Pekin struggles in loss to Wapsie Valley

FAIRBANK ? The Pekin football team?s postseason came to an end about as quickly as it began Wednesday, with a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Fairbank giving way to a 47-7 loss to Wapsie Valley.

The Panthers finish the season with a 5-5 record overall, while Wapsie Valley (9-1) will take on undefeated Alburnett on Monday.

Poor field position on both sides of the football was the story of the first half for the Panthers, who gave up a big return on the very first kickoff.

Pekin head coach Joe Donovan said he thought the defense, which had to battle both short fields and a tough Wapsie Valley squad, played well in the early part of the game.

?I was really proud of our team for only giving up a field goal after the first possession,? Donovan said. ?We did play some good defense to start out, but we played too much defense.?

Senior Derek Morales led the Panthers with 12 tackles. Bailey Donovan and Jacob Manley had seven and six tackles apiece. Thomas Slaney added five tackles.

Wapsie Valley led 13-0 after one quarter of play thanks to two field goals and one touchdown.

?This was probably the best coached team we?ve seen all year, but we were still there after one quarter,? said Donovan. ?We just couldn?t put any kind of drive together on offense.?

Despite holding Wapsie Valley to 109 yards rushing and 105 yards passing the entire game, the team based in Fairbank still managed to break the game wide open and take a 30-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Pekin offense, Quentin Garrels and their usually potent rushing attack continued to struggle to move the ball into the second half. The junior back finally broke through in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard touchdown run to give Pekin its only score of the game. Garrels finished the game with 112 yards on 19 rushes.

Bryce Sines chipped in 12 yards on five rushes. Graham Wittrock completed five passes on 14 attempts, including a 14-yard pass to Austyn Vogel and seven-yard throw to Garrels.

The Panthers, who came into the game averaging 480 yards total offense in six district contests, accumulated just 138 yards Wednesday.

?I hope the kids understand that a two-win season to making the playoffs is a huge gain,? Donovan said about the team?s improvement over the last season. ?But we can still do it better and have more successful teams. There is a price to pay to become champions, and I think the seniors laid down the foundation [for future seasons].?