Panthers blank Louisa-Muscatine in regular season closer

LETTS - There was no overlooking the final week of the season.

It could have been easy for the No. 8 Panthers to overlook their regular season finale opponent, Louisa-Muscatine. 

Afterall, the Falcons entered the game 0-7 on the season. For Pekin though they used the Oct. 18 game as one final warmup before the start of playoffs next week. 

Pekin closed out the regular season with a 58-0 victory over Louisa-Muscatine. The scoring started early and often for the Panthers as they finished the first half with 44 total points. 

Most of the scoring was done in the first quarter as the Panthers scored 23 total points in the opening frame of the game. They added three more touchdowns in the second quarter to bring the score to 44-0 at halftime. That also allowed the second half of the game to go faster as the clock was continuous throughout the second half. 

With an accelerated clock the Panthers were only able to score 14 points over the final 24 minutes of the game, a touchdown in the final two quarters. 

Nolan Glick was able to carry the ball eight times for 122 yards and three touchdowns in the game on Friday night. 

The running game worked well for the Panthers as they finished with 273 yards rushing, averaging 12.4 yards per carry. 

Riley Smith added a touchdown. Robert Brown, Will Adam and Henry Adam all scored a touchdown rushing in the game. 

The defense of the Panthers allowed only 20 yards of offense to Louisa-Muscatine. 

The win brings the Panthers to 7-1 overall on the season. They will start the playoffs when they host North Linn on Oct. 25 in Pekin.