BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
BELFRY — The 38th Annual Pike County Bowl at Belfry High School witnessed a rain-soaked face-off between Martin County and Pike Central. Overcoming challenging weather conditions Friday evening in a close contest marked by surprises, Pike Central defeated Martin County 9-6.
The Cardinals were fresh off a home victory against Hazard from the week prior. Winning the opening coin flip, they deferred to the second half only to see Pike Central’s Steven Gonzalez-Santes set a new school record with a 42-yard field goal, putting the Hawks ahead 3-0.
First-quarter highlights for Martin County include Tyler Gantt crushing Pike Central running back Cameron Flannery for a loss of 3, Peyton Hamilton slinging Mason Hess for a 1-yard loss after a catch, and Aiden Horn running 17 yards. Martin County senior running back Brock Messer ended the quarter with a 12-yard catch.
Messer answered in the second quarter with a touchdown on third-and-7 from the Hawks 11-yard line. With the Cardinals failing the extra point conversion, the score stood at 6-3 in favor of Martin County.
Later in the second quarter, senior Madden Miller’s electric 42-yard run placed the Cardinals on the brink of scoring first and goal from the 6-yard line. Then disaster struck in the form of a 12-yard loss tackle on Messer, putting the ball on the 18-yard line. The half concluded with the Cardinals retaining their lead 6-3.
With rain still pouring in the fourth quarter the ball was hard to handle, presenting two crucial fumbles for the Cardinals. A decisive moment arrived with just 6:02 left on the clock. Pike Central quarterback Jamere Knuckles navigated to the 3-yard line on a fourth down. A subsequent fumble nearly derailed the Hawks’ efforts, but they managed to recover and score from the 2-yard line, pulling ahead 9-6. The Cardinals blocked the extra point.
In the final moments, the Cardinals initiated a determined drive, needing 74 yards for a win. Their aspirations were dashed when sophomore quarterback Jackson Miller’s pass to Devan Maynard fell short, solidifying the Pike Central victory.
“We have to own this loss and use it as a learning experience – players and coaches alike,” Martin County coach Josh Muncy said postgame. “We can’t turn the ball over 3-4 times and beat anyone with a pulse. We have to emphasize ball security.”
Muncy added, “We have a lot more football left to play and our best days are ahead of us. We will learn and get better and improve. There is still a district championship up for grabs. I think our guys realize now that it is going to take some work to get it.”
The Cardinals carried the ball 38 times for 188 rushing yards. M. Miller carried 11 times for 93 yards, Horn had 11 carries for 53 yards, J. Miller had five carries for 33 yards and Messer was held to 9 yards on 11 carries.
J. Miller was 2 for 7 for 14 passing yards. Maynard had one reception for 2 yards, while Messer had one for 12 yards.
The Cardinals put up a fight on defense. M. Miller recorded 19 tackles, Horn collected 13, Gantt added 10, Bryston Wells finished with eight, Rafe Price, Messer and Damien Cheek each had six tackles, Joey Robinson finished with five, Brayden Estepp and Julian Stafford had two, and Maynard, Jack Cline, Hamilton and Timmy Horn had one each.
Cline had a 16-yard kick return, Drey Duff completed a 14-yard return, and Noah Mollette had one blocked field goal.
The Hawks had 166 rushing yards with Knuckles leading the way with 130 yards.
The Cardinals committed four fumbles for the game and recovered one fumble.
M. Miller was named the Community Trust Bank and WYMT Most Valuable Player of the game.
