Panthers rush past Warriors

KEOSAUQUA - The battle at the line of scrimmage determined who won Friday's Class 1A District 6 football game between the Panthers and the Warriors. Eleven different players ran the ball for visiting Pekin in a 42-21 win over Van Buren County.

'When you have multiple backs having success, you have to look at your offensive line,” Pekin head coach Bud Blakely said. 'Van Buren did things we hadn't seen and the guys in the trenches did a great job adjusting and our backs ran hard. That's a good combination for success.”

The Panthers rolled up 441 yards rushing and Colton Comstock completed 2-of-5 passes for 38 yards.

'I thought the guys up front did a nice job giving our backs some daylight,” Blakely said. 'Defensively we shut down the things they wanted to do most of the night.”

The defense helped turn the tide when Brady Latchem's interception return for a touchdown sparked the Panthers.

'That's the kind of thing you need from your veteran players when you come out flat,” Blakely said. Michael Jones had 115 yards rushing, Kevin Rohr 96, Cael Baker 92 and Mason Juhl 60 for Pekin. Blake Juhl had five tackles for the Panthers defense.

Van Buren County's Sam Warth rumbled his way to 104 yards on 18 carries and Cayden Summers had 50 yards on six carries. Treyton Bainbridge made 11 tackles and VBC teammates Brant Tedro and Lucas McEnee combined for 17.5.

Pekin is 3-3, 2-2 and will play Cardinal at home Friday to start the postseason in what would have been a rematch but Pekin canceled the regular season game with COVID-19 concerns. VBC is 1-5, 0-4 and travels to Mediapolis (5-2, 4-1) in a rematch of a 41-6 home loss.