Belfry (2A #5) and Johnson Central (4A #5) from last week's BGP rankings will continue their annual battle this Friday at Jim Matney Field in Paintsville. 

JC enters this week with a record of 1-1.  The Golden Eagles easily defeated 3A Letcher Central 30-6 in week 1 and then took one on the nose this past Friday to a very good 6A Madison Central team by a score of 38-7.

Belfry has a a record of 2-0 on the heels of victories against two teams from Class 3A.  The Pirates handled East Carter 57-12 and then followed that up with a 28-14 victory by outlasting Louisville Central on Friday night. 

Belfry is almost always going to be the underdog in this matchup, but you never really know what to expect when they play Johnson Central.  It doesn't always go by the chalk.  There have been lots of close games, plenty of blowouts and several upsets since they renewed this game.  

Head to Head:  There is no lack of history between these two teams.  This rivalry goes way back into the 4 class system where they were district mates in 3A beginning in 1971.  Belfry dominated that series and won the first 25 contests between the two.  The rivalry renewed in 2007 after a 9 year hiatus when Belfry dropped to 2A.  By then Jim Matney had began a transformation of the Golden Eagle program and we all know how that story has developed.  Johnson Central finally got their first win against Belfry in 2009 and they have never looked back, running up a record of 12-5 verses the Pond Creekers in the last 17 years.  Belfry leads the all-time series 30-12.  The last 10 games have been split 7-3 in favor of the Eagles, but they have beaten the Pirates 7 out of the last 8.  

2025 Records: Johnson Central 11-1; lost to CovCath 36-29 in 2nd round of the 4A playoffs.  Belfry 12-2, lost to LCA 34-29 in the 2A semifinals

Last 5-Year Records: Johnson Central 50-15 , 1 State Runner-up, 1 Semifinal Appearance.   Belfry 46-21, 1 State Champion, 2 Semifinal Appearances

I think Belfry has the upper hand this year with what appears to be a decided edge in team speed, especially on defense. Plus, JC seems vulnerable. They didn't look good for a half against Letcher Central and got their clock cleaned by Madison Central. This year's line is definitely not last year's line, they were uncharacteristically soft in the middle of the defense last week, and Perry may still be sidelined. Now's the time to pounce.

The Pirates can hurt you with several guys. I think they're a little too much for JC this time.

I get up for this game every year. These two are the last of a dying breed. The one thing you can be certain of is that Belfry and Johnson Central will knock the snot out of each other.

Their epic 2016 encounter is forever etched in EKY lore and cracked my "Game of the Century" list.

On 5/28/2026 at 4:16 PM, DevilMayCare said:

King of the Mountains

Belfry ☠️ - 21
Johnson Central 🦅 - 16

(2016 regular season finale in Paintsville)

🗞️ | The skull and crossbones meets the wishbone. 

The irresistible force and the immovable object collide in a battle of #1s between, arguably, the two greatest teams in the history of EKY.

Belfry had ruled 3A with an iron fist for three years and JC returned the house from its 4A runner-up a year earlier. They weren't just the best in their respective classes, they lapped the field. 

Philip Haywood and Jim Matney unleashed hell on each other that night. There was no holding back. No pulling punches.

It was trench warfare, the likes of which could shift tectonic plates. 

The statistics suggested that JC was the superior force, but the home team struggled to finish drives. The only number in Belfry's favor was the only one that mattered in the end... the winning score in a heavyweight battle royale.

The Pirates sailed onward to complete a four-peat of 3A state titles, while JC recovered for a historically dominant rampage through the 4A playoffs, manhandling its five opponents by an average score of 52-3.

The stars were in alignment for both schools that season and in particular, that night for EKY's "Game of the Century'.

🔗: "Game of the Century" thread (shameless self promotion)

NFHS Video:

https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/johnson-central-high-school-paintsville-ky/gam34ffb56c9e

Belfry 21-14.

After last week it is hard for me to predict this game but I can't go against my own team gimme JC by a touchdown.

I really hate to pick against Johnson Central. This seems to be just one of those years where they are vulnerable but still can beat the good teams if they get the momentum. But Belfry may be the winner in this one. Could go either way.

This should be an Eastern Kentucky classic!

Bump.

According to WYMT's facebook page, they'll be streaming JC/Belfry as their game of the week.

JC takes this one.

18 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

According to WYMT's facebook page, they'll be streaming JC/Belfry as their game of the week.

This should be the correct link:

https://www.wymt.com/2026/09/04/watch-alice-lloyd-college-mountain-top-10-matchup-wymt-arh-game-week/

Steaming here as well.

JC punts after gaining two yards on the opening drive Belfry passes deep to the JC 25.

Belfry touchdown qb threw it off his back foot almost out of bounds on 4th and very long.