BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County High School will be in a different district for football starting in 2027.
The KHSAA Board of Control met May 6 in Lexington, approving football alignments for the 2027 and 2028 playing seasons.
This means some schools in eastern Kentucky will be in a new district with new opponents come playoff time.
There were several changes including Martin County now playing in the same district as perennial football power Belfry High School.
Martin County and Prestonsburg are moving to District 8 and joining Belfry, Pike County Central and Shelby Valley.
Martin County athletic director Chuck White said the new alignment should help reduce travel costs while increasing the level of competition within the district.
“It helps us for financial reasons but creates a very tough District 8 with Belfry, Prestonsburg, us, Shelby Valley and Pike Central,” White said.
He described the district as one filled with established programs that have enjoyed sustained success in recent years.
“All the schools are very competitive with each other,” White said. “Belfry has been the frontrunner and the standard for football in eastern Kentucky for decades, while Martin County, P’burg, Shelby Valley and Pike Central have come a long way. Shelby Valley has been very good the past decade. (Sean) Hager has done exceptionally well at Prestonsburg since taking over there. Pike Central is under a new coaching staff but they’re loaded with talent.”
Despite the challenges the new district presents, Martin County welcomes the opportunity to face stronger competition on a regular basis.
“We’ll have a solid district and we are looking forward to competing,” White added. “It’ll be nice to see quality football in District 8.”
Elsewhere in Class 2A, Leslie County and Knott County Central will move from District 8 to District 7, joining Breathitt County and Magoffin County.
In Class 3A, Letcher County Central will shift from District 8 to District 7 and compete alongside East Carter, Floyd Central, Lawrence County and Russell.
In Class 4A, the requests of Russell County will move from District 6 to District 2 and Breckinridge County from District 3 to District 4.
The realignment will offer new rivalries and travel destinations for teams and fans.
Also, the board voted that round one of the playoffs will continue to be between “sister districts.” However, beginning in 2027, round two of the football playoffs will feature RPI-based semi-state pairings similar to those in round three. This would result in districts 1-4. The eight remaining teams in round two would be bracketed by RPI: 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5, with the highest-ranked team hosting each contest. The same process would apply to districts 5-8.
CLASS 2A
DISTRICT 7 — Breathitt County, Knott County Central, Leslie County, Magoffin County
DISTRICT 8 — Belfry, Martin County, Pike County Central, Prestonsburg, Shelby Valley