By Jonathan L. Smith
(Photo courtesy of SERG Photography shows Clay Pendygraft on defense)
This will be the 2nd meeting all-time between Lincoln County and Perry County Central. The other meeting was two years ago in the first-round of the 4A playoffs where PCC won 56-35.
PCC is located in Hazard and competes in District 8 of Class 4A. They finished third in the district with a 1-2 district record, losing to Corbin and Harlan County, but beating Whitley County.
Overall, they have a 3-7 record and are ranked 28th in the KHSAA 4A RPI rankings (.45361):
Wins: Magoffin County (39-8), Paris (40-21), and Whitley County (42-6)
Losses: North Laurel (21-0), Bell County (50-14), Letcher County Central (36-20), South Laurel (28-7), Harlan County (23-22), Corbin (47-13), and Ridgeview VA (35-7).
The Commodores get their nickname from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero from the War of 1812, for whom the county is named. They will have a 2+ hour bus ride to Stanford, which is about 110 miles slightly northwest of Hazard.
The Lincoln County Patriots are part of District 7 of Class 4A. They finished second in the district with a 2-1 record, losing to Boyle County but defeating Russell County and Wayne County.
Overall, Lincoln County has an 8-2 record and are ranked 6th in the KHSAA 4A RPI rankings (.67511):
Wins: Madison Southern (28-7), Estill County (42-14), West Jessamine (27-14), Danville (35-32), East Jessamine (40-37), Wayne County (33-15), Russell County (35-12), and Garrard County (41-31).
Losses: Franklin County (35-13) and Boyle County (48-7)
The Patriots get their nickname from the early Kentucky settlers, like Benjamin Logan who built a fort in what is now Stanford and fought against the British and their native allies in the Revolutionary War.
Perry County Central is coached by Mark Dixon, who coached at single-A Hazard High School prior to moving to PCC in 2020. As the head coach, he won a state championship at Hazard in 2011.
Lincoln County is coached by Levi Rogers, now in his second season. He has been an assistant coach at Garrard County, Lincoln County and Southwestern. He was also the head coach for one season at Casey County before returning to Lincoln County, his alma mater.
PCC was 4-7 in 2024 and had a first-round loss to Boyle County. Lincoln County was 4-6 but did not qualify for the playoffs last season.
Offensively, PCC averages 20 points per game and runs more than they pass. On the season, they averaged 32 rushing attempts per game for an average of 165 yards per game and passed on average of 15 times per game for 98 yards.
Defensively, they are allowing 27 points per game, 187 yards per game rushing, and 133 passing yards. They are very opportunistic with 18 takeaways consisting of 9 fumble recoveries and 9 interceptions.
They have not attempted a field goal this season and are 8/18 on PAT kicks. They have converted 8 two-point PATs.
For Lincoln County, they score 30 points per game and average 210 yards per game rushing plus 123 yards a game passing. Lincoln County runs twice much as it passes (38 rushes on average to 19 passes).
Defensively, the Patriots give up 24 points per game, 111 yards rushing, and 190 yards passing. They are also opportunistic with 17 takeaways (11 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries).
The playmakers for PCC are:
- Parker Maggard, sophomore quarterback who has passed for 909 yards, 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions
- Tyler Robinson, a junior receiver who has caught 19 passes for 281 yards and 5 touchdowns
- Josh Miller, a freshman running back who has rushed 74 times for 441 yards and two touchdowns plus has 17 pass receptions for 236 yards
- The other top ball carriers are Keagan Cecil, Kaiden Gibson, and Bryson Johnson, all sophomores
- The top two tacklers are Kayden Haddix and Tyson Riley, both seniors
The playmakers for Lincoln County are:
- Tucker Foster, a junior dual-threat quarterback who has passed for 1,238 yards and rushed for 612 yards. He is also one of the top defensive players with 5 individual takeaways and ranks fourth on the list of tackles.
- Bob Floyd, an explosive senior receiver and special teams’ player. He has blocked four placekicks and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He also has 48 pass receptions for 596 yards and 8 touchdowns.
- Damon Spigle, a senior running back who was injured for part of the season but has 583 yards rushing in seven games.
- Reed Curlis, a senior linebacker who leads the team in tackles but is also a more-than-capable running back who filled in when Damon Spigle was injured and still leads the team in rushing with 651 yards.
- Brody Baker, a junior placekicker who is 38/41 on PAT kicks and 3/4 on field goals.
- Junior Clay Pendygraft and seniors Johnny Adkins and Brycen Mullins are also good receivers
- Senior Kash Smith, if he stays healthy, has the speed and power to be a game changer at running back
- The offensive and defensive lines are senior dominated, seasoned, strong, and very effective
PCC is a young team while Lincoln County is senior-led and battle-tested. Anything can happen on any given Friday night in playoff football, but this seems like a good matchup for Lincoln County.
Kickoff is 7:30 Friday night in Death Valley.
