Friday Night Lights: Improved Panthers Start With Red Bud

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[This Friday evening, the Pinckneyville Panthers varsity football team has an opportunity to erase a frustrating 2008 season from the minds of fans, coaches and players as they take on Red Bed in their 2009 opener at Quillman Field.

The Panthers held a 10-7 halftime lead on the Musketeers in 2008 before turnovers and special teams miscues handed the game to Red Bud in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Nathan Morton ran for over 140 yards rushing and the offense as a whole racked up 300-plus yards while the defense held Red Bud under 100 yards on offense.

If Morton (SR, 6'3", 180, WR/QB/DB) wants redemption, he'll need to get it catching the ball this time around, not throwing it. Sophomore Bryant Shute (SO, 5'9", 170, QB/WR/DB), who was behind center for the freshmen team in 2008, will take over the starting quarterback duties this season as Morton moves to wide receiver.

"They're about equal (at quarterback), (Shute)'s got two more years to play there, and Nathan gives us a big, big boost at wide receiver," said Panthers' head coach Tod Rushing. "(Morton) and Adam Barczewski (JR, 6'2", 195, WR/LB) are two guys that will create a lot of matchup problems. Bryant's about a step quicker to the line, I thought it made us better offensively along with the boost at wide receiver."

Those three players, along with Ben Harris, Neil Kellerman and Jake Bathon, figure to see plenty of chances on offense, an offense that Rushing feels could be very explosive.

"We feel like we've got some weapons offensively," Rushing said. "We have several kids we can go to who we feel are capable of making the big play. Our key is our offensive line up front, they're going to have to step up and get the job done. We feel like we've got the weapons, if we can get the time and the blocking to do it. "

Another thing they'll have to do is avoid the turnovers and big plays that haunted them in the second half of last year's matchup with the Musketeers.

"I've always heard it said that aggression is important," Rushing said, "and what takes away agression is lack of knowledge, knowing what you're supposed to do, knowing your assignments. We feel like what we did (in practice yesterday), the kids know all their assignments."

"I was real pleased with our offense, we went back and forth between the T and the gun, I think we're ready to play."

A good crowd should be on hand for the 7:00 p.m. game, as well as every home game, as PCHS recently announced they have sold out of tailgate spots for the 2009 season.

"We're tired of beating on each other," Rushing said. "We're ready to see somebody else in another color."

WXAN -FM (103.9) carries the game live Friday.