Week one of the high school football season kicks off Friday night as two area rivals, Pinckneyville and Red Bud, meet up at Quillman Field.
Red Bud has won the past two meetings including a close 20-10 victory last season.
“We turned the ball over six times last year and we can’t do that again this time around,” said Pinckneyville coach Tod Rushing. “Jake Hoffman is a great player and their offense revolves around him. If we can keep him contained, we have a shot of pulling this one out.”
“The Pinckneyville game is a very important game for us,” said Red Bud coach Dave Lucht. “We’ve had the upper hand that past two years, so we know they will be coming for us this time around. We know they have a very quick quarterback and thay are a well coached team. I see the game being pretty even. We have to limit penalties and limit their big play ability.”
Last season, Pinckneyville won the statistical battle over Red Bud, but the Musketeers came out on top on the game’s most important stat—the score.
Red Bud used a 98 yard punt return for a touchdown and an 87 yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-7 deficit for a 20-10 opening game win.
The Panther offense finished with 356 total yards with 246 yards coming from the ground and 110 coming through the air.
According to Red Bud’s statistics, the Musketeers finished the game with 193 yards of total offense with 75 yards rushing and 118 yards passing.
The Panthers turned the ball over six times with three fumbles lost and three interceptions, while Red Bud lost the ball only twice.
Editor’s note: Big plays determined the outcome last year and the same may hold true for this season. Both teams have big play ability, but the deciding factor like it was last year will be turnovers. Red Bud has a great junior class with many of them getting expereince last season as sophomores. Look for Red Bud to win a tight contest.

Editor's prediction:

Red Bud            21
Pinckneyville    14