[The Punisher]

I do not believe Virgie is 20 points better then any of the top 5 in this weeks poll, nor are they 20 points better then some of the teams not ranked in the top 5. Fact of the matter is Pike County is loaded and is extremely top heavy. However, I personally believe after seeing a few recent scores and thinking about games from last year, Betsy Layne is the best team between the two counties. They already beat Feds Creek when Feds Creek had already shaken the mid season rust. They beat Virgie by over 20 points last year in the Pike College tournament, and both teams held everyone back. Virgie is good and they can beat anyone in this region, but so can at least 7 or 8 other teams.

I disagree. First of all, Hazard beat Betsy Layne a few weeks ago by 16, rather easily I might add. So, that rules out that theory for now that BL is the best in two counties. Secondly, BL beat Virgie by 16 in the Rax tourny LAST YEAR (not 20 or more like you stated) and Virgie only had one (1) holdback at the time. Last year really doesn't mean much when it is this season that must be played out. Most coaches will agree that Hazard, Virgie, and BL are the top 3 in the Floyd/Pike area. And in my opinion, Virgie is capable of beating the majority of Pike schools by 20 or more IF they are playing well. But sometimes that is not always the case.
I also disagree that Pike is "loaded" and top heavy. While there are some good teams, Virgie, Fedscreek, and Dorton are clearly heads above the rest at this point and has distinguished themselves as the teams in the running for a title. Who will be the darkhorse is the question???