Last Friday night, our very own Magoffin County Hornets defeated the South Floyd Raiders by a margin of 20 points. The 46-26 win was not only a major confidence boost, but a big relief, as well.

“This is by far the best Raiders squad we have ever faced in my five years of coaching,” McCoy said. “I wasn’t worried, but I’m relieved. The team played well as a whole and we seen some great improvement in areas of offense and defense.”

In the first quarter of play the Hornets couldn’t seem to put together a successful drive. On the defensive side of the ball, however, the Hornets did well and kept their opponent from scoring.

In the beginning of the second quarter senior quarterback Dylan Keeton was able to hook up with junior running back Josh Patton for a huge gain down field. Senior running back Colby Howard ran the ball into the red zone, but a deflected pass intended for senior receiver Justin Poe was caught by Josh Patton in the end zone, which put the Hornets on the board first.

Once the Hornets were able to get into an offensive rhythm, there was no looking back. The Raiders did not score until the Hornets already had a two-possession lead.

“We moved the ball well,” Coach Smith said. “From the defensive perspective, we held our ground and played with intensity.”

Many players stood out in Friday night’s rumble by the river. Players like Austin Whitaker, Colby Howard, Justin Poe, Derek McCarty, Caleb Hall and Montana Bailey played well on both side of the ball. The Hornet offensive line only allowed one sack and the Hornet defensive line maintained gap control, which held South Floyd’s ground game to a minimal.

This Friday night the Hornets will be traveling to Paintsville to go nose-to-nose with the Tigers in the annual Founder’s Day Bowl. The Tigers are the reigning Founder’s Day Bowl champions and the Hornets aim to bring the bowl back to its rightful home. Don’t miss out on a minute of Hornet football action and make the short drive to Paintsville to support our hometown Hornets!