A dozen Panthers honored with All-District football honors

PEKIN – There was no shortage of talent on the field for the Panthers this fall. 

Pekin made sure to remind everyone of that throughout the fall as the Panthers were able to battle their way through the season. At the end of the season the Panthers were able earn 12 total players that were named to their class A district 5 All-District team.

The offensive part of the football team celebrated with five of their players being named as a part of the All-District team. 

Quarterback Will Adam was named as the All-District quarterback for his season. The senior was able to finish the year completing 74 of his 126 passes. He threw for over 1,200 yards. 

Throughout the fall he was able to throw for 11 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. 

Additionally Adam was able to run with the ball 110 times for a total of 936 yards. He scored 15 touchdowns on the ground this year and averaged 8.5 yards per carry. 

Two of the targets for Adam this year are joining him on the All-District offensive team. 

Senior wide receiver Robert Brown finish his season with 29 catches for 514 yards and four touchdowns. One of the more memorable moments for Brown this year was when he was able to haul in a 71-yard touchdown catch. 

The senior averaged 17.7 yards per catch this season. He also had six carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. 

The Panthers were able to show much more than just senior leadership through their successful fall campaign. 

Sophomore Alijah Brock was also named as an All-District wide receiver this season. In his sophomore season Brock finished the year with 13 total catches for 293 total yards. He led his team with five touchdowns scored. 

Once he had the catch Brock was hard to take down as he averaged 22.5 yards per catch. Brock also had two carries for a total of 37 yards. 

Junior running back Nolan Glick was a scary sight for most defenders this season. Once he was able to get a full head of steam running Glick was near impossible to slow down, and he proved ever harder to bring down. 

Glick was able to conclude his junior season with a total of 94 rushes. He also had 707 total yards and 17 touchdowns. The 17 touchdowns was the most on his team. His 17 touchdowns were tied for third-most in the district this year. He tied with Dakota Clark from Lisbon, who played in one more game than the Panthers did this year. 

Glick averaged 7.5 yards per carry.

Senior Caden Bender was named to the All-District team as an offensive lineman. Often going unnoticed the Pekin lineman were a crucial part of the success that the Panthers had this season. 

Senior Isaac Sylvester was also named to the All-District team as an offensive lineman.

With the leadership of Bender and Sylvester the Panthers were able to finish the season with 1,277 yards gained from throwing the ball. They scored 11 passing touchdowns, and Panther players averaged 16.6 yards per catch this season. 

The Panthers continued to rush the ball well throughout the season. Overall the Panthers were able to gain 2,401 total yards. They scored 45 total rushing touchdowns. The Panthers were able to average 7.6 yards per carry. 

The offense weren’t the only members of the Panthers team that were recognized with All-District honors. 

Four members were named to the All-District team for their role on the defensive side of the ball. 

Alton Williams was named to the All-District team as a senior. The defensive lineman was responsible for 31 total tackles. Of those 31 tackles 16 were solo. He had two sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss recorded. 

Additionally, Williams also showed off his hands when he was able to intercept a pass and return it 10 yards. 

Sophomore Henry Adam was a fearsome player to line up against, nonetheless, one to evade on the field. 

The sophomore was able to conclude the season with a team-leading 59.5 total tackles. Of those tackles 32 tackles were made all by himself. 

Adam finished the season with two sacks as well. 

If he wasn’t making a tackle it seemed he might be making a play somewhere else on defense as Henry Adam finished the season with three interceptions which he returned for 24 yards. 

Kasey Davis was also named to the All-District team. The senior made the team as a defensive back.

Overall he was able to record 20 total tackles this season. He had 13 solo tackles as well. 

Davis recovered one fumble this year and had two interceptions. One of the highlights for Davis was the interception that he returned for a touchdown. 

Three Panther players were named to the honorable mention list this season. 

Junior Riley Smith completed one pass, he also rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns. He caught three passes for 18 yards. 

Landon Crow, another junior, was also named to the honorable mention list. He ran 18 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he had 35 tackles, 16 were solo.

Cal Miller is also a junior. He was able to record eight total tackles, two of them solo throughout the year, while also being a key member of the offensive line. He also recovered a fumble.