[jetpilot]

I don't think there is any doubt about that. That loss refocused Pikeville and got their heads out of the clouds enough for Hillard to coach them. Heck, they didn't need a lot of coaching. They rolled from that point on. It's interesting, but Belfry held their own 2 of the 3 championship years for Pikeville. In 1987, Pikeville spanked the Pirates, who were rebuilding a bit after back to back state runners-up. However, in 1988 it was a relatively close game, I think like 24-14 after it was canceled on a Friday and moved to Saturday. Then of course the 1989 Belfry win. That '89 Belfry team went on the the state semis where they lost a hard fought game on the road at Highlands.

Went to the Belfry/Highlands game in '89 in the frigid cold, as Pikeville played B'wood on Sat. May be biased, but there was no doubt in my mind Belfry was the better team vs. Highlands and should have won by a couple of scores.