Marla Jones, Sports Editor
CROSSVILLE, Ala.-- The Collinsville Panthers defeated the Crossville Lions 21-20 on Friday night.
The Collinsville Panthers struck first on an 11-yard run by Keaton Deboard with 4:56 remaining in the opening quarter. The kick by Tristan Gallegos was good, giving the Panthers the 7-0 lead.
With 2:14 remaining in the opening half, Caleb Causey scored on a 1-yard dash into the endzone. The kick failed, making the score 7-6. With:25 remaining, Armando Chavez scored on a 76-yard fumble return. The Lions went for two but were stopped by the Panthers. The Lions took the 12-7 advantage into intermission.
Deboard scored on a 9-yard with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter. The kick by Gallegos gave the Panthers the 14-12 lead.
The game had a long rain delay at the end of the third quarter. Crossville started the fourth quarter with the ball on Collinsville’s 40. They covered those 40 yards in 13 plays and scored on a 1-yard run by Causey with 6:01 remaining in the game. David Lesley brought in the extra two points to take the 20-14 lead. Collinsville responded by going 64 yards in 8 plays with Deboard tying the game with an 11-yard touchdown run. The kick by Gallegos put the Panthers ahead 21-20, with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
“We responded well at the end of the game” stated Collinsville Head Coach Ernie Willingham. “I thought we tackled better and blocked better this week but we gotta get better.”
For the Collinsville Panthers, Keaton Deboard rushed for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27 carries. He also passed for 71 yards and had 2 kickoff returns totaling 69 yards. Colton Wills rushed for 29 yards and had 63 yards receiving. He also had 32 yards on a kickoff and punt return. Fernando Padilla had 2 fumble recoveries,
For the Crossville Lions, Caleb Causey ran for 52 yards on 22 carries.
“We fought hard. We came up just a little short in the end” stated Crossville Head Coach Josh Taylor. “ I thought that we had improved but we have to get back to work on Monday.”
Collinsville will travel to take on the Fyffe Red Devils in region play on Friday. The Crossville Lions will also be in region play as they host Boaz.
