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MIGHTY PIKEVILLE THE STUFF OF LEGENDS
Mike Fields Herald-Leader staff writer The offensive might of this year's undefeated Pikeville High School football team probably will be talked about for years to come in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Win or lose in the Class A playoffs, these Panthers have earned a special place in the hearts of their fans. After all, how many other football teams ever produced more than a point a minute? Pikeville's 10 straight victories this season have included such overwhelming mismatches as three 61-0 routs, a 62-7 blowout and a 59-0 laugher. For the record, the Panthers are averaging 51.7 points per 48 minutes every Friday night. If that's not enough to make your head spin, here's a staggering possibility: By the time the playoffs are over they could have three 1,000- yard rushers plus a 1,000-yard passer cavorting about in their backfield. And these statistics could have been even more impressive, considering Coach Hillard Howard played his starters sparingly in most of the lopsided games. "Yes, we have been able to put some points on the board," Howard said in his understated style. But to get a true handle on this Pikeville team, look back to mid-September when the Panthers beat Virgie 61-0 after leading by that score at halftime. The interesting fact to come out of that game was that Pikeville scored more points in two quarters than its opponents did all season. That's right. These guys can play defense, too. In 10 games they shut out four opponents and surrendered a total of 58 points. "A lot of people don't realize that," Howard said. "And that's important
because people are crazy if they think we're going to score 50 points against anybody in the playoffs. We play (host to) Pineville Friday night and we'll be lucky to score a couple of touchdowns on them. "I'm like every other coach. I believe defense wins games and championships. As great as our offense has been this season, I know it'll be our defense that's got to come through the rest of the way." Howard has been around long enough to know. Now in his 16th year as the Panthers' boss, he's the winningest football coach in the school's history with 149 victories. This is the third time he's guided the Panthers through an undefeated regular season, and he's had a couple of teams finish as state runners-up (in Class A in 1972 and in Class 2A in '79). What Pikeville and its fans want now is to cap off a memorable season with a state championship. With the success they've had this year, could the Panthers already be thinking about spending Thanksgiving in Louisville? "I think some of us may have been thinking that the last couple of weeks," said Chris McNamee, a senior tight end and cornerback. "But now that the playoffs are here, we've put that out of our minds. We know we can't look ahead." "That's right," said senior quarterback Matt Blair. "It's tough to keep your mind right when you've got some parents, (former) players and fans already talking about going to Louisville." Even Howard, who's known as a coach with a tight hold on the reins, admits Pikeville's stunning regular-season success has its drawbacks. "When you've gone 10-0 and scored 50 points a game, it's only natural that the mommies and daddies are going to tell the players they're a little better than they really are," he said. "But I think we can make the team realize they can't let up for even one week now. When you start thinking instead of playing, you get beat." When Pikeville plays, it can throw a bunch of talent at the opposition. Forget that this is a Class A team. It has the size, depth and speed of just about any 4A outfit. Start with the backfield. Blair runs the show with poise, which is understandable when you learn he's the grandson of legendary Pikeville basketball coach John Bill Trivette. "But when you've got the running backs and line that we've got, it takes all the pressure off the quarterback," Blair said. Still, Blair has shown he can do more than just hand off. He's thrown for 14 touchdowns and more than 800 yards. But Pikeville prefers to run over you, with Greg Hackney, Bobby Deramus and Chad Thornsbury leaving most of the cleat marks. Hackney, a junior, has rushed for more than 1,150 yards even though he missed two games with a bad ankle. Deramus, a junior who's also a terror on defense at nose guard, has run for almost 1,100 yards. And Thornsbury, a freshman who also plays some defensive end, passed the 700-yard mark in last week's 62-7 rout of previously unbeaten Johns Creek. "Our runners have a lot of speed and they're extremely strong, too," Howard said. "I've never had a set of backs like this. The best way to put it is to say they're football players." Of course, running behind a big, strong offensive line helps. Tackles Tim Honaker (260 pounds) and Sean Neely (235) can open some holes, as can a half-dozen other lineman that Howard considers interchangeable. As for Pikeville's defense, Deramus and Honaker are considered the anchors. Linebackers Robert Mims and Virgil Ray aren't big -- both are about 5-foot-10, 165 pounds -- but they are quick and aggressive. McNamee has come on strong at cornerback recently. "He's played like a man possessed," Howard said. And his sidekicks in the secondary -- Jodie Miller, Tim Sanders and Robbie Wright -- have been steady all season. Despite Pikeville's success this season, some people have criticized the Panthers' schedule. But it wasn't Howard's fault that most of Pikeville's district rivals were weak this year. He had to play all six district foes: Elkhorn City, Fleming-Neon, Jenkins, Johns Creek, Phelps and Virgie. But look beyond those opponents to the two games that seem to legitimize Pikeville's strength: Pikeville beat Henry Clay 28-15 and it beat Belfry 39-14. Henry Clay won its 4A district title and Belfry captured its 3A district championship. After Pikeville beat Henry Clay, Blue Devils coach Jake Bell said he thought the Panthers were big and strong enough to compete in any class. But Howard isn't greedy. He'd settle for bringing the Class A crown home this year. "We've already accomplished a lot, going undefeated and doing it the way we've done it," he said. "But we don't want to be satisfied yet. We want to win this thing. "We realize anybody from here on out can beat us -- Pineville, Cumberland, Beechwood, Paris, Heath, Russellville . . . any of them. But we also think that if we play like we can, stay healthy and get a few breaks, we can win it all. "If we could do that, it'd make a great season a whole lot greater."