The cream is rising to the top
We have some top-fight footballers we have featured leading up to the season and even during the first part of the journey. These guys are all delivering, exactly, the type performances we foretold they would. In this segment, “Around the Horn,” we will try to catch up with some of these guys and how they are performing through the first three games. Enjoy the trip.
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”
Pikeville, KY: A lot of people started “writing off” the Panthers when they opened on the short end of a 45-7 score, opening weekend, to Christian Academy-Louisville. We numbered among the doubters.
Then the Panthers handled a “middle of the road” West Virginia team and fell behind Raceland, 27-0, in Pikeville, with six minutes remaining in the 3rd-Q. We had picked Raceland to invade Pikeville and win by 14. Our bet was looking sound.
Then someone on the sideline said, “Guys, we have a Mikey Hager and they don’t.” That was all it took.
From the 6-minute mark through the end of the game, Pikeville rediscovered they had split wide the best athlete in the Appalachias. Hager caught five (5) huge targets, logged a receiving TD, logged a pick-six, and two onside kick recoveries later it was Raceland, and not Pikeville, leaving Pike County wondering just what the heck had happened.
The “pick-six” was the play of the game. It sealed the deal for the Panther team.
Looks like we counted the Panthers out a little too early. Looks like those who had forgotten about Mikey Hager may have been a bit early there too.
Perry County (Hazard), KY: We have been screaming, “Buy, Buy, Buy!” all season on the Hazard Bulldogs. Hazard took on a little more than they were ready to chew when chomping down on Prestonsburg and its superstar player, Logan Stumbo (’26).
Kain Patten (’26, Prestonsburg) wracked up over 200-yards on the ground in 19-carries with two rushing TDs on the way to a 23-9 throttling of a Hazard team as talented as any team in the 1A classification. Gavin Johnson (’27, Hazard) has demonstrated his being among the class’s very best and fastest.
Gavin Johnson (’27) is leading his team (Hazard) in receptions, TDs receiving, scoring, and tied for the lead in INTs. Johnson is among the leaders in tackles and has his team sitting at 2-1 with a home date with Breathitt County upcoming.
Breathitt County (Jackson), KY: Speaking of Breathitt; QB, Miles Hollon (’28) is killing it. He is leading the team in passing, passing yards, passing TDs, and has his team sitting at 2-1 heading into a showdown against Hazard at Hazard.
That Hazard game will be a huge test for both teams. Breathitt is a 2A team, like Prestonsburg, and could see the Blackcats in the playoffs down the road this year like last. Incidentally, Breathitt blasted Prestonsburg, on November 1st of last year, by 29-points (35-6). Okay, it wasn’t a playoff game in ’24 but you get the point (we think).
We still believe Hazard is an elite team in the 1A classification. They will have ample opportunity to prove it with Campbellsville, Raceland, Pikeville, and Somerset all still on the regular season schedule.
We still believe Breathitt is an elite 2A team. Should Breathitt get by Hazard (1A) and then Letcher (4A), we don’t see anyone else on the regular season schedule between the Bobcats and entering the playoffs 9-1.
Madisonville, KY: We have been talking about Ryder Sandidge all season long and his versatility and utility playing for one of 5A’s elite programs and teams. The Maroons have a “Mr. Football” candidate in the offensive backfield (Markezz Hightower), and all-state candidates all over the field (Ryder Sandidge as an ATH, Jayden Travis at TE, Kirk LeGrange at LB, Kadence Price and Boyd Dever at OL).
Sandidge has done what we expected of him when we first identified him as a budding star at the beginning of the year. Sandidge (’27) has scored multiple touchdowns rushing, has made some impressive returns on special teams to include housing a kickoff against Central, and has plugged in with extraordinary play anywhere the team has needed his talents.
North is 3-0, playing as well as any team in Kentucky 5A, and is hosting the top rated, 4A team in the commonwealth (Paducah Tilghman) tomorrow night. We have been invited to watch that game.
We believe the Maroons may “shock the world,” or the “KHSAA world” anyway. We will see you all there!
This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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