Pikeville at Corbin Predictions/Updates

[Mountain Football 606]

No appetizers needed, Week 1 of the 2024 Kentucky high school football delivers the main course. The 3-time defending Class A state champions, Pikeville Panthers, will travel west along Route 80 for a matchup with 4A powerhouse, the Corbin Redheunds, Even though, on paper, the game has the possibility of delivering a Michelin-star rated dish, the two teams will enter the matchup from two very different perspectives.

Pikeville is coming off its third straight Class A state championship. While the Panthers lost some heavy contributors from last year's title team (Sam Wright, Jeb Wilkerson, Jackson Wilkerson, Westin Bevins, Taxvian Boykins, etc.), the cupboard is far from bare. The reigning Class A state title game MVP and preseason Mr. Football candidate, Brenden Anthony, is back for Pikeville. The "do-it-all" player will be the focal point for the Panthers on both sides of the ball. Along with Isaac Duty, Deonte Stevens, Bradyn Hall, Isaiah Stanley, Blake Caudill, Drew Ferguson and many others, Pikeville looks primed to make a run for a 4th-straight Class A state championship. The Panthers are enjoying an unprecedented level of success and look to continue their dominance in 2024.

Across the field, the Redhounds of Corbin enter 2024 with a high level of cautious optimism. The goal is always the same for the Redhounds, a state championship. They've been close in recent years to achieving that goal, real close. While that elusive title has escaped the grips of the Corbin faithful, the goal remains unchanged. That may be the only aspect of the Corbin program that hasn't changed. Gone is Tom Greer.

Gone are Jacob Smith, Jerod Smith, Franklin West, Guy Bailey, Carter Stewart and others. Enter Luke Salmons. The former Cabell Midland coach takes over as head honcho for the Redhounds, Even though Salmons has experience coaching in Kentucky (head coach at Lawrence County, 2008-2010), his new assignment comes with heavy expectations. Fortunately for Salmons, he'll have plenty of tools in his arsenal to compete for a state championship. Kade Elam, Eli Pietrowski, Cam Estep, Jonah Mahan, Jace Hatfield and others are back, plus a couple of additions from Cabell Midland that followed Coach Salmons.  Needless to say, the 2024 edition of the Redheunds will be more than equipped to compete for a state championship.

This is a rematch of a 2022 game that saw Corbin beat Pikeville, 24-19. Both teams that year ended their seasons at Kroger Field. If this year's game can produce a similar result, both programs will leave the table full and ready for dessert.

Who wins the game, Pikeville or Corbin?

[hrcarrier]

I think this is an interesting game for the first week of the season. Both teams will be interesting to see with how good both of them were last season. I think I’ll go with Pikeville in a close game. Good luck to both teams.

[Cheese]

I got Corbin in a close one. I think Pikeville knows what they have to do to win this game on the road. Corbin will have one area that will be hard for any defense to stop and that is Kade Elam. This is his Senior season and he will be a tuff to stop. He can run or pass and is really a defensive standpoint nightmare. Pikeville on the other hand really comes into this game hungry for another State Championship run and would like nothing more than to knock off Corbin on its home field. I would like to thank Mountain Football 606 for a very nice write up. No matter who wins this one, I do think it will be one of the best games to watch opening night. Good luck to both teams. 

[Cousin Chris]

Corbin vs. Pikeville will be the undercard on Friday night in Corbin.  Beechwood will be the best team in Corbin on Friday night.  They just beat Purcell Marion from Cincinnati 47-7 in their scrimmage and took their starters out in the 2nd qtr.  PM went 10-3 last year with a tough Cincinnati schedule.  It’s going to be very hard to hold Beechwood under 40 this season.  They have so much talent in the skill positions and their line is bigger and better.  Pulaski should be much better but I think it will be Beechwood by at least 2-3 TDs.

[Cincinnati Cobra]

27 minutes ago, Cousin Chris said:

Corbin vs. Pikeville will be the undercard on Friday night in Corbin.  Beechwood will be the best team in Corbin on Friday night.  They just beat Purcell Marion from Cincinnati 47-7 in their scrimmage and took their starters out in the 2nd qtr.  PM went 10-3 last year with a tough Cincinnati schedule.  It’s going to be very hard to hold Beechwood under 40 this season.  They have so much talent in the skill positions and their line is bigger and better.  Pulaski should be much better but I think it will be Beechwood by at least 2-3 TDs.

Beating Purcell Marian shouldn't be any major point of pride for Beechwood. They are perennially a bad team. Even in a very good year like last year, they're only mediocre at best. First off, Purcell graduated about two-thirds of their starters from last year. And then if you think their schedule last year was tough, then you should educate yourself more on what a good schedule in Cincinnati looks like. They beat Bacon, who is struggling and is in the midst of a major down-cycle, and the only moderately decent football I see on their schedule was Taft, who they lost to. For reference, Calpreps puts Purcell's team last year fairly on par with Dixie Heights. And again, that was a banner season for Purcell.

They may be a physically larger school than Beechwood, but Purcell students are about 60% on vouchers and almost 100% on free/reduced lunches. If Beechwood isn't capable of handlig Purcell, then Beechwood fans should really be concerned about where there football program stands.

[Cousin Chris]

Well for your information Dixie is a pretty good program so if they are on par with Dixie then I think they are pretty good and Beechwood was plenty capable of “handling’ them based on the score of 47-7.  And as I said Beechwood started subbing in the 2nd quarter.  But I appreciate your expertise on Cincinnati high school football.

[DevilMayCare]

This game interests me as much as any other this week. Some really good threads to tug on.

QB play - Elam is a DI talent if he chose to go that route instead of baseball, and Pikeville's Duty is underrated. He hasn't been asked to do too much, given how good they've been up front with one stud running back after another. I expect both to play well, though Elam should get the better of the stat sheet.

Owning the point of attack - I'm looking specifically at Pikeville's o-line versus Corbin's front seven. Per usual, the Panthers were strong up front last year, but lost some dudes to graduation. Corbin was loaded in the box, with the Smith twins, Mikey Neal, Evan Baker, plus Franklin West eating up a lot of blockers. All of them are gone. Can Pikeville open holes for Brenden Anthony, or will he have to try and make his own? Of all the smaller battles within the war, this one may have the most bearing on the outcome. Whichever side makes the biggest strides in replacing those units gives their team a distinct advantage. 

Battle of wits - We don't doubt Chris McNamee around here. Pikeville is always prepared. If he hasn't earned your trust by now, he never will. It's on Luke Salmons to match the five time state champion. He was never able to get Cabell Midland over the hump, and he doesn't yet have a rep as a big game coach. Beating Pikeville won't change that, but McNamee is the best big game coach in the bottom three classes. Advantage, Panthers. I'm eager to see what the Hounds look like under their new boss.

I'm leaning Pikeville, but this should be a gem of a game in Week 1, a good old fashioned EKY brawl in the foothills of the Appalachias.

[Hard Work]

Pikeville in a nail biter! 

[TheDeuce]

Anybody know if this one will be streamed anywhere? Would love to check it out. 

[Purple88]

Really nice write up @Mountain Football 606!  Good luck on Friday night!

[theguru]

2 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

Anybody know if this one will be streamed anywhere? Would love to check it out. 

I have the same question, does anyone have any info on a stream of this game?

[theguru]

I have NO IDEA if there will be a stream here but Mountain-TopSports.com does show a lot of Pikeville games. 

https://mountain-topsports.com/

[Cheese]

https://t1073.com/ You can try this link to both radio and stream.

[theguru]

5 minutes ago, Cheese said:

https://t1073.com/ You can try this link to both radio and stream.

Do you have specific knowledge that this game will be streamed on that link or do you mean generally speaking?

[RetiredCoach1968]

This will be a good one, my nephew plays for Pikeville and is excited about the challenge. Can't wait to watch this one.