[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

My neighbor tells the story of going to the semi final game @ Beechwood in '87. After Pikeville wins the game he gets in his car and is headed to Lexington to watch The Cats take on UT the next day. He tunes the radio to a N.KY sports call in show. None other than NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz calls in to the show and says "Guys I just got back from the Pikeville-Beechwood game and Pikeville is one of the best high school football teams Ive ever seen! Id put them up against Boone County or anyone else in the state". That means alot coming from one of the greatest O-Lineman who ever walked the earth.
The truth is. While there have been some great teams come out of the mountains in the years since. No team has ever hit the heights that team did. And I dont think any team ever will. The 87-88 teams are still, to this day, the only teams from the mountains to be ranked in the USA Today Top 25 poll.

One must also take into consideration that, back at that time, high school football in the mountains was an afterthought at most schools with a few exceptions (Pikeville, Belfry, P-Burg, Corbin to name a few). After Pikeville went on that run you saw football being taken more serious in the mountains. Now, friday nights in the fall in this area isnt just a place where folks gather to pass time till the gym lights come on anymore. The impact on ALL mountain schools by what that Panther team was able to do statewide still resonates to this day. I really wish someone would make documentary about those teams( Im looking at you Panther Thunder! LOL!)

[Big Five-0-]

That was a great team I remember playing them and they were no weak spots on the team and it would have been 14-0 but we went for it in the 4th quarter twice on 4th down in our zone so the score was 28-0 but was better game than sounded. We played in state the year before and new this team was coming cause they were alot of sophs that year. This could be one of the best single A clubs ever so congrats to that team. In my opinion Cumberland was the 2nd best team in the state that year but nobody was beating Pikeville.

i do remember after the state title game, when those players were asked "who was the toughest team you played this season?'', and they immediately said non other but the ''Cumberland Redskins". Iv'e got an old video of the highlights of that game played at Cumberland, and you talk about some HUGE players on both teams, it was there. Plenty of hard hittig too.Those two teams looked like a small college game.:Thumbs:

[Big Five-0-]

Im looking at you too Panther Thunder! Lol. But seriously, it does sound like a great idea Hail Pikeville. I too remember that comment from Anthony Munoz back then. I was there at FT. Mitchell for the semi final game. Man, you talk about cold! I remember talking to a sports writer for the Williamson paper , and he told me his ball point pen froze-up on him, and he struggled to get the story and stats of the game. The Panthers got a little bit of redemtion in that game. :Thumbs:

[nptb17]

I know a few Beechwood folks who say that Pikeville team was like playing against your uncle when your 10 years old. I spit up when I was told that.

[bigguy989]

That was a hard hitting game and would luv to see that highlight film, I ended up playing college ball with one of the kids on that team and we ended up being good friends. Always sad to see that some of the best players on teams like these that they never go on to play college ball but their were several on both them teams and cannot think of but a few that played college ball.

[Big Five-0-]

That was a hard hitting game and would luv to see that highlight film, I ended up playing college ball with one of the kids on that team and we ended up being good friends. Always sad to see that some of the best players on teams like these that they never go on to play college ball but their were several on both them teams and cannot think of but a few that played college ball.

Nothing like seeing the game live, but that was just a few yrs.ago.Lol Yeah, i sure would like to see the highlight film of that game too.