The tenth-ranked Collinsville Panthers came out swinging, momentarily stunning the top ranked Fyffe Red Devils. But in the end it wasn’t enough. The Panthers struck first with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jarrod Barkley. Jason Perez added the PAT to put Collinsville up 7-0 early. Perez added a 35-yard field goal to extend the Panthers’ lead 10-0 late in the first quarter. Then Payton Anderson happened. On the ensuing kickoff, Anderson went 99 yards for a touchdown. Anderson followed up with two more touchdowns of 1 and 36 yards in the second quarter to erase Collinsville’s lead. They would never get it back. The Panthers did manage to close the gap just before the half with a 28-yard touchdown strike from Kaleb Jones to Barkley, but the Red Devils took a 21-17 lead to the locker room.
Anderson scored again on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Collinsville threw their final punch when Kaleb Jones went 14 yards to the end zone, cutting the lead to three midway through the third quarter. Anderson hit back quickly with a 44-yard touchdown run of his own to make it a two-possession game. Collinsville’s offense could do no more, and the Red Devils pulled away on touchdowns by Anderson, Zachary Pyron and Ike Rowell to make the final score 54-24.
Anderson finished the night with 20 carries for 193 yards and five touchdowns as well as the 99-yard kickoff return. He also caught one pass for 33 yards. Jones led the Panthers with 21 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for one touchdown. Michael Tucker led Collinsville in receiving with 93 yards on four receptions while Barkley had two catches for 54 yards. Both teams continue region play this week as Fyffe (3-0, 2-0) hosts Asbury (1-3, 02), and Collinsville (3-1, 1-1) travels to Ider (1-2, 1-1).
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