Phillip Haywood

Brody Hicks (’28 TE/DE) from Prestonsburg is the Kentucky Comfort Creator of the Week @PrestonsburgHS, @BoysGirls13th, @Wes_Hager, @Ale8One, @bigassfans, @KyHighFootball, @khsaafootball

September 19, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We thought we would dip in and cover a final Blackcat before we move along from Prestonsburg. P-burg doesn’t get enough coverage owing to being a small enrollment high school in an isolated and remote part of the commonwealth of Kentucky. At Big Ass Fans, we reach out and impact all parts of Kentucky, large or small, wherever we are needed. Brody Hicks is having a fine season particularly for a sophomore, two way player on an undefeated, contending football team, so we thought we would honor him today. Enjoy this look at Brody Hicks, our Big Ass Fans Kentucky Comfort Creator!

Friday Night Fletch

Kain Patton (’26 RB) from Prestonsburg is the Kentucky Comfort Creator of the Week @PrestonsburgHS, @BoysGirls13th, @Wes_Hager, @Ale8One, @bigassfans, @KyHighFootball, @khsaafootball

September 12, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We tried to tell everyone Prestonsburg was back last year when the team posted 11-wins against 2-losses. Everyone got too caught up in P-burg’s late season loss to Breathitt, a Breathitt squad with a very young offensive backfield which had grown up quite a bit by the 1st of November. Anyway, Prestonsburg just beat the best team on its schedule in overcoming Hazard in Prestonsburg this pas Saturday. We don’t see many teams among th remaining seven (7) able to play with the Blackcats. 10-0, here they come. Enjoy this look at Kain Patton, our Big Ass Fans Kentucky Comfort Creator!

Friday Night Fletch

Kaden Bogar, a ‘Chapter 16’ type kid on whose back championships are won and programs are built @kadenbogar79, @BelfryFootball1, @Cayden_Varney, @wolford_bo, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

July 19, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

High school football will always be the land of the 6’0″ pulling guard. Programs have been built on the backs of exceptional football players at the high school level who found themselves an inch too short, 15 pounds too light, or a fraction of a second slower than the position requires. Notwithstanding these inadequacies, these guys tend to find a way to make it happen regardless. This guy today is such a guy. Now the may bloom late and grow into a larger, more suitable for D-1 type frame. For now, he is an exceptionally talented, hard nosed, football player on one of Kentucky’s premier teams vying for a championship. Enjoy the feature.

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 0

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

Slow Motion Replay: Remembering Garnis Martin of the Bardstown High School Tigers @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @KyHighFootball, @BardstownFootb1

February 2, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

Phillip Haywood rewrote the Kentucky wins standard for High School coaching. Bardstown’s Garnis Martin was the first coach to 250-wins, then Walter Brugh surpassed the “Martin standard” at Paintsville in 1993. Joe Jaggers surpassed Brugh in 1997 then Schneider took over in 2005 and Dudley Hilton tied Schneider in 2010. The next year Phillip Haywood took over the top post and so on and so forth. Enjoy this ride on the “Way Back” machine.

Friday Night Fletch

Jeremiah Austin, from Belfry High, is the @bigassfans Kentucky Comfort Creator @BelfryFootball1, @wolford_bo, @_MLFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @KyHighFootball

January 24, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

JJ Austin is a workhorse for one of Kentucky’s premier programs. He leads the team in rushing, and rushing the football is what the Pirates do best. JJ is also more than a token defender. What will he do in ’25, as a senior? One might say he is “in the lead” to represent the “Big Ass Fans” Small School All-State Football Offense at FB/LB in 2025. It is still early. Enjoy this feature and let’s keep it cool out there Kentucky!

Friday Night Fletch

Friday Night Fletch

Looking for a Mr. Football? We may have the man, right here, in Jarren Johnson from Union County! @55CoachJohns, @JarrenJohnson1_, @ChiefSmoke10, @sportingtimes, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

December 2, 2024 Fletcher Long 0

It is getting time to vote for “Mr. Football” around Kentucky. There are plenty of candidates this year who have taken their teams to unimaginable heights. One candidate who shouldn’t be discounted nor overlooked is Union County’s Jarren Johnson. This guy here has had a “Mr. Football-type” season for the very reasons we discuss herein. Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Max Dotson anchors the Belfry offensive front @BelfryFootball1 @G_Runyon5 @natesanger11 @minguabeefjerky @KyHighFootball

August 24, 2024 Fletcher Long 0

They have a group of people named “Dotson” around Pike County, KY (Belfry). These boys can flat out ball. We got a note from legendary head football coach, Phillip Haywood, asked us to take a look at Max Boston, his senior offensive center. We like what we saw of this 6’2,” 310 pound blocking machine. He sort of reminded us of UK’s Drake Jackson. I remember him working out pretty well. Enjoy the feature. Friday Night Fletch.

Preseason Top Five in 3A plus a few more @BelfryFootball1, @TriggFootball, @centurions_fb, @CHSJacketFB, @echsfb, @LexCath @AlPopFootball @840WHAS @sfitz_840whas

July 26, 2024 Fletcher Long 1

Well, it is time for us to pick the 3A classification and how it will “shake out” this coming Fall. We could take the coward’s way out and pick last year’s champion, Christian Academy-Louisville, to repeat. Instead, we took the coward’s way out and picked eight-time title holder, Belfry. Enjoy. Friday Night Fletch.