[Buffs19]

Dating back to 2018, Pikeville has lost 3 games to Class A opponents; Beechwood in the state title game in 2018, the Hazard upset in 2020, and the regular season matchup with Raceland this past season. Since the 2018 season, their combined record is 67-12 with 4 state championships and 1 runner-up. While their run has been incredible, there have been some very close matchups with Class A opponents during that time.

2019 - beat Paintsville by 1 in the regular season; beat Raceland by 6 in the regular season
2021 - beat Russellville by 3 in the state title game
2023 - beat Campbellsville by 7 in the state semis game

All of those games could have gone the other way for Pikeville. I'm still shocked they won the 2021 title game, that Russellville team was very, very good. Long story short, while Pikeville has been dominant during their recent run, I still expect a few Class A teams to challenge them next year and for years to come. Will Pikeville be the favorite next year, absolutely. But they've only gone undefeated once during their run (2019), and they were still challenged that year.