Turnovers were the demise of head coach Chad Spence's Redbirds Friday night, as Pinckneyville used a methodical second half running attack, in addition to five FCHS turnovers, to put an end to the 'Birds comeback bid and claim the win at home, 28-14.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Panthers turned a Redbird fumble into six points when Pinckneyville running back Neil Kellerman found paydirt from eight yards out. The Panthers tacked on the extra point, giving them a 7-0 lead with 10:45 remaining in the second frame.
On the ensuing drive, FCHS quarterback Addison Eggertsen converted a critical 4th and 4 near midfield at the 7:34 mark, driving forward with a second effort to give the 'Birds a fresh set of downs. Eggertsen's persistence would pay off a few plays later in the drive, as the junior signal-caller connected with sophomore running back Hadin Restivo in the back left corner of the endzone with 4:54 left before halftime. Restivo's extra point kick was no good, with the Panthers maintaining the lead, 7-6.
The Redbirds forced a Pinckneyville punt on the ensuing possession, but were unable to get on the scoreboard again after an Eggertsen pass was picked off at the Panthers' two-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
The Panthers were content to go into the intermission with the slim 7-6 lead, keeping the ball on the ground for the final three plays of the half.
Following a Redbird penalty and a completed pass to open the second half, the turnover bug bit FCHS again, as Panthers defensive back Adam Barczewski intercepted an errant Eggertsen toss deep in WF territory and returned it 15 yards for the score. Pinckneyville added the two-point conversion via the ground to push its lead to15-6 less than a minute into the third quarter.
After holding the Redbirds to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Panthers put together a 16-play, 72-yard will-breaking drive that last nearly 10 minutes, capped off by PCHS sophomore running back Caleb Howard's touchdown plunge from a yard out to put Pinckneyville out in front 21-6 with 11:03 left in the third.
However, the 'Birds bounced back on their subsequent possession, overcoming a fourth and five near midfield when Eggertsen found senior wide receiver Nathan Butler to keep the drive alive. The fourth down conversion would prove vital, as two plays later Eggertsen hooked up with a streaking senior wide receiver Ben Cunningham for a touchdown strike from 23 yards out. Junior receiver Jarod Dial made a diving snare in the endzone to tack on the two point conversion, trimming the Panther advantage to 21-14 with 7:30 remaining in the contest.
