Even after record-setting performance, Pikeville’s Lockhart looking for more
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (BVM) — The statline: 17 receptions, 388 receiving yards, seven touchdowns. No, that’s not a season total and it’s not from a game of Madden either. That was the statline for Pikeville junior wide receiver Zac Lockhart during the team’s Sept. 25 game against Henry Clay High School. The 388 receiving yards and seven touchdowns set Kentucky High School Athletic Association records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a game. The totals also nearly surpassed Lockhart’s season totals from last year.
“After about the first quarter, I noticed that they weren’t really guarding me too well and we could burn them all night and they just kept hitting the slants, seams and the go’s to me and it turned out pretty well,” Lockhart said.
Congratulations to Junior WR #10 Zac Lockhart (@zac10ckhart) on his record-breaking performance against Henry Clay. Lockhart set new State & School records in Receiving Yards in a game with 388 & Receiving Touchdowns in a game with 7. See all 7 TDs here. #HailPikeville 🐾 📖 🖊 pic.twitter.com/nLIEITx1Mn
— Pikeville HS Panther Football (@PikevilleHSFB) September 27, 2020
Going into the game, there wasn’t much anticipation from Lockhart for a breakout. The team didn’t have much film on Henry Clay and, as the season opener, didn’t have any true idea on how they might come out. For Lockhart, he was just playing his game, not focused on anything going on besides the fact that he was doing well until late in the fourth quarter.
“After my sixth touchdown, my defensive coordinator took me out of the game to put the younger kids in,” Lockhart said. “Coach Mac [Chris McNamee] came back over to me and told me to put my pads back on. At that point, I realized I had a pretty big game and that I was going out there to make a catch and hopefully get enough yards for the record and I ended up taking it to the house and got the touchdown record as well.”
Once he had both records firmly in place, Lockhart began to soak in his accomplishments. Though it took him some time to realize what he’d done, the increasing congratulations from community members certainly made him aware he had done something spectacular.
“I didn’t even know what to think honestly,” Lockhart said. “It really didn’t settle in with me until the next morning that I’d broken the records and how memorable that was going to be. It kind of reminded me of NCAA 14 playing Road to Glory, those kind of numbers you put up with your MyPlayer. I was astonished looking at the statline knowing I had that many yards. … To bring that record back to Pikeville was really something special.”
Though Lockhart was a well-known commodity among coaches and teammates, the Henry Clay game worked as a coming out party of sorts for the junior. Last year, Lockhart was a bit buried behind three senior wide receivers, each who went on to commit to Division I programs. While he was working behind the seniors, Lockhart’s chemistry with quarterback Isaac McNamee, who is in the same graduating class, was apparent. In the Panthers’ high-octane offense, Lockhart was still able to rack up 24 catches for 474 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
“I knew that I had to step up this year at wide receiver and I had to start leading these younger kids like the seniors did for me last year,” Lockhart said. “I knew I had to fill a bigger role of getting a lot more touches and making the most out of every catch.”
The season wouldn’t get easier for the junior. The next week in a game against another bigger school, Campbell County, the junior receiver was blanketed by the Camels defense and finished the game with only four receptions for 24 yards and no touchdowns. The Panthers lost the game 14-8 for their first loss in 18 games after finishing last year 14-0 and winning the first three games this season.
“I did notice the next couple of games I was getting double teamed,” Lockhart said. “I was showing up more on opponents films a little bit more. They were keying me a little bit more than usual.”
The slow game only added fuel to Lockhart’s fire. He now understands that teams will be acutely aware of his strong performance and will not have the benefit of sneaking up on any opponents the rest of the season. Though it is a challenge, Lockhart is more than up to it.
“I had a guy over top of me all night and their safety was keying on me,” Lockhart said. “I knew that after the Henry Clay game I would probably see more double teams and now it was really time for me to show what I could do on the field.”
With that committed mindset, Lockhart, who already has over 500 yards and 10 touchdowns, is looking to increase his numbers. His goal is to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns and, given his work ethic and role in the offense, that could be easily attainable.
While Lockhart’s recruiting prior to his record-setting performance was lukewarm, receiving some attention from small Division I programs such as Miami University of Ohio, it has grown a bit over the past few weeks.
“I’ve had a couple of coaches reach out to me especially on Twitter,” Lockhart said. “After that game, I gained around 70 or 80 followers on Twitter. I had a couple DMs from schools, their offensive coordinator or wide receivers coach, texting me and congratulating me on the game and that he’d have to catch up with me for some time to go and visit the school.”
Although his future prospects are increasing, Lockhart has stayed locked in on the state title, unwavering from his final destination. With plenty of eyes now on him, Lockhart will look to perform while also helping his team to win games.
“I don’t want to lose another football game and I want to go back to Kroger [Stadium] and do what we did last year,” Lockhart said. “It would mean the world to us. … It’d be nice to go back and repeat what we did at Kroger and let everyone know that even though we only have a couple seniors this year and we’re young, we can still go back out there and do it.”
