Friday Night Lights: Panthers Host Talented A-J Wildcats
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Pinckneyville is still searching for win number one on the 2009 varsity football season, but there are obvious signs that the team is both competitive, and an improving work-in-progress.
"We were better (in week 3) than we were (in week two), and sooner or later some of those breaks are going to go our way," said Panthers' head coach Tod Rushing.
A 14-7 heartbreaker to Benton was the latest of three consecutive one-score losses for Pinckneyville, following a 33-29 loss to Red Bud and a 27-20 disappointment at West Frankfort. Despite the Panthers' lack of success in the win column, however, crowds continue to follow the team in blue in large numbers.
"We had a great crowd (at Benton)," Rushing said. "I told the kids, even though we're 0-3, you've given them something to watch, you've played hard, you've kept it close, you've had a chance to win every game, and as long as you do that you'll get the support. People see them getting better."
Anna-Jonesboro, a perrenial threat to win the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Mississippi Division, comes to visit the Panthers in week 4. The Wildcats have had much success this season behind their skilled quarterback J.R. Woodward.
"If you let (Woodward) get going, he's a very good athlete," said Rushing. "He's not quite as quick as Hileman was (a few years ago) in that system as far as explosion, but if he gets two or three steps, he's a load."
"He's a hurdler, he's got that long stride, so our goal is to keep him pinned in and not let him break it out."
Fans may remember last year's ugly meeting between the two teams, when a stronger, more physical Wildcats team poured it on 60-0 against the Panthers in Anna.
"That's an example of a team that's spent a lot o time working," Rushing said after the game last season.
This year's game with A-J also marks the beginning of the conference schedule, something Rushing hopes to use as a bit of a fresh start for his team.
"It doesn't matter if you're 0-4 outside the conference, if you can get in there and win that conference, you get to go to the playoffs, so our focus now is the teams inside our conference," Rushing said.
"(The S.I.R.R. Mississippi Division) is pretty balanced, I think it's more balanced than people think it is," he added. "We know if we can eliminate our mistakes and stay-injury free, we can play with most anybody."
"This year anyone in our conference can be beat, I honestly think they can."
Kickoff between the Panthers and Wildcats iat Quillman Field is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday night.