Even though the Trojans record shows 3-8 on the season, coach Andy Corbin's team made it to the playoffs when it was ruled that Paducah- Tilghman had used an ineligible player. Tilghman had to forfeit their 55-6 win over the Trojans on September 12th, which put the Trojans in the playoffs.
With their performance not up to standard lately, Friday night's game looked more like RHS the team which went on a six-game win streak earlier in the season.
“I felt like our kids came out and played with a lot more fire and emotion,” Russellville coach John Myers said. “They understand the significance of the playoffs and are mentally ready for this playoff run.”
The Panthers won the toss but elected to defer receipt of the ball until the second half. The Trojans began their series with a 10-yard face mask penalty against the Panthers and a 3- yard run by Trevor Warren, but were unable to advance the ball any further. On the punt, the ball was blocked and picked up by Kamero Neblett to give Russellville possession of the ball on the Trojans 36-yard line. A one-yard run by Craig Matthews and a 25-yard pass to Davonta Bryant put the Panthers within range of a touchdown early in the game. Sophomore quarterback, DJ Quarles, then opted to keep the ball, running for a five-yard gain. On the next play, Quarles connected with Matthews for a touchdown pass. Zach Smith's kick was good to put the Panthers in the early lead, 7-0.
Smith's kickoff ended up in the end zone so the Trojans took possession of the ball on the Panthers 20-yard line. Webster didn't have much luck on their second series of plays as their only gain in yards was on the quarterback keeper by Collins for four yards. They again had to punt to Russellville. Once again the Panthers were able to take advantage of the situation when Quarles' pass to Elam was complete for another Panther touchdown. Smith's kick was good to bring the Panthers up 14-0 with 6:40 left in the first quarter.
The Trojans next possession saw them punt once again to the Panthers, but Elam had the ball stripped on a run and the Trojans recovered. As the first quarter was coming to an end, the Trojans were able to move the ball downfield as Jered Collins was able to connect on two passes to Warren. The Trojans were penalized five yards for illegal procedure, but Warren had three successful runs which resulted in their only touchdown of the night.
Talen Hamela's extra point kick was good and at the end of the first quarter, Russellville was in the lead, 14-6. The Panthers answered back quickly on two runs by Matthews, a run by Bryant and a quarterback keeper by Quarles for another Panther touchdown.
Smith was able to put up his third extra point of the night to further distance the Panther lead, 21-6 early in the second quarter.
The Trojans' next possession saw them punt to the Panthers again, allowing Russellville to widen their lead. Matthews started off the series with a nine-yard run, followed by a pass from Quarles to Smith, a run by Bryant, a 5-yard offsides penalty against Webster County, and a touchdown run by Elam. The extra point by Smith was good to extend the lead, 28-6 with 4:37 left in the first half of play. The Trojans were again led by Warren as he had two ball moving runs, but they were forced, yet again, to punt the ball back to the Panthers. With less than three minutes left in the first half, Quarles connected on a pass to Smith who ran it in for the fifth Panther touchdown of the night. Neblett came in to kick the extra point, which was good, and allowed the Panthers to go into the locker room at half-time with a 35-6 cushion.
Russellville started the third quarter in much the same way that they ended the second. Elam received the kickoff from the Trojans, running it back to the 34-yard line. Bryant and Elam then combined for two more runs, while Quarles connected with Elam on a pass to move the ball to the 21-yard line. Quarles then ran a quarterback keeper, followed by a Matthews 6-yard run, before Bryant took the ball in for the final Panther touchdown of the game. The rain and wind began to blow in from the west, causing the ball to slip out of Bouldin's hand on the snap for the extra point kick. Bouldin picked up the ball and attempted to run it in for a 2-point conversion, but he was stopped just short of the goal line. The Panthers were then up 41-6, which is where the score stood at the end of the game.
When discussing how his team played, Myers said, “The offensive unit really came to play tonight. The offensive line did a super job of creating some running lanes and giving DJ time to throw the football. DJ really threw the ball well and did a super job managing the offense. Our option game worked well and we spread the ball around quite a bit with Damien, Davonta, Craig and Zach all providing sparks on the offensive side of the ball.”
But it was the defense that provided a lot of momentum, keeping the Trojans from scoring more than one touchdown and forcing them to punt on all but two of their possessions. “Defensively, I felt like we did a good job against a pretty good running back (Trevor Warren). He ended up with quite a few yards, but he touched the ball 30-plus times. Other than a couple of mental lapses, the defensive unit really responded. I was extremely pleased with a couple of late defensive stands when Webster had the ball deep in our territory. Assistant coaches Day, Todd, Bouldin, Cross, and Cecil do a super job getting our kids ready to play, and giving us good looks from our scout team. These players and coaches are making this a whole lot of fun for me,” Myers said.
In other Class 3A playoff games this past Friday; Butler County beat Muhlenberg South 40-7, Edmonson County defeated McLean County 20-7, and Union County beat Adair County 20-0. Russellville will meet Edmonson County this Friday, while Butler County will face off against Union County. The Panthers defeated both Edmonson, 40-23, and Butler County, 28-21 in triple overtime, during regular season games at Rhea Stadium.
The winner of these two games will play on Nov. 28th in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
“Edmonson County will bring a lot of emotion to Rhea Stadium this Friday,” Myers said. “We got them pretty good back in September and they want to prove they can whip us. They have a very good coaching staff and will be well prepared. They have an outstanding running back, quarterback and some nice linemen. They are going to be very physical and try to run the ball down our throat. I look forward to this challenge and preparing this week for a physical football game.”
Game time Friday night is at 7 p.m. at Rhea Stadium.
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