FOOTBALL: Panthers dominate second half, beat Redbirds 51-21
When lightning struck near Pinckneyville on Friday night, delaying the conclusion of the Panthers' home game with West Frankfort until Saturday afternoon, onlookers may have thought the delay would benefit the visiting Redbirds - who had lost two key players to minor injuries in the first half - more than PCHS. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Panthers came out in the second half on Saturday and bum-rushed West Frankfort, outscoring them 37-8 following the sixteen-plus-hour delay, rolling to a 51-21 victory and a 2-0 start to the season. Four different ball carriers reached the end zone for Pinckneyville and quarterback Clayton Houghland threw for two touchdown passes as PCHS gained over 400 yards of total offense.
"I'm extremely proud of our kids," said Panthers head coach Todd Thomas. "We were extremely flat (Friday) night, we weren't ready to go, we looked gassed. We challenged them and they really stepped up today, I couldn't be happier. They played with a lot of heart, played with a lot of character. Our defense stepped up, we made some simple adjustments and I think it went a long way to help us defensively."
West Frankfort scored on a two-play drive with under a minute gone by in the opening quarter as Logan Hartley raced 44 yards for a 7-0 lead, but it was the only time the Redbirds would lead the entire game.
Caulden Lazenby took a Frankfort punt that was blocked by Richard Jones all the way in for six early in the second quarter, and just over three minutes later the Panthers found the end zone again after forcing a three and out on defense when Houghland connected with Tristan Fisher for a 69-yard touchdown to put PCHS up 14-7 after Dylan Carns' extra point.
The Redbirds responded in a hurry, though, needing just one play - an 80-yard run by Kyle Sailliez - to cut the lead to one. The extra point attempt failed, and Pinckneyville carried a one-point lead into the half, and the weather delay.
The game resumed at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the Panthers looked well-rested and ready to run away with the game in the third quarter. Houghland's second touchdown pass of the contest was a 56-yarder to Dalton Peradotto with 10:24 left in the period, and Gabe Yearian took in a TD from seven yards out with 6:46 on the clock as PCHS led 27-13.
West Frankfort wasn't done yet, however, as Hartley picked up his second touchdown from 19 yards out to cut the lead to six, but the Panthers answered with an efficient five-play, 80-yard drive capped off by Alex Howard's 13-yard touchdown run with 1:21 to go in the third quarter.
"That was a huge drive," Thomas said. "West Frankfort has a good football team, they're going to win some games this year. Their quarterback is big, he's athletic, they've got some good linemen, and they're well-coached. My hat's off to our kids, we challenged them and they responded, and we're 2-0."
Pinckneyville scored four straight times to end the game, including a 37-yard field goal by Carns and touchdown runs from Peradotto (2 yards) and Howard (5 yards). The Panthers' defense was impressive as well on Saturday as the Redbirds couldn't get a drive going in the fourth quarter. Interceptions from Fisher and Yearian and a fumble recovery by Fisher helped seal the deal for PCHS.
"(West Frankfort) came out in a lot of different formations (on Friday), and we were trying to have specific checks to those formations, and it was probably too much for us," said Thomas. "We really simplified it, and I thought we were a lot more aggressive (on Saturday). We were getting to the ball, we were playing like we did in week one."
"(The turnovers) were huge. We preach bend, but don't break (on defense). I think we're starting to understand that first downs don't win football games, touchdowns win football games. We preach that, we believe in that, and it worked (Saturday)."
Lazenby led the Panther rushing attack, which totaled 214 yards, with 69 yards on 8 carries. Howard (10-58), Peradotto (5-26), Yearian (2-21) and Trent Hicks (6-18) also carried the ball for Pinckneyville.
Houghland was 7-for-13 passing for 193 yards, connecting with Fisher (2-75), Peradotto (2-62), Yearian (1-6) and Adam Banach (2-50).
West Frankfort had 350 yards of offense, but only 135 of those came after the half.
Pinckneyville (2-0) is at home again in week three against Benton.