[hammertime]

No. I'm talking about people with proven ability to get to Louisville. Not "he could be the next Hillard Howard."

John Chapman
Jason Howell
Ben Howard
Chris MacNamee

Get some (or preferably all) of these guys back on the staff, and you will be in Louisville watching the Panthers many times in the coming years.

You are forgetting that Jason and Ben have publicly denounced themselves as candidates for this job. So why bring back into play something that is already for fact trumped out? Three of those were on staff together at one time but I don't see any of the players from the 1998 or 1999 teams flashing any hardware. That is the facts not the hypothetical what if. Would Chapman even want to come back after he was jerked around and run off his first term? There is a reason that Macnamee left or was run out. Do you really think that things have blown over this quickly.
I keep hearing names of guys from South Laurel, Dunbar, and Perry Central. My question is....Why? What have these no namers done to even think they deserve this job. How many games have they won? How many championships have they won? If Pikeville is dumb enough to bring in some sub-par coaches then I seriously don't want to be around to hear what the community and alumni will have to say about it. I see a lot of them boycotting PHS football if this happens. If you have never been around Pikeville football then you have no idea what the demands are from the school, alumni, and the community. It will consume you until you have reached the breaking point. Once you break then you might as well go running home to your wife, unless she has left you for never being home. I would say that any new coach should be worrying if the people in Pikeville have sent out a mob for you. I also hear Chad Salyers name being mentioned. My question once again is why? He has not coached for the past three years and was even asked on three seperate occasions to be apart of the staff (according to Coach J). He obviously doesn't care enough about the team to help so why even consider him? With all of this being said I am voicing my opinion for the sole interst of the football team as a whole. I have nothing for or against any of these candidates. Looking at this from a team first standpoint I would have to believe that the most logical choice, considering the above statements, would have to be Michael Copley. Why? I am glad you asked. For starters he knows what the demands are is obviously not afraid to take them on. He knows the kids and their abilities already. He is an excellent strength and conditioning coach. He not only knows defense but fromwhat I have heard is quite proficient with offense as well. He is a little old school with some new school kicked in. He has proven that he wants to be here and calls Pikeville home. he is not a three and out guy. Most importantly to me, he has earned the kids respect and gets them to play hard for him while also teaching them important life lessons. You can tell that he is in it for the kids and for Pikeville.

[State Champs]

Chapman may have coached with Mike Holcomb at Breathitt when Holcomb and Chapman were winning 3 state championships but Chapman runs his own defense at Breathitt County. Mike Holcomb has no say on the defensive side of the ball and does not want to have any input. If you knew anything about Breathitt Co. football you would have known that. Pikeville does not fear Hazard in football now and never will.

[ComfortEagle]

Just a notice to those of you who reported the post made by warmachine. It has been taken care of and the user was issued an infraction which, as a result, has suspended him for a limited time.

I want to note that "I" did not suspend the user. He was given an infraction and accumulated too many infraction points which automatically suspended him.

Let that be a warning to those of you who feel the need to get on here and accuse schools and coaches of committing illegal activities.

Thank you to those who reported the post. It makes our jobs on the staff easier when you can pinpoint the stuff that causes trouble.

[Chuck Taylor]

Let's hope Pikeville goes outside its circle and gets the best coach.

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

I heard tonight that the selection committee will be meeting on friday to make their final selection for recomendation? Anyone else heard this?

[3Cat]

I REALLY hesitate posting in this thread, but since one poster insists on bringing up my record -- and making the implications that I got the job by using "smoke and mirrors," that I'd never coached in a regional championship, and that I "formed a staff with only one member that knew anything about championships, I must reply and make some needed corrections.

1) My teams at Oldham Co. made THREE regional championship games. This at a school that had only been to the Regional Championship TWICE in their 50 year history, and before I took over hadn't even won a PLAYOFF GAME in TWELVE YEARS.

We did it while playing in regions that included Trinity, Boone County, Highlands, Covington Catholic, and Louisville Waggener.

The teams we lost to in those regional championships all went on to the state championship (Trinity won theirs, Highlands lost a close game to Boyle Co., and Waggener beat Bowling Green on the way to losing to Jared Lorenzen's Highlands team).

For proof (something 3Cat fails to provide), please check www.khsaa.org and check the Riherd's scoreboards for football since 1999.

2) 3Cat calls it "smoke and mirrors" -- but isn't it more accurate to call what HE'S doing "smoke and mirrors" when you try to make a case for something using inaccuracies in the process?

(By the way, maybe he could list the "powerhouse teams" Pikeville played to achieve Regional Championships in the 90s. I believe the most impressive of that list would be WILLIAMSBURG.)

For proof again, please check the Riherd's scoreboards at khsaa.org.

3) As to how I "formed a staff," when I came to Pikeville, the first three people I asked to join on were Coach Wheeler, Jason Howell, and Chad Salyer.

I offered Chad the position of Co-offensive coordinator -- giving him control of the passing offense. He at first accepted, but later declined telling me he had been offered a coaching position at Pikeville College. When that fell through, I offered again and he said he would likely be too involved in building his house to make a full commitment. I appreciated him taking the amount of commitment I was requiring into account and we parted on good terms.

Coach Howell told me it would be better for him at the time to make a total move out of Pikeville and get a fresh start somewhere else. Perfectly understandable, and he got a job at a very successful 4A program in Lexington.

The following year -- before spring practice -- I again offered for Coach Salyer to join the staff. His house was still in the process of being finished so he could not make a full commitment again.

This past season, Coach Salyer was ready to join the staff and we had been talking through the spring about our offensive attack. The week before our first practice he let me know that since he was up for the vacant AD job that he wouln't be able to coach.

So, as you can see, I TRIED to retain members of the previous staff -- MANY times. To imply that I did not shows either that D3 wasn't involved and lacks full understanding of the situation (thus, shouldn't be posting ANYTHING about it) or DID know what happened and has chosen to post falsehoods (hoping I wouldn't read them and post the truth).

For proof, call and talk PERSONALLY to Coach Wheeler, Coach Howell, and Coach Salyer.

(And by the way, didn't Jason "Gravy" Anderson, Matt Branham, and Paul Sullivan learn a little about winning championships? Last I checked, they were all guys I brought on board to coach at Pikeville.)

* And one other "smoke and mirrors" approach 3Cat seems to like is to make a derogatory remark about our scheduling and then mentioned only "Allen Central" and "Painstville" (district teams we HAD to play).

He failed however to mention how we tried mightily to beef up the schedule with Lexington Catholic (4A Champions), Ashland (5A team and winner of over 75% of their games the 4 years prior to our scheduling them), and Holy Cross (a 1A power who was knocked out of playoffs by Danville by fewer than 2, 5, and 5 points in 3 of the last 4 years prior to our scheduling them).

BTW, I truly believe Coach Copley IS the most-ready-to-be-a-head-coach of any former assistant coach I've ever had (there have been 5 in my 11 years go on to become head coaches). But I would have to admit that it's CLOSE between him and Brian Rector -- an assistant of mine that went on to win 2 5A state titles in Tennessee.

I will formally appologize and admit my mistake of implying jackson had not been to a regional championship game, in fact he has been to 3 with his previous, previous school, also as to being an outsider questioned by one of the other posters, it is not hard to find out information for the your great town,just ask. I have many friends in the Pikeville and the surrounding area not to mention seeing pikeville play in person and on film countless times over the past 17 years. Coach Jackson not to produce an argument but just an understanding. You can not compare the playoff teams you have faced the past years to the teams pikeville has played over the past, lets say ten years. Somerset 3 years ago would be by far the most talented team before LCA this year. Compare the teams and Strength of specific teams from, neon,painstville, harlan, lynn camp,somerset,middlesboro,willamsburg. Counting last year and the years to come getting to the regional finals and even the state finals will be easier for the panthers due to the new KHSAA format. Also, from as long as I can remember pikeville has had a serious problem scheduling due to the size of the district that they have played in. Previous teams that I can remember that were played were Ashland, the Rock, P-burg, Lafayette,Lawerence County,Boyle county,Breathitt county. I will tell you that lex cath , H-clay and ashland do qualify but as to the beefing up of the schedule IMO if Pikeville has to play the schedule I looked at for this year do to 2 year contract deals, it will hurt the program. Not that I am against playing up and playing higher level teams down and up state due to the weak district the panthers are forced to play. It just seems tough for a 1 A school to make it through the 5 non district games that have been inked for 08. My smoke and mirrors comment was IMO the truth. I will defend it and stick by it due to the lack of progress the panthers have made over the past 3 years. I do believe in promotion of the program you are involved in and the compounding positive effect that it can have on a program, and I believe from what I am told Coach Jackson has promoted the phs program around the state but has failed to produce any championships with quality talent and specifically the best backfield in class A this year. This is My Opinion, not that the kids dont love playing for him or his staff,I dont know, I have been told of promises to the LL programs and an o-scheme that would be like other. Saying one thing and producing another or producing nothing at all is my smoke and mirrors. Not everyone agrees with specific tatics used .
Young coaches are great to have on staff for any program especially ones of the quality of Branham and Sullivan. I looked it up and all 3 young men you mentioned had some form of all state honor when they played. I was not trying to undermine their qualifications, I will again admit my incorrect posting . I did not know Branham and Sullivan were on the varsity staff.
IMO pikeville will have a hard time digging out of the hole that has been left for the next coach due to the lack of support and growth over the past few years and the extreme community demand that is put upon the staff to get to a state title.
I hope Pikeville Hires the Best quality coach that applies that will make a statement and commit to being a panther and building this program back into a state contender.

[dawgeers]

Not to jump in on all the fun, but the Pikeville Independent School System just posted yesterday a "Social Studies/Football Coach" position at Pikeville High School. IF they were going to hire someone already on staff, why post this job with the KY job placement for educators? It seems to me they are going out-of-county for this.

[State Champs]

It seems to me they are going to hire the guy teaching social studies right now at Pikeville High School.

[hammertime]

Not to jump in on all the fun, but the Pikeville Independent School System just posted yesterday a "Social Studies/Football Coach" position at Pikeville High School. IF they were going to hire someone already on staff, why post this job with the KY job placement for educators? It seems to me they are going out-of-county for this.

Maybe the job opening is for another coach, not necessarily a head coach. There has been talk about bringing in a jr high coach into the school system.

[hammertime]

It seems to me they are going to hire the guy teaching social studies right now at Pikeville High School.

I really hope your info is speculation. I hope they don't hire someone who doesn't care about the program and gives up on them for a while. What if this guy decides to add on to his house in the middle of the season and just quits for a little while like he did before. This would not be good at all.

[jetpilot]

I really hope your info is speculation. I hope they don't hire someone who doesn't care about the program and gives up on them for a while. What if this guy decides to add on to his house in the middle of the season and just quits for a little while like he did before. This would not be good at all.

If this guy gets it, it would be the worst hire in the history of high school football. I am going to give the principal and the committee the benefit of the doubt that they are not smoking crack.

[dawgeers]

Maybe the job opening is for another coach, not necessarily a head coach. There has been talk about bringing in a jr high coach into the school system.

Actually, it says "Head Football Coach" on the coaching part. Sorry, but it seems as if they may be preparing to hire someone outside Pike County. Also, if they were going to hire the social studies teacher currently at the school, why post the social studies job? Makes no sense.

[PHS95]

I thought, and I might be wrong, that Jackson teaches social studies, ergo the social studies posting-- they will have an opening.

[ComfortEagle]

Jackson worked with Special Ed. at Oldham County. I have no idea what he taught at Pikeville though.

[CoachJ]

I really hope your info is speculation. I hope they don't hire someone who doesn't care about the program and gives up on them for a while. What if this guy decides to add on to his house in the middle of the season and just quits for a little while like he did before. This would not be good at all.

I am VERY sorry that my listing in a previous post of how I tried to keep members of the former staff here led some to think Coach Salyer said he couldn't join on in '06 ONLY because of the situation with his house (something that was COMPLETELY beyond his control).

Nobody that loves football the way he does would've said they couldn't coach ONLY because of that. There WERE other factors that played into his decision that were of more of a personal nature to him...out of respect to him, I mentioned only the one that was LEAST personal to make my point and help show that an inaccuracy had been posted about me. (And by the way, I NEVER said he'd ever QUIT on us after joining on as is implied above.)

3Cat, I appreciate you for having the decency to retract some of the inaccuracies you'd said earlier about my record. You and I will have to agree to disagree about some things in terms of the direction I tried to take/improve this program. But with all due respect, unless you were here to actually see the DAY-IN, DAY-OUT state of the little league program (not terrible, but not as good as it should've been for a program of this stature), the weight program (not terrible, but not as good as it should've been for a program of this stature), and the state of JV/Frosh/Jr High football feeders (something I tried HARD to change in a way that would've resulted in varsity kids more-prepared for TOUGH, close games but got little support for from young kids' parents), it's tough to know why things were done the way they were.

...it's also tough to know what the POSITIVE results of such changes in direction will be until they've had TIME to take hold. THAT'S part of why I'm such a supporter for continuity. The kinds of changes I tried to implement here took Oldham Co. to a totally different level of competition (from 0 playoff wins in 13 years to beating teams like CovCath and Manual and LexCath in the playoffs), but it took a period of SEVERAL years for those changes to take hold. I wish I could be here to see it all through, but family concerns come first. It WILL happen here too eventually if those three key areas CONTINUE to be improved, but it'll take someone to carry them through.

[Chuck Taylor]

Not to jump in on all the fun, but the Pikeville Independent School System just posted yesterday a "Social Studies/Football Coach" position at Pikeville High School. IF they were going to hire someone already on staff, why post this job with the KY job placement for educators? It seems to me they are going out-of-county for this.

All positions must be posted on the Kentucky Department of Education webpage for 30 days. In some circumstances a waiver can be granted to reduce this to 10 days.

[stripminer]

Maybe the job opening is for another coach, not necessarily a head coach. There has been talk about bringing in a jr high coach into the school system.

Why would they look to bring in a new jr. high coach. The current staff has only lost 3 games in 2 years. IMO this would be a slap in the face to Matt and Paul. Just ask the kids and parents who they want as their jr. high coaches.

[stripminer]

Not to jump in on all the fun, but the Pikeville Independent School System just posted yesterday a "Social Studies/Football Coach" position at Pikeville High School. IF they were going to hire someone already on staff, why post this job with the KY job placement for educators? It seems to me they are going out-of-county for this.

If their going out of the county , they need to travel through Floyd, Knott, Perry, and straight into Breathitt. Coach Chapman can flat out coach football at a level we haven't seen in the past 3 years.

[vgaacalj]

You cant go on what 17-18 year old kids say. I know when I was that age somedays I loved Coach Howard and other days I wanted to be at least 2 counties away from the guy LOL!!!. But, I always respected him. Trust me Im about as close to this program right now as a non-coach can be and believe me when I tell you these kids do respect Coach Copely. Ive talked to more than several current players and they all respect this guy.

:ChairHit: no matter whose the couch pikeville will fight. always:ChairHit:

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

:ChairHit: no matter whose the couch pikeville will fight. always:ChairHit:

What do you mean "Couch"? Is Tim Couch coming to coach here!?!?!?! LOL!

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

Jackson worked with Special Ed. at Oldham County. I have no idea what he taught at Pikeville though.

Jackson teaches social studies. My brother has his class.

[warmachine]

Maybe someone will move in from West Virginia or something and help out the program. Its hard to stay on top Pikeville.

[God of Thunder]

Maybe someone will move in from West Virginia or something and help out the program. Its hard to stay on top Pikeville.

Talk about having an axe to grind.......

You must have been "victimized" by a Panther defeat or defeats at some point in your life!

Give it a rest!!

[hammertime]

Maybe someone will move in from West Virginia or something and help out the program. Its hard to stay on top Pikeville.

But it is easy for your team to stay on the bottom right?

[hammertime]

Why would they look to bring in a new jr. high coach. The current staff has only lost 3 games in 2 years. IMO this would be a slap in the face to Matt and Paul. Just ask the kids and parents who they want as their jr. high coaches.

I was just saying! I did not say that Matt and Paul would be thrown in jail and never allowed to coach again. Pikeville may need someone with some administrative and organization skills to go along with the two top notch coaches. Pikeville needs Matt and Paul! I did not mean it the way that stripminer implied.

[God of Thunder]

Its not a coach that you need, its some PLAYERS! Good luck finding them in Pike County. The best play at Belfry.

I never lost to Belfry when I was attending Pikeville.

Talk about "biddy ball"???????

The Pirates have been on the receiving end of some **s kickings in their day!!

[jetpilot]

I never lost to Belfry when I was attending Pikeville.

Talk about "biddy ball"???????

The Pirates have been on the receiving end of some **s kickings in their day!!

And Belfry will receive some more from Pikeville if the right coaching staff is put in place at Pikeville.

[vgaacalj]

yo hail pikeville i ment coach

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

yo hail pikeville i ment coach

I know what you meant I was just kiddin with ya.

[IRISH4]

I heard earlier that Pikeville will begin the interviewing process next week.