FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Dupo playing well entering matchup with Panthers

For the second week in a row this past Friday night, Pinckneyville made a charge in the second half of a varsity football game against a playoff-eligible opponent before coming up just a few points shy of what many would have labeled an upset.

A week after a potential game-tying or go-ahead drive at Nashville came up short inside the red zone, the Panthers mounted a comeback against Carterville in week eight and tied the game up with about a minute to go, only to see the Lions drive down the field and kick a game-winning field goal with mere seconds remaining.

While the end result of both of those games may have been a bit disappointing, the effort of the Panthers and the way they've gutted it out in both contests has impressed many, including their head coach Todd Thomas.

"It's nice to see when your back is against the wall that you still have a little fight," Thomas said. "It seems like with a little spark we get going. I've been in situations before where if you get down it's kind of easy to just roll over, but we've not done that. That's a testament to where we're at and the direction we're going."

Thomas has said all year his goal for the 2015 Panthers was to work hard, stay focused, and get better every week. Their record may not prove it, but the team has shown steady improvement as their scheduled has toughened following their 3-0 start against losing teams. Thomas pointed out a handful of guys that he's been particularly pleased with as the season has progressed.

"I think Nick Cannon has played very, very well the last two games on both sides of the ball," Thomas said. "Caulden Lazenby has been pretty consistent on both sides of the ball. I really think Sam Simpson has stepped it up the last three or four weeks."

Thomas also mentioned his leading rusher, Alex Howard, who has given opposing defenses fits in the second half of ball games as their worn-down defensive units struggle to bring the 195-pounder to the ground. Unofficially, Howard has 656 yards and 8 touchdown runs on the season, and he's had 68 or more yards in each of the last four games.

"Howard's been steady at running back all year too," Thomas said. "He's gotten some tough yardage, he's put it in the end zone when we really needed it. He's a big kid, he's athletic, he runs hard, and he's fast when he gets in the open field and gets a head of steam going."

Mathematically, the Panthers can still get into the playoffs with a win in week nine. They'd need a lot of help, though. Their playoff point total sits at 29 after week eight, and they're guaranteed to pick up at least three more this week with teams on their schedule playing against each other. They could get two more if Du Quoin beats Murphysboro and Nashville beats Columbia, but even with 34 points they'll be outside the top 32 in Class 3A unless a number of 5-3 and 4-4 teams lose this week.

First, Pinckneyville will have to beat Dupo. They've done it all five years that the two teams have played in week nine since 2010, and the Tigers currently sit at 1-7 with nothing but pride on the line. But a closer look at Dupo's results reveals an alarming trend - they're getting better.

"They are playing really inspired, gutsy football right now," Thomas said of Dupo. "They had a big upset over Freeburg (last week). They don't have a lot of numbers kind of like us, but you can't look at people's record this time of year. Teams have gotten better. Injuries play a big part in high school football. We're going to have to come out ready to go and not let them get going or it'll be a dog fight."

"They're in the pistol wing-T, they've got a big quarterback who was their center last year. He also returned punts and kicks, I've never seen that. He's a big athletic kid. Their fullback is a little kid that runs extremely hard. Their left halfback carries the ball a lot on the perimeter. They'll throw a little bit."

Though their hopes of playing postseason football were shot after five games, the Tigers have found a way to stay motivated and have put together their best three games of the season over the course of the last three weeks.

After getting absolutely blown out in their first five games and scoring 12 points or less in all of them, the Tigers have topped 20 points three weeks in a row and last Friday night upset Freeburg (3-5), a school almost twice their size.

"They don't have anything to lose," said Thomas. "They have football tradition, I know they've been to a state championship in the past. They've always been physical, it's always been a hard-fought game ever since we've played them the last six years. We've just got to try to finish strong, that's been what I've preached to our team all week long. We've come this far, we've battled. We've just got to finish the deal, play hard, and stay focused."

Should the Panthers win, fans can see if PCHS is able to sneak into the playoffs during the IHSA's Playoff Pairings Show at 8 p.m. on Saturday.