[Woodshed]

It seems like ever since coach Marney passed away the Eagles have cooled off some, will coach Peck be able to bring them back to the same level they were once on?

[Bull got out!]

I think Coach Peck is doing a pretty good job myself. He has came in and had to deal with some of the worst cast scenarios and thats injuries to your running backs. I really don't know many teams that can make a deep playoff run without the best players playing. So even without his fire power in the lineup, he has won the majority of games and also had to rest players in the process. So as a fan far off of football, I think he has done a really great job and like always, his defense is tuff when healthy. The offense will do there job if healthy. I don't know what else he can do.

[ArmChairHC]

Peck has done a great job. But Matney is impossible to replace. The guy was just that freaking good. I think JC will get back to where they once were, but not with the consistency they once had where it was year in and out. They will be a contender to GET TO the carpet every year for a good while. But they won’t be a favorite every year like they were during their run. But they have a lot of talent coming up

[Granny Bear]

I don't know Coach Peck, but I've heard lots of good things about him both as a man and as a coach.

I DID know Jim Matney. I begged him to come to HC when Larkey left. Matney had some of the deepest passion for mountain boys, and he used football as a teaching tool for both the game and life. There's NO WAY to replace that kind of passion. You either have it; or you don't. I miss Matney's influence on all of mountain football. He has certainly left a stunning legacy.

[KnoxvillesFinest]

No. It will never be the same. Matney was one of a kind

[FCSPY]

I think they will be fine. Leave PECK alone.. He is not Matney.. accept that, be glad you have a good coach.

[RAMDAD50]

Short answer…no! It’s amazing what one man meant to a program but we’ve seen this happen before. I think Paintsville will get better because some kids will transfer but I don’t see JC being what they used to be

[pjdoug]

No. They're done.

[Gridiron_Raid]

Matney built it, but what is the expectation? I think losing to belfry and pikeville is below expectations for what he built, but Pikeville may be at the height of the history of the program if you look at the last 5 years with coach mac, and the loss of your 3 biggest names in the early season hurts you. I don’t think matney or not the talent on the roster can get you over the hump now with boyle and corbin, who are 1 and 2 in the state. That’s like saying the 2019 matney team going against trinity… I think the expectation should be dominate in the mountains, compete back and forth with the pirates until haywood steps down then you take over the rivalry, win the district against ashland. This is one of the best ashland teams in a while, but JC if healthy needs to win.

I don’t think expecting state titles every year is going to happen with current alignment, but consistent 11 plus win seasons and district/region titles should be a solid indicator at least the next couple years.

[OutlawJoseyWales]

I think JC found themselves in almost an impossible situation. What Matney built there….very very few could have done…..as witnessed by the average to below average results all the years prior to Jim arriving. Nothing against the current HC. In Johnson Co, it’s like Gene Bartow taking over for John Wooden. A massive, massive undertaking. Anything less than state championship games are going to be viewed as major disappointments. It has to be an uncomfortable position. I feel for him.

[dbcooper]

In short, no. But they won’t revert back to the days of pre-Matney mediocrity either.

[Hound05]

I don’t think so. They had a lot of good years with some very talented lineman. Some bruiser backs with some speed. But I think what set them apart was the first sentence. A lot of teams have good backs. JC had some great ones come through, but upfront they were just monsters. I watched one lineman pretty much beat 11 defenders a few years back. You don’t see those kinds of kids come through year after year.

[Mr. D]

I think two things can be true at the same time. Yes, JC is down some compared to 2016-2020 stretch. But also 4A is stronger than it’s ever been. Because Boyle, Corbin, Franklin Co, Cov Cath and Ashland are so strong it makes the margin for error so much smaller.

I think Jesse Peck is doing as good of job as you could do trying to replace Coach Matney. He was the heart and soul of the school and the community. Nobody is going to replace that but Coach Peck loves this school and these kids. He is a young coach who is improving every game.

At the same time Jesse has been dealt a terrible hand. Either his #1 or his #2 running back (or both) have been injured with season ending injuries in the first month of the last three seasons. That’s hard for any team to bounce back from but especially our run heavy team.

I think Jc will have years where they stay healthy and really challenge in 4A and then I think they will have years (like this year) where one injury takes them out of the equation because the margin of error is so small.