[Mastadon89]

Panthers look to continue the rebuilding process. Thoughts?

[Crossbones]

As a Belfry fan, who see's them as the enemy, I wish Pikeville the best of luck and would honestly like to see them get back to the Pikeville of old. Numbers have killed Pikeville in the last decade, they simply do not have the support from the kids as they use to have IMO. Hopefully that will change. I can remember the time when they would have almost as many players on the sideline as Belfry. When these kids can put down the cell phones an Ipads and get back on the field of play, things will change for the better. I speak this for all teams IMO.

[tebow]

Why won't they play Betsy Layne?

[Mastadon89]

use to wen they wer in our district. id like to keep the matchup but the whole scheduling mess works out so i honestly dont know.
and Crossbones i agree completly bout everything you said and dido to Belfry and coming out strong in 2013 and repin eky well again.
another thing hurting Pikeville, and idk how it is at every small school but ive noticed more and more kids (athelets) playing just one sport for wen i went to a small school pretty much everybody played every sport and you had to to have a good team. now it seems like theyre are alot of kids just playing one and its was really bad this past year at pikeville. alot playing soccer, baseball, and basketball. not hateing on those sports but that hurts wen ur in a 1A school

[Scotty_Bronson]

Even though Raceland picked a poor night to play their least determined game of the season, Pikeville impressed the crap out of me in rnd 2. Talk about a turnaround. With that much improvement over 1/2 a season, they should yet again, be competitive and win 6-8 games in the regular season. Their freshman and sophomore starters looked like seniors that night. They will be a tough out for the next few years.

[ThePit]

Everyone don't have it easy to keep numbers up like Belfry when most of their players are from WV. If Pikeville was closer to WV id say there wouldn't be an issue.

[PHSForever]

In all seriousness, the little league program had been allowed to decline under coaches after Hillard Howard. Coach Mac realized it needed to be built back to where it was to keep the pipeline loaded with interested kids. Numbers for 4th, 5th, and 6th grades were outstanding this year and last, and you see many more kids excited about football again like they used to be. This program is back on the rise again, and I think the next several years are going to be extremely fun years to watch, especially if they keep the interest of the kids. I also agree with a poster above, one sport specialization has hurt smaller schools overall more than larger schools. But I believe Pikeville will surprise a lot of people next year, and the scedule will be a little more friendly in terms of home vs road games. They were road warriors this year, with only 3 true regular season home games plus the Pike County Bowl, so a young team like them playing the majority of their games on the road helped develop them. That's another reason they were such a tough out come playoff time.

[Crossbones]

Everyone don't have it easy to keep numbers up like Belfry when most of their players are from WV. If Pikeville was closer to WV id say there wouldn't be an issue.

:lame:and thanks for confirming the reason you all are the enemy!! Bold lie that you just posted. Very few of Belfry's players are from WVa and they are completely legal to do so.

[Live Maroon]

Crossbones, I don't know that "the Pit" is a Pikeville guy. Not looking to start a fight and I thought your analysis was spot on. I'd love to see the Pikeville - Belfry rivalry get back to where it is competitive. It's a great rivalry with both sides showing respect. Don't see that a lot anymore, unfortunately.

[Big Five-0-]

Agree with LiveMaroon. Don't think this poster is a Pikeville fan. Imo, Pikeville will be much more stronger and experienced next season. Panthers only loose one Off. lineman to grad. & one rb. I know LiveMaroon knows the team better than i, and can confirm what i'm saying. Like he said, this Panther team will surprise some people next season. More kids are showing more interest in coming out next season as well. The numbers will come as the success comes,imo. Coach mac & staff have done a great job with this team in the last couple of yrs. Look for them to take it a litttle further next season.

[EKUAlum05]

Next years Pikeville team puts me in mind of the 2010 Belfry team. I still think the Panthers are one more year away from that sweet spot where the young talent is seasoned/experienced enough to be a legit Title contender.

With that said, I see this as the team who may be capable of catching lightning in a bottle at the end of the year as the young talent begins to mature and could male a push in November to reach the Finals.

[jetpilot]

1. The Pit is definitely not a Pikeville fan. Just look at all his posts.

2. The other posts on here are pretty much spot on imho.

3. Also imho, Pikeville will be VERY good for the next several years.

[Big Five-0-]

Agree with LiveMaroon. Don't think this poster is a Pikeville fan. Imo, Pikeville will be much more stronger and experienced next season. Panthers only loose one Off. lineman to grad. & one rb. I know LiveMaroon knows the team better than i, and can confirm what i'm saying. Like he said, this Panther team will surprise some people next season. More kids are showing more interest in coming out next season as well. The numbers will come as the success comes,imo. Coach mac & staff have done a great job with this team in the last couple of yrs. Look for them to take it a litttle further next season.

Losing a valuable player in sr. Jacob Burke to graduation. TE/DE.

[jetpilot]

Why won't they play Betsy Layne?

Same reason they won't play Jenkins, they no longer have to.

[Panther Thunder]

This will be a huge year in terms of player development. If the JV and Freshman teams can get a solid schedule and the young guys can get brief experience on Fridays while maintaining a 7-3 record going into the playoffs, the regular season would be a success, IMO. 9-1 or 8-2 would be phenomenal. 6-4 or 5-5 would be less than desired. Playoffs, it is Regional Title or bust in 2013. 2012 it was a solid accomplishment getting there. 2013 must be a win, and it will likely be on the road.

Defensively, the Panthers will return 10/11, and for a while it would have been 11/11 until Burke broke through onto the field. Gage Morrison's (JR) and Wyatt Branham's (SO) play at DT last season was pretty solid. They will have to be more consistent this season, but it is a good base. DE will be interesting and there will be a lot of options including some young guys that could back up there. Larry David Keene (JR) was playing very well at DE after he returned from his leg injury, before going down to a cheap shot in the Fairview game. Caleb Campoy (JR) came on at the end of the year and will benefit from another year in the weight room.

Linebackers improved 100% over the season as basically half were freshmen, important off-season for that group to continue to build strength. Austin Black should return healthy for the first time since about week 5. Daric Pugh (FR), the team's second leading tackler grew up a lot over the season, he and AJ Vanderbeck (FR) (needs to stay healthy) just needs to be more consistent because they both can play. Isaac Lucas (FR) was probably the most improved out of the group and will hopefully pick up some size and speed heading into his sophomore campaign. Ben Maynard (SO) will be Ben Maynard, very versatile and can play all over the field.

In the secondary, Cody Estep (SO) may be the best safety in EKY, his instincts are second to none and his speed across and up the field making him a threat in the run game as well. His biggest issue is lack of size, but he does not care to lay the wood. Estep finished the year with 5 Ints, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 forced fumbles, 4 defensive TDs totaling over 300 of defensive returns. This was with a move to safety late in the year. The corner spot commanded by Chase Hall (JR) should be in good hands, with him getting a breather by a young guy when needed in Kasey Tackett (FR) or a freshman probably. The other side, Cody Charles (FR) turned in several nice plays including 3 Ints, just needs to be more consistent.


Offensively, the Panthers return 8/11. The biggest lost will be Jake Burke, who was a solid TE/WR. The other two spots will not be devastating losses. Nathan Gutierrez and Conner Pack both played solid, but did a good job being role players, which every team needs.

Quarterback will obviously still be the place the Panthers must secure, but with Maynard (SO) and Austin "Squeak" Charles (SO) getting a lot of reps, it should look a lot better a lot earlier than what it took this season. And AJ Vanderbeck also could get some reps that he lost due to injury last year. Just need someone to separate themselves and take over that position with authority.

Running Back is fine for another year with Chase Hall (JR) returning, rushing for close to 1,500 yards this past season and dealing with lingering injuries. Hope to see a healthy Chase Hall in 2013. Austin Black (JR) will play back there some in two-back sets. He is about as hard of a runner as you will find and does not go down easily. Black is also a threat out of the backfield to catch a pass. Daric Pugh (FR) looked very solid when back there against Shelby Valley when Hall left in the 2nd Qtr. He is deceivingly faster than you think and is another that does not shy away from contact.

On the Edge at WR you will have one of the best, if not the best, in Class A in Cody Estep (SO). Just a play maker that can take any given play to the house. Austin Black is a solid option with sure hands and a great field awareness. From there, expect to see a lot of younger guys like Vanderbeck, Cody Charles, Kasey Tackett, Clay Slone, etc.. get their shots with hopefully a couple kids coming out that did not play last season.

O-line should be solid. Won't go into great detail, but they return a lot with a lot of different options.

*All grades listed are 2012 grades.

[Live Maroon]

Absolutely cannot put it any better than that!!! The big thing for Pikeville in 2013 will be DEPTH! Depth at a lot of different positions, but mainly on the line. Gotta have it as physical as Class A has become. Still will have more younger players than seasoned players, but this staff did a tremendous job developing players in 2012, I certainly see that continuing in 2013. The Panthers must have a great offseason in the weight room and conditioning. They will have to play more physical in 2013, but it has all the makings of a great year. I honestly think PT has it down perfect. Nice job!

[Norm Peterson]

I heard that Pikeville will be playing Somerset in the Pike County Bowl next season. Can any of you Panther fans confirm that? If so, how does the rotation work and who will the Jumpers play in future seasons.

[excyter21]

Why won't they play Betsy Layne?

They tried but BL had scheduled Valley that week?

[tebow]

BL tried PCB, but pike declined. Maybe they can set up a scrimmage

[Panther Thunder]

I heard that Pikeville will be playing Somerset in the Pike County Bowl next season. Can any of you Panther fans confirm that? If so, how does the rotation work and who will the Jumpers play in future seasons.

That was the original plan and I was really looking forward to renewing the Old Class A playoff rivalry. Looks now like the Jumpers will go into the cycle where they will play Belfry in 2013 and then Pike Central in 2014. Pikeville looks like it will play Hazard in 2013 and 2014 in the Pike County Bowl. The Hazard game is a good one and I am excited about it, but I was really looking forward to the Jumpers heading into Hambley again.

And I would not write any of this in stone, but it is the latest I have heard.

[Belfry0304]

That was the original plan and I was really looking forward to renewing the Old Class A playoff rivalry. Looks now like the Jumpers will go into the cycle where they will play Belfry in 2013 and then Pike Central in 2014. Pikeville looks like it will play Hazard in 2013 and 2014 in the Pike County Bowl. The Hazard game is a good one and I am excited about it, but I was really looking forward to the Jumpers heading into Hambley again.

And I would not write any of this in stone, but it is the latest I have heard.

Pike Central? That's a change in format. Haven't heard much about that.

[Panther Thunder]

Pike Central? That's a change in format. Haven't heard much about that.

Like I said, I wouldn't write anything in stone. Just what I have heard, but keep in mind that this is after hearing about 4 different changes in format before this last one.

[excyter21]

BL tried PCB, but pike declined. Maybe they can set up a scrimmage

My understanding is that the games in the PCB are scheduled by a committee. Not the coaches of the teams? Can you shed any light on this PT?

[FIRST]

I believe Pikeville will get back to the Pikeville of old next year.

[Panther Thunder]

My understanding is that the games in the PCB are scheduled by a committee. Not the coaches of the teams? Can you shed any light on this PT?

Coaches have some input, but there is no way when the games were being scheduled (Method has apparently changed since then) that Belfry would have agreed to it as well.

[Big Five-0-]

Couldn't help but seeing flashes of Randy Maynard (2011 ) this season,
when A.J. Vanderbeck (fr.) took some reps at qb. His quickness, down field vision, and speed seems to be very similar. Lots of talent as a freshman.

[Mastadon89]

experience on the line will be key this year..especially with this offseason to get stronger..skill wise we are fine right now a little quicker and mature will go miles the key will be the qb if one decides to out work the other

[bac2369]

So Pikeville is suppose to play Hazard in the PCB next year?

[Big Five-0-]

experience on the line will be key this year..especially with this offseason to get stronger..skill wise we are fine right now a little quicker and mature will go miles the key will be the qb if one decides to out work the other

Agree. Having solid line play can't be overstated, and with two proven qb.'s (soph) proven.

[Panther Thunder]

So Pikeville is suppose to play Hazard in the PCB next year?

If you asked me who PHS played in the PCB today, my best answer would be Hazard.

Best idea is just wait and see what happens. A long time until August.