BY CHRISTY WELLS and BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
BELFRY — As Friday night lights approach, 7v7 games are popping up all over eastern Kentucky. On Thursday, the Martin County Cardinals took their talents to Pond Creek to compete with the 2022 Class 3A state runner-up Belfry Pirates.
The Cards completed several 7v7s against the Pirates, coming out on top in wins 8-4.
The Cardinal linemen worked in small teams, competing in big man challenges such as tug of war, push drills and tire flips.
It was the Cardinals’ last preseason 7v7 and Coach Josh Muncy was pleased with the performance.
“It was a great experience for my team,” Muncy said. “It was an honor to share the field with legendary coach Phillip Haywood. We got a lot of work in against a solid program, and they made us better.”
The Cardinals had six touchdowns and one interception on the day.
Led by quarterback Jackson Miller’s exceptional performance, the Cardinal offense clicked. Miller completed 21 out of 40 passes delivering six touchdown passes.
Devan Maynard proved to be a target, hauling in two touchdown passes. Newcomer Brayden McKenzie mirrored Maynard’s performance, also catching two touchdown passes. Madden Miller showcased his skills by securing one touchdown pass. Another newcomer, Dray Duff, had an impressive reception for one touchdown.
On the defensive end, Brayden Estep recorded an interception.
The Cardinals will scrimmage at Lawrence County in full pads Saturday at 6 p.m. Each team will run 10 plays on offense and 10 on defense. East Ridge, Lawrence County, Martin County and Russell will all participate.
Aug. 18 will kick off the Cardinal season on the road at Hazard.
