Pinckneyville is looking to regroup after suffering a 1-8 record last football season. The Panthers will be counting on good quarterback play and overall good team quickness as they look to get back on the winning track.
“The attitude of this team is pretty good right now,” said Pinckneyville coach Tod Rushing. “We won’t be blazing fast, but we will have good overall quickness.”
There is a quarterback battle for the starting spot with last year’s starter Nathan Morton (6’3 180 senior) competing with sophomore Bryant Shute (5’9 170).
“Both guys are very good athletes,” said Rushing. “One will be our starting quarterback, while the other one will probably be our top receiver. They can both throw the ball well and run well, but Nathan has more size, while Bryant is a little quicker. Whoever we have at quarterback, they will be able to keep us balanced and run the offense.”
Returning starter, senior Ben Harris (5’10 175) and junior Neil Kellerman (5’10 170) will get the majority of carries this season, while Tyler Rice (6’ 195 senior) will also see some time running the ball.
“Harris is our speed back, while Kellerman has a little more power to him, and Rice is just really strong,” said Rushing. “We have a good mix of speed and strength so that will make it harder for teams to try and key on one of our backs.”
The Panthers have a number of receivers that can catch the ball and keep opposing defense honest. Jake Bathon (6’1 170 senior) is a returning starter and one of the team’s best deep threats.
“Jake, Adam Barczewski (6’2 195 junior), Dylan Hagene (5’11 175 senior) and either Bryant (Shute) or Nathan (Morton) will give us four really good receivers,” said Rushing. “We won’t be super fast, but our receivers have good hands and run good routes. We have six to seven kids that can play at the receiver position on the varsity level.”
Returning starters Michael Rakers (6’3 225 senior) and Jeff Thornton (6’2 200 senior) will lead an offensive line that features good size and intelligence. Clinton Graff (6’1 268 junior) played some varsity games last year and will be counted on to play a bigger role this year, while Michael Huggins (6’ 260 junior) and Justin Farthing (6’3 200 senior) will fill up the other starting spots on the line.
The offensive line is a very intelligent group,” added Rushing. “They understand our blocking scheme, and they are a very close-knit group.”
Rakers and Thornton will also start as defensive ends, while Keegan Kellerman (6’2 265 sophomore) and Graff will start at defensive tackle. Huggins, Ivan Ni (6’2 220 senior), Farthing and Malcolm Vuichard (6’ 220 junior) will all see time on the defensive line.
“We have good depth on the defensive line, and our ends, Rackers and Thornton, are very athletic, and they are willing to do what is asked of them,” said Rushing.
While Pinckneyville has good depth on the defensive line, it is their linebacker group that Rushing feels is the deepest on the team.
“We can go seven or eight deep at the linebacker position,” said Rushing. “They are a very aggressive group that plays hard-nosed football with good speed.”
Leading the linebacker group are Barczewski, Rice, Hagene, Harris and Neil Kellerman, while Marcus Knox (6’ 210 junior) and Nick Evers (5’11 195 junior) will provide depth for the Panthers.
Bathon will be Pinckneyville’s anchor in the defensive secondary, while the other starting sports are up for competition with Morton, Shute, Taylor Beninati (6’ 165 junior), Brandon Long (5’9 150 junior), Nathan Lowe (5’9 165 senior), Andrew Benbrook (6’2 165 junior) and Thomas Medina (6’ 165 senior) all in the mix.
“We have good size overall in our secondary, and this group is very aggressive,” said Rushing. “They are very coachable and have better than average speed.”
Medina will handle the punting duties, while he is in competition with a couple of freshman kickers for the kicker position.
“Our goal is to play more consistently than last year,” said Rushing. “Hopefully we can get some early wins to build our confidence. Like any year, we want to compete for a conference title and compete for the playoffs.”
Competing for a conference title is always a challenge in the Southern Illinois River-to-River Mississippi Division, and this year will be no different.
“The conference is always tough year in and year out,” said Rushing. “Du Quoin has to be the team to beat again this year, especially after what they did last season. Nashville and Chester will be improved, and Anna-Jonesboro will still be good but maybe not as good as in years past. Sparta has a new coach, and coach Watson is a good motivator. There will be no easy games in this conference.”
The Panthers open up the season with a home game as they take on Red Bud this Friday night at Quillman Field.
