Breathitt County Football: Before and After the Flood

Friday is here. The Kroger KSR Game of the Week kicks off tonight as Magoffin County travels to Breathitt County. I wrote about the Breathitt County community and the aftermath of the devastating flood yesterday. We’ll get to football in a bit. I promise. 

But first, I wanted to share some photographs that may help to paint a more enlightening picture of just how bad the damage was and how hard the folks have worked just to get the field back into playing condition. Many deserve credit. From the Breathitt County Superintendent of Schools Phillip Watts and High School Principal Charles Davidson to a countless number of maintenance staff members and volunteers. Many have worked around the clock for a couple of weeks. The Mike Holcomb Athletic Complex is ready for football but it didn’t look that way three weeks ago as you can see below. 

BEFORE 

Brendon Miller from Bluegrass Sports Nation approved KSR to share his photos from the flood. As you can see, water and mud overwhelmed the playing surface and made its way up to the home bleachers. For perspective purposes, the river is on the other side of the trees in the background. 

AFTER 

The first photo was taken on Thursday before the field was painted. The second was snapped four hours prior to Friday’s kickoff. 

Other than a small amount of water on the edge of the field, there are no signs of flood damage. Additionally, the weight room has been cleaned and is in the reconstruction process. 

Magoffin County and Breathitt County will be playing their first game of the season on Friday. Like most teams, both have high hopes for the opener. Regardless of tonight’s outcome, the fact that football is going to be played at the Mike Holcomb Athletic Complex in Jackson, Kentucky is a W for everyone.  

Football state.