Jim Matney

Flashback Article: Is Owen LeMaster, Johnson Central, Kentucky’s best interior OL in the Class of 2022? @eCampusdotcom, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @bigassfans, @lemaster_owen, @Gtown_Football

June 25, 2026 Fletcher Long 0

It is “Dead Period,” so a good time to revisit some work formerly published. This is an article we first published in 2019. We thought it would be fun to dust it off and spruce it up and bit and re-run it. That is called having tradition and it lends itself to doing this type thing. Enjoy this look at a former great we greatly miss covering. Owen, if you’re out there, we wish you nothing but success.

Friday Night Fletch

Rylan Kelsey from Johnson Central High standing tall among the ’29s in the KHSAA @JCEaglesInfo, @jcfootball2025, @coachjessepeck, @bigassfans, @eCampusdotcom, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

January 29, 2026 Fletcher Long 0

There are a ton of good football players in Painstville, Johnson County, Kentucky. There are some mighty good wrestlers too. That goes back to the days of the great Jim Matney who was a Hall of Fame coach in both sports, football and wrestling. Rylan Kelsey is an accomplished wrestler who showed he was also a darn fine football player. Not too many freshmen contribute to an 11-win, 4A roster to the extent Kelsey did in 2025. Enjoy this look at a guy who will develop into a multi-phase threat in football and is already a contender at his weight class in wrestling.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow Motion Replay: The Pride of Haggerhill, Kentucky, Jim Matney @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @jcfootball2025, @TTChilders, @ChrisStapleton, @JRVanHoose

June 2, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

Jim Matney was simply among the best high school football and wrestling coaches the Appalachias has ever produced. I had the privilege of getting to interact with him on several occasions as a newspaper editor of a 135 or more year old newspaper in Jackson, KY. Matney always made me feel like I was a big shot. Of course, I was sort of a big shot because I was hanging around him. Enjoy this look at an all-timer in the estimation of just about everyone.

Friday Night Fletch

Slow motion replay: Old Coach Holc, revolutionized mountain football @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @BreathittFB, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @MCentral_FB, @ChiefSmoke10, @HalMumme, @coachtf

March 29, 2025 Fletcher Long 3

Sometimes the featured photo with our articles is a bit fuzzy. We will never sacrifice the image which best captures our story for “a clear picture.” We are a magazine which focuses on “the written word.” We’re story-tellers, not photographers. We just use any old photograph. There isn’t a darn thing fuzzy about Mike Holcomb and his ability to coach a high school football team. This guy is a coaching genius who was running Mumme-like offense in the Appalachias, where power run schemes go to die, before Hal Mumme ever got to UK. This guy’s inside zone play, out of the spread, hits the line as fast as a fullback belly dive. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

@LucasWyatt8 from @FootballJCHS is set on taking advantage of second chances. @minguabeefjerky @PrepSpin @1776Bank @JCAthletics_

July 26, 2021 Henry Lyon 2

Lucas Wyatt plays for the preeminent offensive line in Kentucky High School football. They are called the “Pancake Platoon” and nobody gets down hill in the run game like the Johnson Central Eagles. Everyone in the stadium knows it’s coming; yet, no one can stop it. Enjoy this feature about a leader along that front stationed at LT but destined to move to guard next level. Enjoy the feature. HB.

Preseason look at Class 4A; here’s our look at the top 5. @minguabeefjerky @PrepSpin @KyHighFootball @1776Bank

July 15, 2021 Henry Lyon 0

These preseason polls have been super hard to research and write. For one, SB-128 has made forecasting who’s back and who’s moved on super dicey to predict. Thank the Lord for Twitter. Here is our look at Class 4A. This classification figures to be super competitive, especially for the 5th slot in the poll as 6-8 teams could have been slotted there. Anyway, it is all for fun. Enjoy the feature. HB.

Jordan Vaughn, Madisonville North-Hopkins (Class of 2020), is the Independence Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week

November 29, 2019 Henry Lyon 0

There is no better time than the present to anoint another Independence Bank player of the week. Independence Bank is proud to sponsor a weekly article highlighting players in the areas where Independence Bank flourishes who embody the same type of revolutionary service to their respective football teams which has made Independence Bank unique and special in the banking industry. This week’s recipient is a player who is a coveted and talented front-line star for the Maroons from Madisonville North-Hopkins. His efforts really make the Maroons’ offense roll. Join us next week as we award this to another worthy recipient.

Coach Lyon’s Class 4A preseason top-10 football poll…

July 27, 2019 Fletcher Long 0

Someone contacted old Coach Lyon and asked when we were going to put out our preseason top-10 football polls for each classification. Well, today seemed like as good a day as any to continue the tradition. Since KPGFootball started with the top classification when picking district winners, this time we started with Class 1A and yesterday we projected Class 3A. Today we give you our projections for the next classification up from the lowest one, here is Class 4A!

Inside the Numbers: Belfry at Johnson Central

October 24, 2018 Fletcher Long 0

This week, inside the numbers, we decided to take a look at the matchup October 26, 2018 in Paintsville, Kentucky between two heavyweights in Kentucky high school football, Johnson Central vs. Belfry. This is a pivotal game for each of these two teams with the playoffs looming. Johnson Central is ranked […]