Lynnville-Sully to challenge Pekin in playoffs

SULLY — Lynnville-Sully and Pekin renew a rivalry on the football field Wednesday in the opening round of Class A playoffs. The two teams were in the same district in 2012 and 2013.

“We went to Pekin when this year’s seniors were freshmen. They beat us in a close game and it was a tough one to take,” Lynnville-Sully head coach Mike Parkinson said. “Our seniors didn’t play much in that game, but they remember.”

Lynnville-Sully’s Hawks (6-3) and the Pekin Panthers (7-2) kickoff their playoff game at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Pekin. The Hawks claimed a convincing win over Belle Plaine Friday to end the regular season while the Panthers dropped a 16-12 decision to eighth-ranked Winfield-Mount Union.

“Pekin has a good running attack, and a very athletic quarterback, who can throw the ball well and run,” Parkinson said.

“We have to stop the run on defense, and offensively, we need a good balance of the run and the pass. Once we establish our running game, it opens up our passing opportunities,” Parkinson said.

The Hawks offensive attack is led by senior running back Sage Ehresman, who has 916 yards on 134 carries this season. He has scored 17 rushing touchdowns and has one receiving touchdown. Freshman Evan Squires has 229 yards on 47 carries and five touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Tyler Van Zante has stoked the Lynnville-Sully passing attack this season. Van Zante is 51-of-96 for 739 yards, and he has thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Kobe Fisk is a senior who started the season at quarterback but moved to receiver. Fisk and fellow senior Noah Engle are the top receivers for the Hawks with 13 catches apiece. Fisk has 346 yards and two touchdowns while Engle has 251 yards and three touchdown receptions.

“Key to our success in the playoffs is up front on both sides of the football,” Parkinson said. “Friday night against Belle Plaine our offensive linemen and defensive linemen stepped up and dominated in the second half. We have to continue that — be a moving wall on offense and a stone wall on defense.”

Parkinson said Pekin packs its offensive line tight on the line. The Panthers have the sixth-best rushing attack in Class A — 2,787 yards on 399 carries. Senior Chase Copeland is the top rusher with 939 yards on 138 carries while junior Tyler Copeland has piled up 782 yards on 128 carries.

Junior Trever Northup is the Panther quarterback, completing 42-of-66 passes for 926 yards. Keaton Winn has made 16 catches for 417 yards and Brady Donovan has 10 catches for 251 yards.

“Our kids are ready. We’ll work on cleaning several things up before Wednesday,” Parkinson said. “They are excited to be in the playoffs. I asked the seniors if they were ready. They told me they were going to ‘fight like crazy,’ to win and keep the season going.”

The winner of Wednesday game advances to the second round of the playoffs on Monday.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
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or jsheets@newtondailynews.com