PRESTONSBURG - Throw out the records. Don't worry about what happened last season and who's healthy now and who's not. It's Prestonsburg-Pikeville, one of the area's most heated football rivalries.

Pikeville will carry an 0-2 record into Blackcat Stadium tonight for the latest installment of the Blackcat-Panther high school football series. Two bowl games have afforded the Panthers a pair of losses. In Week One, Henry Clay topped Pikeville 20-0 in the Pike County Bowl. The Panthers traveled to Corbin this past Saturday night and came short up against East Jessamine in a Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic bowl game. East Jessamine took advantage of a Pikeville team without starting quarterback/linebacker John Michael Mayo, downing the Panthers 20-8.

Prestonsburg (0-1) dropped its season-opener on the road at Hazard Saturday night versus Leslie County. The Blackcats packed a 3-0 lead into halftime against the Eagles, but senior Ryan Howard's switch from quarterback to tailback pushed Leslie County over the top. The Eagles got their offense going in the second half and beat Prestonsburg 12-3.

Tonight, Prestonsburg of Pikeville will get its first win of the season. At the same time, one of the two teams will also remain winless.

Prestonsburg Coach John DeRossett sees a Pikeville football team far better than its 0-2 mark shows. The loss of Mayo hurt the Panthers, but brothers Tim and Ted Honaker (juniors) and sophomore Daniel Harmon have picked up and played well.

“Pikeville has super athletes,” said Prestonsburg Coach John DeRossett. “Tim and Ted Honaker are great athletes and Daniel Harmon is an outstanding football football player. It;s another challenge for our kids.”

All the offense Prestonsburg could muster Saturday night was a first-quarter field goal from senior place-kicker Seth Moore. DeRossett has stressed the importance of his team finding its way into the endzone.

“We have to cut down on penalties and fumbles,” said DeRossett. “Our defense played well against Leslie County. We just have to put the football in the endzone.”

Pikeville got the best of Prestonsburg last season, beating the Blackcats 33-7 on Hillard Howard Field in Mike Jackson's first season as head coach.

Kickoff for the latest gridiron meeting between the Blackcats and Panthers is slated for 7:30 p.m.