[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

I'll go with Pikeville (Everyone try not to die of shock!) My argument is a valid one though. Both Pikeville and Belfry have impressive numbers and long term tradition. But what, in my mind, sets Pikeville apart is from a historical importance standpoint in regards to what they did for high school football in this region in the '80s. In the late 1980s Pikeville didn't only bring state wide attention to this region but NATIONAL attention as well (first and, to my knowledge, only mountain team to ever be ranked in The USA Today Top 25. The People Magazine Article..Etc) Before those Pikeville teams came along. Football in the mountains wasn't taken very seriously by many folks who lived in the mountains and even less by those who lived outside of it. Of course you had good teams in the mountains before that time. Pikeville and Belfry were in that mix as well. The common thought process during that time among those outside the mountains and especially in what The Late Great Big Dipper referred to as "The Bermuda Triangle" (Lexington,Louisville, Suburban Cincinatti) was that mountain teams simply couldn't compete with teams from that area. The '87 Panthers shot that theory all to pieces! They proved that not only could a mountain team play with the schools from those but they could run all over them! This made the entire state stand up and take notice. They gained respect for ALL of mountain football to those outside the mountains and made mountain football a much bigger priority to those who lived in the mountains that looked at football as something to pass the time until the gym opended up. Do not get me wrong. I'm in no way trying to diminish what Belfry has accomplished. Their record speaks for itself and deserves the Utmost respect. I'm also not implying that mountain football Didnt exist before those '80s Pikeville teams. All Im saying is that the rising tide that was those '80s Pikeville teams, raised all ships in the mountains to the level it enjoys to this day. THAT (Plus more trophies in the trophy case that say "State Champion" on them) is what sets Pikeville apart. But what I love most is: When you go to other places in this state and say you're from either Pikeville or Belfry. The first thing folks usually think of isn't SSI Checks, Pill Mills, Single Wide Trailers, or any other negative stereotypes associated with being from this area. They think high school football! That is something that both of our communities should be very proud of!