City of Fort Mitchell Mayor Jude Hehman and Pikeville Mayor Jimmy Carter have made a friendly wager on the Kentucky Class A State Football Championship game.
Beechwood will face Pikeville once again for the Class A Kentucky State football championship today at 2 p.m. at Kroger Field in Lexington. The loser will host the winning city’s mayor and key staff for local food and a tour and discussion centered around city government best practices.
Mayor Hehman
“Although our cities are located at opposite ends of Kentucky, we have a lot in common with the City of Pikeville,” said Fort Mitchell Mayor Jude Hehman.
“Fort Mitchell and Pikeville are of similar size and facing a lot of the same issues with regard to taxes, funding, growing volunteers and rising pension costs. Our friendly wager will lead to a visit for us together in one of our communities, where we will put our school rivalries aside, while we get to know one another and share ideas. No matter what happens on the football field tomorrow, it’s a win/win for our cities.”
Beechwood and Pikeville have faced off several times during the past decades in Class A playoff and state championship match-ups. The most recent state championship where the two teams went head-to-head was in 2015, with Pikeville winning 42-28.
“I was a student at Beechwood and remember cheering at the school pep rallies to beat Pikeville. I feel confident our Tigers will bring home the championship this year but, if not, I look forward to hosting Mayor Carter and his team to the best fried chicken in the state at Greyhound Tavern, followed by a trip to Graeter’s for the world’s best ice cream!”
Beechwood has won the Kentucky Class A state championship 13 times and Pikeville has won four times.
This could be the last time that the Tigers will face Pikeville because Beechwood will move up to Class 2A next season as part of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s reclassification.
