[Red and Black]

Nobody get your hopes up, they are just going to play another weak schedule so they look good no matter what. Team would never beat Pikeville or Belfry in 100 games.

Don't get our hopes up??? Has anyone on here claimed that Pburg could beat Pikeville or Belfry this year? I haven't seen it, if they have. Anybody on here claiming Pburg is going to win a state title next year? I haven't seen or heard it. These things take time and don't just happen overnight, but they usually start just like this- a young, smart, charismatic coach taking over and leading a program that is in the gutter and hadn't won a SINGLE playoff game or district championship in 8 years to an 11-2 record with a district championship and regional runner up trophy. Regardless of the strength of schedule (that he inherited from his predecessor, BTW) that's about as good a first season as anybody in Pburg could've ever hoped for and it is an incredible cornerstone to build upon to get them back to competing with the Pikeville's and Belfry's of our area again sooner rather than later. 15 years ago Pburg was competing with and beating those schools year in and year out, and honestly 15 years isn't that long ago for old timers like me. We were beating those schools then, and there's no reason that we can't do it again in the future. Just need time to develop kids in Hager's program from 6th grade to 12th grade. The predecessor's "voluntary" off-season weight program has been replaced by a legitimate weight program with accountability from top to bottom that begins this Monday. Hager was hired in March of '24, I believe, which is way too late in the off-season to develop a true strength program for the '24 team, and I think you saw the negative result of that against Breathitt and Somerset, but I think you'll see a noticeable difference in the strength of the Blackcats when they take the field next August after a full off-season with a legitimate S&C program.

Will the Blackcats win state in '25? I highly doubt it. It would take a ton of upsets in the 2A playoffs and a ton of luck. Can they beat Pikeville or Belfry next year? Again, I doubt it, but maybe we'll see? Can they host and win two playoff games every year moving forward after not being able to win 1 SINGLE PLAYOFF GAME for the last decade? Certainly, yes! And that is the point! I think that is now the low bar to clear moving forward instead of just hoping and praying to win one playoff game at some point. Can they catch lightning in a bottle one year in the next 10 seasons and ride a wave of talent to a ring? We'll see! Either way, people in the burg are excited for Blackcat football again and looking forward to football season in Blackcat country! When you've got used to winning the way we did in the 90's and 2000's it spoils you and then to go almost a whole decade without it.... Well, you can't imagine what it feels like in this town to even have the possibility to have it back to what it was (or better). 

I pray that the Pikeville's and Belfry's never know what Pburg has felt like the last 8 years and just how much this '24 team means to this town. I tell you truly- it hasn't been fun to sit in the bleachers and know you're going to lose most of the games you play. I'm very thankful for what Coach Hager did in '24 and my hopes are higher now than they've been since 2014!