Pikeville dominates Raceland 41-9 to win 2nd straight Class 1A championship
What started as a cloudy afternoon at Kroger Field turned into a day of sunshine for the Pikeville Panthers.
In the first of six state championship games this weekend in Lexington, KY, No. 9 Pikeville kicked off Friday’s three-game slate with a dominating 41-9 win over the No. 24 Raceland Rams in the Class 1A title bout. Pikeville’s star running back and Kentucky Mr. Football candidate, Blake Birchfield, ran all over Raceland, racking up 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the day. The Panthers limited Raceland to just 270 total yards of offense while holding the Rams to a 2-12 mark on third downs.
The championship marks the second in a row for Pikeville, which beat Russellville 30-27 in 2021, and the school’s third in four years. Panthers head coach Chris McNamee has now won four state titles with Pikeville, the most in program history. Pikeville won its final 12 games of the season after starting the 2022 schedule 0-2.
“To get three state championships in four years is just truly amazing and I’m super proud to be their coach,” Pikeville head coach Chris McNamee said after the win. “I’m just tickled that I’m where I am. I’m pretty happy to be here.”
Pikeville won the toss, which proved pivotal in the early stages of the game. After failing to take the opening kickoff past the 20-yard line, Birchfield received a handoff on the first play of the afternoon and sprinted 85 yards down the field for a touchdown just 22 seconds in. The Panthers would miss the extra point, but Pikeville’s first punch landed with force.
“We just threw a wildcat look at them, kicked that one extra blocker out there just to see how they lined up to it,” Birchfield said. “I ended up getting a sliver and I took it all the way.”
Raceland responded in timely fashion though, moving the ball down the field throughout a four-minute drive. Unfortunately, the Rams were forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal from senior Peyton Ison which made it 7-3 in favor of Pikeville not even halfway through the opening period.
Throughout the rest of the first half, Raceland continued to have opportunities to keep the game close, but a handful of missteps would end up costing the Rams heading into the locker room. Raceland failed to convert on two fourth downs in the opening half instead of opting for makable field goal attempts.
A fumble on fourth down near the end of the first quarter wound up in the hands of Pikeville sophomore Deonte Stevens, who tumbled 74 yards the other way for a scoop-and-score that made it 12-3 in favor of the Panthers. Pikeville would convert the two-point conversion on a pass from sophomore Isaac Duty to senior Grant Scott that made it 14-3 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a much slower affair, with Pikeville controlling the ball for the majority of the frame and grinding out a five-minute possession heading into the halftime break. It initially looked like the Panthers were on the brink of scoring after a pass down to the two-yard line, but the referees talked it over and ultimately ruled it incomplete.
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As a result, with just a couple of seconds left in the first half, Duty launched a perfect ball to senior Wade Hensely that he caught in the endzone for a 33-yard score. Following a slight delay due to an injured Raceland player, Pikeville knocked in the extra point to give the Panthers a 21-3 lead at the break.
“It was kinda a hail mary type of deal — just see if we can make a play,” Coach McNamee said. “I thought Wade made a great play on the ball. Isaac did a great job of getting him the ball, offensive line gave him a little time to throw it up there. Wade went up and made a great catch.”
To begin the second half, Raceland went three-and-out and immediately gave the ball back to Pikeville. The Panthers would go for the kill on the ensuing possession, driving the ball down the field 76 yards over five minutes as Birchfield punched in his second touchdown of the afternoon. The extra point was good, making it 28-3 Pikeville.
But Raceland bounced back quickly. The Rams took up just four plays in under two minutes before junior quarterback Logan Lundy hit senior Mason Lykins for a 38-yard touchdown pass. A failed two-point conversion only allowed Raceland to cut Pikeville’s lead down to 28-9 as the game rolled into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for the Rams, more mistakes led to a Pikeville score. A poorly executed punt led to the Panthers receiving the ball in enemy territory at the 27-yard line. Pikeville was backed up 10 yards due to a holding penalty, but Birchfield still managed to punch the ball in (his third score of the game) a couple of snaps later, making it 34-9 with 10:26 left in the game after another missed extra point.
Pikeville would put a cap on yet another 1A state title victory with roughly five minutes to go thanks to a six-yard run from sophomore Cason Wright. When the clock hit 0:00, the Panthers came away with a convincing 41-9 win and more hardware added to the school hallways.
“This is the most selfless group we’ve ever had,” Coach McNamee added. “They don’t care who scores, they don’t care who does what, as long as the job gets done. And that’s a really special part about this group. It’s team, team, team.”
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