The Corbin Redhounds and the Prestonsburg Blackcats will be squaring off in Class 2A’s, Region 1 championship game today for the second straight season.
The Redhounds (10-2) captured the region championship last season by knocking off Prestonsburg at Campbell Field, 20-7.
Corbin ran for 260 yards and used two 100-yard rushing performances by Caleb Watkins and Michael Campbell to advance to Class 2A’s State Semi-final game.
The Redhounds are looking to win its second straight regional championship, but it’s not going to be easy. They’ll be traveling to Prestonsburg today and will face off against a Blackcat team that is 12-0 on the season. Prestonsburg is only one of three teams in Class 2A that remains undefeated.
“We know we’ve got a tough game ahead for us,” Corbin coach Steve Jewell said. “Prestonsburg has a very good team and we know we’ve got a long trip ahead of us. We’re hoping to have great fan support when we get there. That will help us a lot.
“I also know this isn’t the same type of team that we faced last season,” he added. “Their quarterback is very good and he doesn’t make mistakes. They like to throw the ball and they’re still going to run it, but not like they did last season.”
The Redhounds limited the Blackcats to only 206 yards on offense during last season’s game, but Prestonsburg is averaging a 386 yards a game this year.
“They like to throw it, but they also run the ball, too,” Jewell said. “They are going to be hard to stop. The quarterback likes to run with the ball, so that’s something we’ve got to stop.”
Matter of fact, Jewell admitted the key of the game is to find a way to contain Blackcat quarterback Michael Burchett. Burchett has completed 140-of-213 pass attempts for 2,518 yards, 32 touchdowns and only four interceptions, but he’s also ran for 435 yards and nine touchdowns.
“That’s the key, we’ve got to stop him,” Jewell said. “He has a lot of weapons on offense to chose from and they have four to five guys that are very good at catching the ball.”
Josh Craynon leads the team with 691 rushing yards and has eight touchdowns, while Austin McKinney has 426 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns.
Joseph Jamerson leads the team with 732 receiving yards, 42 pass receptions and 10 touchdowns, while Josh Blackburn (521 yards, 26 receptions and five touchdowns), Craynon (410, 27, 10), Tyler Hall (354, 17, two) and McKinney (397, 21, four) are also top notch threats.
“Obviously, they have a lot of weapons,” Jewell said. “We know we’ve got to be ready on defense and I believe the kids will be.”
Prestonsburg is going to have its hands full, too.
Corbin is led by Mr. Football candidate Caleb Watkins and his 1,498 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Matthew Taylor has 563 yards on the ground, while Ryan Fritts has 505 rushing yards.
“We need to establish the run early and play mistake free,” Jewell said. “Our guys need to get off to a good start, and I’m sure they feel the same way, too.
“We’ve got everyone healthy and that’s big, so we’re going down there ready to play,” he added.
Jewell admitted playing on the road is going to be tough, but he likes his team’s chances.
“I do,” he said. “The guys seem ready to play. They know this is a big game and they also know what’s at stake, so we’ll see what happens.”
