Panthers look to rebound

PACKWOOD - There is a long tradition at Pekin that the Panthers are a force in football. That tradition was forged during 42 years under legendary coach Tom Stone and the football field is now named for him.

When he stepped down, he was fifth all-time in victories in the state of Iowa with a career record of 332-83-1, all for the Panthers. He was also able to win three state championships, including back-to-back titles in 1982 and 1983.

The Panthers have remained that force and look to rebound from last year's 2-7 record. It was the first losing season since 2010 when the Panthers were 2-6, which was the first season without Stone. Since then they have a 61-29 record with six playoff appearances in nine years, including a trip to the Class A quarterfinals in 2013 with a 9-3 record and a Class A semifinal berth with an 11-1 record in 2014.

Joe Donavan, now a co-head coach at Highland, had the task of replacing Stone and did well after that first 2-6 season with four straight playoff appearances. Tyler Hotz, now the athletic director at Mid-Prairie, coached Pekin for one year in 2015, going 7-3.

Brent (Bud) Blakely is now at the helm of The Panthers and has a 21-16 record starting his fifth year in charge of the program.

'We certainly are not comfortable with last year's record and are seeking to improve on that,” Blakely said. 'We want to control what we can control and do the best we can with what we have.”

To add to the challenge, the Panthers have moved up a class. Last year, they were in Class A District 5 but this year it is 1A-6.

Now the district opponents have changed to schools with larger enrollments, although Cardinal has also moved up and will be in the Panthers' district again along with Mediapolis, Sigourney-Keota, Louisa-Muscatine and Van Buren County. Last year was Durant, Belle Plaine, BGM, Highland and Cardinal.

Mediapolis is a familiar opponent as Pekin played the Bulldogs in a nondistrict game last season and it was close, a 27-21 loss. Mediapolis qualified for the playoffs and lost to Iowa City Regina.

Blakely has evaluated this year's opponents and does not see one game that could be more important than any other for the Panthers.

'I'm not sure you can pencil in a specific game that is key,” he said. 'When I look at our district, I believe you will have to show up every Friday night to have an opportunity to win each game. I feel there is potential for a lot of close games and good competition throughout the schedule. There are plenty of football rich programs in this district to watch.”

The Panthers also had a nondistrict game with Sigourney-Keota in 2019 that was played at Ottumwa because of storm damage to the Pekin High School grounds. That was a 34-14 loss.

This year's nondistrict games are at Central Lee Friday and at home against Belle Plaine Sept. 4. Davis County and Wayne were nondistrict games that were eliminated when the season was shortened.

'Our nondistrict games are against teams that are in different phases, but all seem to be improving,” Blakely said. 'We will see various things from our nondistrict opponents. I think that is a good thing as our district seems to be full of teams that want to run the ball and rely on good defenses.”

The district race is not as important as previous years as everyone will make the playoffs, but seeding will be based on the season's performance.

'I think our district is pretty wide open,” Blakely said. 'Mediapolis and Sigourney are probably favorites based off the previous year's success. I think it will be a fun district and could come down to who takes care of the football the best and stays the healthiest.”

Health is always a major issue when football teams are concerned, but this year sickness, specifically the coronavirus, could be added to the worry over injuries.

A successful season is dependent on many things. What would be success for the Pekin Panthers?

'Every year that has a different answer as we look at what we have returning, our schedule, how healthy we are,” Blakely said. 'The answer to that question can change as you go. If we can play to the best of our ability, I believe we are having a successful season and it could be a special one. Ultimately, we want to win every football game we play, but we really want to continue to grow our young men into contributing adults and prepare them to be positive family members, employers and community members when they leave our program.”