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High-powered Musketeers roll past Panthers

Posted August 29, 2010 11:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ What started off well for the Panthers ended with a continuous clock and a 40-0 loss at the hands of the Red Bud Musketeers on Friday night, as Pinckneyville lost player after to player to a number of injuries, mostly cramping.

"I've never dealt with some of the things I had to deal with as a coach on that sideline tonight in my life," said Panthers' head coach Tod Rushing. "I've never had a situation where you're short handed to start the game and every time you turn around the trainer is telling someone they can't go back in the game."

Before the roster became depleted, the Panthers put together a solid first half, especially their opening drive, which began at their own 30-yard line.

J.D. Conner started things off with a nine-yard carry, and the ground attack was on for Pinckneyville. Neil Kellerman added a 20-yard run on the drive, which stood at the Red Bud 15-yard line after another nine-yard run by Conner set up first down for the Panthers.

Conner took it down to the twelve-yard line a play later, but then a crucial holding call against the Panthers was made to negate a run by Justin Hale, setting up 2nd-and-17. A running play there went nowhere, and a third down pass from first-time varsity quarterback Daulton Hubler fell incomplete setting up a field goal attempt by Caleb Howard. Howard's 42-yard attempt was wide left, and the Musketeers took over possession after putting an end to what turned out to be Pinckneyville's best scoring chance of the game.

"We had a couple key penalties there, and I told them that's going to happen, we had a lot of guys in their first game," Rushing said. "It didn't kill us, but if we could have stuck it in at the end of that drive that would have been pretty big momentum there."

Conner had 27 yards on the drive, N. Kellerman had 22, and Cole Kellerman added 10 yards on a pair of carries.

Pinckneyville's defense also seemed up to the task early on, forcing a three-and-out by the Musketeers to get the ball back with 4:29 to go in the opening quarter.

The second drive was nothing like the first, however, and three plays led to a 4th-and-7 and a punt back to Red Bud.

A long run by Tyler Hubert set up the game's first score, a 31-yard touchdown pass from all-stater Jake Hoffman to Tyler Henry with 46.4 seconds remaining in the first.

"They just caught us in coverage with the right play at the right time," Rushing said of the touchdown.

A Red Bud penalty on the kick return that followed gave the Panthers better-than-average field position, and the offense again worked the ground en route to a first down at Red Bud's 32-yard line behind runs from Hubler, Conner, N. Kellerman and Howard.

The drive stalled there, and Hubler was sacked on third down before a near-miss incompletion on fourth-and-four turned the ball over.

Pinckneyville fought gamely until the half, holding the high-powered Musketeers to just one other first-half score, a 23-yard run from Hubert. Andrew Benbrook picked off a Hoffman pass just before halftime to end another Red Bud threat.

The injuries began to add up for the Panthers after the break, and Hoffman got to work quickly with a two-play touchdown drive to put his team up 21-0 less than a minute into the third quarter. Henry found the end zone for the second time in the game after the catch.

"I thought we played pretty good until all of a sudden you look around and we've got about 3 or 4 starters on the field and that's it," Rushing said.

Hoffman scored from 12 yards out with 3:40 left in the third, and Tyler Macgruder scored on back to back plays in the fourth quarter; the first time on the ground, the second after a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff.

Pinckneyville actually out-gained Red Bud on the ground 167 yards to 137, but Hoffman's 110 yards in the air, along with 9 Panther penalties, were more than enough to swing the score in the Musketeers' favor.

The Panthers (0-1) will host West Frankfort in week two for their home opener.

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