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One week after the Dupo Quarterback Club Varsity Tigers completed their perfect regular season with a come from behind victory over the Columbia Blue Jays 28-13 and finished the season a perfect 9-0, the Pinckneyville Panthers came to town on Sunday and ruined the Tigers’ bid for a perfect season. The Southwest Illinois Football Conference Varsity championship game was played at the Dupo Quarterback Club football field as the Pinckneyville Panthers defeated the Tigers 40-21. The Tigers finished the season in second place with a record of 9-1.
The championship game against the Pinckneyville Panthers was a rematch of a closely contested game from a few weeks ago that saw the Tigers squeak out a victory 14-13 over the Panthers at Pinckneyville. In that game the Tigers could have won by a larger margin but had two touchdowns called back for penalties and fumbled once at the Panther three-yard line. And the Tiger defense kept the Panthers from capitalizing on Tiger mistakes in that game. The Tigers were not so fortunate this time against the Panthers.
The first half found both teams moving the ball well on the ground, but the defenses also stepped up keeping it close as Pinckneyville led 13-7 at halftime. The second half belonged to Pinckneyville as the Panthers running game kicked into high gear outscoring the Tigers 27-14. The Tigers were plagued by penalties, which canceled some big gains and they also turned the ball over fumbling twice inside the Panther five-yard line. DQC Tigers Coach Robbie Hearty said, “We made some defensive mistakes, we fumbled on the three-yard line twice and we threw an interception. All of that resulted in 21 unanswered points. We over pursued to the outside and we didn’t wrap up and that really cost us.” The Panthers were able to convert on third down in crucial situations, maintain possession and run down the clock. This was very important against a Dupo team that has the capability to score quickly.
Coach Hearty commented on the game and this past season saying, “Pinckneyville is a good team. But we never gave up and we played hard to the last play. Some of our kids have played together for years. We finally got to the point where they were all peaking together. That resulted in win after win this year. It just so happened that the game we gave up the most yards in and made the most mistakes in was the most important game of the season. The most impressive thing about this team is their thinking ability on the field and the teamwork they exhibit on the field. They’re all friends and they just mesh well together.”
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