[Hoot Gibson]

First of all, I love Paintsville's coach, team and school. However I have to make a few points here, all IMO purely as a Monday morning QB...

1. The post you responded to had nothing to do with Paintsville's coaching staff. They were not compared to Pikeville's staff. They were not mentioned at all. You are implying the poster should state that Paintsville has a great coaching staff. He wasn't talking about Paintsville staff at all.

2. Paintsville did not soundly beat Pikeville. Pikeville actually had more yardage, you can look it up. The game turned on a few bad penalties against Pikeville in the first half, a couple of horrible injuries to key players, and two turnovers that were basically 14-point swings. Paintsville made the plays though and everyone on here has given them their due.

3. Coaching - love Chirico, love his attitude, love his play calling. But I am going to say this and you can bash it all you want. The transfer gods smiled on him to put 3 D-1 players in his backfield. Daniel tried to transfer to Pikeville and the KHSAA denied the transfer. Belcher transferred in before the season started. And then they made that great pickup off the waiver wire late in the season to put the third D-1 guy in the backfield. So yeah 3 D-1 guys will make a coach look good. And yes I know all teams get transfers.

Look, again I love what Chirico has done. Stopping the migration of talent from PHS to JCHS has been huge. Coaching has been top-notch. Motivation has been second to none. But EKUAlum05 wasn't questioning any of this or even mentioning any of it when he complimented Pikeville on how good of shape they were in and how well they block.

And finally, none of this amounts to a hill of beans when they tee it up Friday. Thankfully, we can all talk until we are blue in the face but it will be decided on the field.

Good luck to both teams and the only advice on here you can take to the bank is you better get there early.inglepar

A 24 point win is a solid win in my book. Injuries and mistakes are part of the game. I was responding to this passage:

I still think the Panthers are way too well coached and too quick...

My point was and remains that both teams are very well coached. You are right, nobody criticized Coach Chirico's ability, but clearly the Pikeville coaching staff was singled out as giving the Panthers advantage. Win or lose, under Chirico, Paintsville has quickly closed the gap with the Panthers.

As for transfers, I think most people realize that both Pikeville and Paintsville have benefitted greatly over the years from transfers. I am just glad that the flow of talent from Johnson Central to Paintsville virtually stopped when Jim Matney arrived.

I have always believed that parents should be free to choose which schools their children attend for whatever reasons that they believe are important. I agree that a couple of D1 players can make a huge difference in a team, especially in the small school classes. I think that it is great when a school's athletic and academic programs attract talent.