Frustrating Finish to a Frustrating PCHS Season
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Pinckneyville had an opportunity to win in the closing moments of last
night¹s season finale, but couldn¹t take advantage of a late Breese Central
turnover, or good field position, and fell 21-14 to the Cougars on a muddy
evening at Quillman Field at PCHS.
³As far as assignments, physicality, I think that was (our kids¹) best game
of the year,² said Panthers¹ head coach Tod Rushing after his team finished
the season with a 1-8 record. Breese ended its year at 4-5.
The two teams fought to a stalemate in the first quarter, but the Cougars
would begin the second quarter with the ball at the Panthers¹ six yard line.
On fourth-and-goal from the two, Central quarterback Brennan Richter
appeared to run into his teammate before spinning to his left for the
touchdown.
The Panthers blocked the extra point kick to keep it a 6-0 game with 10:49
remaining in the half.
Pinckneyville took over on their own 40 after the kickoff, and answered with
a drive that took only <span id="lw_1224993152_5" class="yshortcuts">five plays</span>, ending with a 15-yard touchdown pass from
Nathan Morton to Taylor Tabing.
Morton dove through a gaping hole in the line for the two-point conversion,
and the Panthers led 8-6 with 8:23 to go in the second quarter.
The Cougars responded back, however, going 58 yards on 8 plays, with Richter
scrambling in from 14 yards out for the score.
Central elected to attempt the extra point with the score 12-8, even though
a two-point conversion could have pushed the lead to a touchdown at six, and
the kick sailed wide with 5:38 on the clock.
The Panthers started at their own 37 after Central kicked off, and were
faced with a fourth-and-three with 3:02 remaining in the half.
After the Cougars had called a timeout, Morton used the hard count and drew
the defense offsides, awarding the Panthers one of nine first downs they
achieved in the game.
On another fourth down play, a facemask flag on the Cougars moved the ball
to the Breese Central 14-yard line with under a minute to play in the half.
Morton was incomplete on first down, and on second down tossed one to the
corner of the end zone that fell off the fingertips of Dustin Winter,
bringing up third down.
The drive would end there, though, as Tyler Voss picked off Morton to end
the Pinckneyville threat.
On the opening drive of the second half, a personal foul flag on the
Panthers turned a fourth-and-26 into a fourth-and-11, which the Cougars
converted with a 28-yard pass from Richter to Scott Brown down at the
Panthers¹ 4-yard line.
³We got some penalties that hurt us,² said Rushing. ³We seemed to shoot
ourselves in the foot there whenever we got a chance.²
Matt Elliot, who led all players with 108 yards rushing, would score from
one yard out a couple plays later, and the Cougars took an 18-8 lead.
Matt Strubhart would add a 24-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it
21-8, but the Panthers refused to go away.
After one of many good kick returns on the night by Jake Bathon, the
Panthers set up shop at Central¹s 48-yard line with just over ten minutes to
play.
Morton continued to have success through the air, connecting with Winter for
a first down and then later in the drive finding Bathon for a 23-yard
touchdown.
The two-point attempt failed, and the Panthers trailed 21-14 with 6:30 left
in the contest.
The Cougars fumbled on their second play from scrimmage, and the Panthers
recovered near midfield, but the offense couldn¹t get going and turned it
over on downs.
Breese Central would go three-and-out against a solid Pinckneyville defense,
and the kick left the Panthers at their own 33-yard line with 2:40 left on
the clock.
Morton again found Winter, this time with a 24-yard throw-and-catch down to
the Central 23-yard line as the clock continued to tick away.
The Panthers would use their final timeout with a fourth-and-three situation
at the Central 15-yard line, but Morton¹s pass fell incomplete, and the
Cougars downed out the clock to end both teams¹ 2008 season.
Morton led the Panthers with 43 yards on the ground, and threw for 137 yards
through the air with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Winter had 41
yards on his 3 receptions.