[Spud6]

A lot of folks at the beginning of the season after seeing the Belfry Pirates go to 0-5 on the season after the 29-0 loss to Pikeville at Coach Haywood Field counted the Belfry Pirates out and said they didn't have what it took to be a Belfry team and that Coach Haywood was losing his touch.  Many folks said that what Coach Haywood has been doing on the offensive end of only running the football was not going to work anymore and that he needed to figure something else out.  

What happened after that Pikeville loss will possibly go down as Coach Haywood and staffs greatest coaching performances while at Belfry High School and further solidifies Coach Haywood as the greatest coach in Kentucky high school football history.  What they did to finish their season 9-6 and with a state championship is something remarkable.  In the two games I watched Belfry in that 0-5 stretch was against Central and Pikeville and if they wouldn't have been wearing Belfry jerseys with that skull and crossbones I wouldn't have known they were a Belfry football team.  They just weren't what you were use to seeing from a team from Pond Creek.  Defense couldn't tackle, QB didn't know when to hand it off or keep it, they didn't have a FB that could go get 3-5 yards every carry, and most importantly they couldn't break those big plays after they wore you down.  

But in the back of your mind you were always thinking they'll get it figured out because they are Belfry and they always are in the hunt because they have a man named Phillip Haywood on the sideline and a man that is a high schooler in Isaac Dixon on the field.  But the parts around them just didn't seem to be there this year especially for a chance to get their 8th state championship.  

There was a stat shared on twitter by Brian Milam (@brianwkyt) that said in Belfry's eight state championships, they have rushed for 3,080 yards and passed for only 14 yards.  If that isn't the perfect example of a ship that won't sink then something is wrong with you.  Coach Haywood and his staff knows what will work and what they need to make it work but sometimes the fans question what it is that they are doing to fix problems that even they see from the stands.  When in reality they should sit back and enjoy the ride because there is a light at the end of the tunnel when you have a man named Haywood as your head coach. 

Congrats to Belfry on #8!

[Truewords]

I’ve been watching Eastern Kentucky football for many years. What I’ve learned is the Pond Creek area is like a big family. They argue and fight. They criticize each other and coaches but they can do it but don’t tolerate the outsiders doing it. Haywood has nothing left to prove to anyone. I watched the WYMT videos of the celebration at the red light and he was truly still enjoying his job. Middle school is coming off 2 straight state championships so I don’t see the ship sinking. With this year’s schedule Haywood has proved he isn’t afraid of some rough seas either.

[Bull got out!]

I was telling my son about Haywood and Belfry from my view. I'm almost 50. When I played high school football, we played Belfry every year. I'll be honest, as a young man back then, Belfry came to town and brought a army with them. After the game, you was glad they left because you got whipped LOL. They were tuff and for me that was 34 years ago I got to see them first hand. What we were talking about was he is still at it today and with the same team. Its like you have to be a fan of him and Belfry. If you played high school football, then you either have played against them or definately followed them. I definately am thankful for what Haywood has represented in his character as a football coach. I drove by myself to watch Belfry this weekend. To see the legend! Congratulations Belfry! Unreal!

[Diogenes]

Good for them. 3A is also...special.

[Belfry_99]

Good for them. 3A is also...special.

Real special, like in #8 special ?..Go Big Red. ☠️☠️☠️

[Footballfan1995]

A lot of folks at the beginning of the season after seeing the Belfry Pirates go to 0-5 on the season after the 29-0 loss to Pikeville at Coach Haywood Field counted the Belfry Pirates out and said they didn't have what it took to be a Belfry team and that Coach Haywood was losing his touch.  Many folks said that what Coach Haywood has been doing on the offensive end of only running the football was not going to work anymore and that he needed to figure something else out.  

What happened after that Pikeville loss will possibly go down as Coach Haywood and staffs greatest coaching performances while at Belfry High School and further solidifies Coach Haywood as the greatest coach in Kentucky high school football history.  What they did to finish their season 9-6 and with a state championship is something remarkable.  In the two games I watched Belfry in that 0-5 stretch was against Central and Pikeville and if they wouldn't have been wearing Belfry jerseys with that skull and crossbones I wouldn't have known they were a Belfry football team.  They just weren't what you were use to seeing from a team from Pond Creek.  Defense couldn't tackle, QB didn't know when to hand it off or keep it, they didn't have a FB that could go get 3-5 yards every carry, and most importantly they couldn't break those big plays after they wore you down.  

But in the back of your mind you were always thinking they'll get it figured out because they are Belfry and they always are in the hunt because they have a man named Phillip Haywood on the sideline and a man that is a high schooler in Isaac Dixon on the field.  But the parts around them just didn't seem to be there this year especially for a chance to get their 8th state championship.  

There was a stat shared on twitter by Brian Milam (@brianwkyt) that said in Belfry's eight state championships, they have rushed for 3,080 yards and passed for only 14 yards.  If that isn't the perfect example of a ship that won't sink then something is wrong with you.  Coach Haywood and his staff knows what will work and what they need to make it work but sometimes the fans question what it is that they are doing to fix problems that even they see from the stands.  When in reality they should sit back and enjoy the ride because there is a light at the end of the tunnel when you have a man named Haywood as your head coach. 

Congrats to Belfry on #8!

Isaac Dixon is a special athlete. Great job from Belfry to bounce back after a tough start!