No. 9 Corbin defends home field against No. 17 Pikeville 22-7
The No. 9 team in KSR’s Kentucky High School Football Preseason Rankings, the Corbin Redhounds, hosted the Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic which featured three of the best teams in the state of Kentucky. First, the No. 11 Beechwood Tigers took on the Maroons of Pulaski County, a game in which Beechwood won 28-27 in what was a great game to kick off the 2024 season.
Following the conclusion of that game, Corbin took on No. 17 Pikeville in what was one of the most highly-anticipated games in the Week 1 slate. The Panthers, who have won three consecutive 1A state titles, finally squared off against Corbin, who had a historically good defense last season, and it delivered as expected.
Redhounds got off to a fast start
Right out of the gate, Corbin imposed their will through the air. Even when the sticks wouldn’t be in their favor, first-year head coach Joshua Salmons would put the offense back out on the field, and it paid off more often than not.
Early in the first quarter, Corbin was faced with a fourth and long, and instead of going for the quick out route or something simple like that, Salmons put his faith into senior quarterback Kade Elam, who would find senior wideout Noah Cima in the end zone to give the Redhounds the early 7-0 lead.
Then, right as Pikeville started to gain some momentum offensively, senior linebacker Zach Reynolds read a screen play to perfection, resulting in a pick-six to make it a 14-0 game. This error in the passing game would be just as hurtful in the long-term for the Panthers as it was in the short-term.
After that play, coach Chris Chris McNamee wouldn’t really go back to the passing attack for the rest of the night, and the offense stalled because of it.
Still, Pikeville kept it competitive late in the game
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers trailed 14-0, managing to keep the game within reach through the second and third quarters. Even after turning the ball over in the end zone, Pikeville hadn’t broke just yet.
The Redhounds would even add to their lead to make it a 22-0 game with just over nine minutes left in the game. Still, Pikeville threw some punches back.
In desperation time, McNamee had no option but to try out the passing game again, and it actually worked. Corbin’s pass defense had some trouble picking up Pikeville’s scheme through the air, and it even resulted in a long touchdown pass from senior quarterback Isaac Duty.
Just like that, it was 22-7, and we were one turnover or one momentum swing away from getting another Beechwood/Pulaski County-type finish.
However, that two possession deficit would ultimately be too much for the Panthers to overcome, and that 22-7 score wouldn’t change at all through the final buzzer.
The Redhounds have now won 37 consecutive regular season games dating back to the 2020 season. As for Pikeville, they’ll look to get back on track, and facing Johnson Central at home next week should be a good chance for them to do just that.
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