[oneijoe]

Prestonsburg has let a couple of great ones go in Phillip Haywood (Belfry), and Bill Letton (Lex Cath).

I can only imagine what it coud've been like if one of those had stayed.

P-burg didn't exactly "let" Haywood go...

After the '83 season, Coach Roddy left the Belfry program. The Pirates had lost to Prestonsburg 3 of the previous 4 seasons. That off-season Belfry made Haywood "an offer he couldn't refuse" (nor could P-burg match) to take over at BHS. It was just that simple.

No different, really, than what Johnson Central did to acquire its current coach. $$$ talks and one can hardly blame another for taking a job for more of it. Coal was booming then and Belfry wanted what Prestonsburg had. So they got him.