obviously pointed out as flawed so you decided to take your ball and go home. That's fine, all my points were valid and anyone can see that. What you're really missing is the point of this thread, and that was is Pikeville a 1A sleeper? I said no, I truly think they'll be lucky to survive the region and I think that whoever wins the region will be no better than a 50/50 shot to take semi-state. And whoever wins the East is about 3 scores or more worse than the teams from the west. THAT was the point of the thread and THAT was what I was getting at. However you seem to want to take the "stick my fingers in my ear, I'm not listening to you nahhhhhhh nahhhhh" defense and that is fine. To say that a team that has the state's leading receiver and 3rd leading (yardage wise) quarterback -with the majority of games played against comprable competition to the Panthers-has almost no chance of winning against Pikeville when the series in the this millenium is 2-2 borders on ignorance.....I said Pikeville would be favored and they will, I'll also stick to my reason for the thread--Pikeville, or Somerset has no better than a 10 percent chance to take state. Pikeville nor Somerset is a 1A sleeper, the winner of the region has an outside chance of winning the semi-state but to quote you "almost no" chance of beating the western representative.

[Hearsay]

It would be nice to see someone besides NCC or Beechwood get to the Pizza Box to play whoever comes out of the central or west.