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Indians hammer Nokomis
Dillon Pearce scored three touchdowns and the Pawnee defense pitched its second shutout of the season Friday as the
Indians demolished Nokomis here, 45-0.
The win set up a big matchup for the top spot in the Prairie State Conference this Friday when the Indians go on the road to face
Staunton, a 7 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are unbeaten at 4-0 and 3-0 in the PSC.
The Indians dominated all aspects of Friday's game, earning the running clock by the 40 point mercy rule early in the 3rd
quarter. The PHS defense was impressive, holding the Redskins to only one first down and 27 total yards on 31 plays.
Pawnee had 340 total yards, getting 297 on the ground, while averaging over seven yards per play. PHS had 14 first downs, did
not commit a turnover, and held the ball for over 27 minutes. The Indians, who were penalized five times for 43 yards, converted
three of five 4th down attempts.
Pearce led the ground game with 153 yards on 11 carries. Stanley Desart had 62 yards on six attempts and Cody Reynolds,
had 39 yards on seven tries. Drew Thompson completed two of four passes for 43 yards, with both completions going for
touchdowns.
Pearce got the Indians on the scoreboard with 4:52 left in the first quarter with a 15 yard td run. Later in the first frame, Pearce
rambled around end for a 45 yard touchdown and Reynolds ran for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.
Pawnee scored three times in the 2nd quarter to lead 38-0 at halftime. Thompson passed to J.D. Vandenberg for a 30 yard
score on the first play of the 2nd quarter and Pearce tacked on the two-pointer. Desart caught a 13 yard scoring pass from
Thompson midway through the quarter and Reynolds added the two-pointer. Reynolds got the final tally of the half from 25 yards
out and Pearce's two-point conversion run lifted the count to 38-0.
Pearce, who had 90 yards on three punt returns, returned a punt 61 yards for the Indians' last touchdown early in the 3rd
quarter. Shaquil Hayes kicked the PAT to provide the 45-0 final.
Desart led the defense with two solo tackles, three assists and a pass interception. Nick Stevens had two solos and two
assists; Reynolds had two solos, one tackle for loss and one assist; Wesley Ferrill had one solo tackle for loss and three
assists; J.D. Vandenberg had one solo tackle for loss and three assists; David Reinwald had five assists; Hayes, Dylan Grant
and Billy Howell had three assists each, and Tre Angeli, Jonathan Schrage and Dalton Doerfler all had two assists.
The shutout win was the first for Pawnee against Nokomis since 1993, when the Indians won 2-0. That game was scoreless
until 1:08 remained in the 4th quarter, when a bad snap sailed over the head of the Nokomis punter into the end zone for a safety.
According to the Post's records, Pawnee has never faced Staunton in football since the program was restarted in 1951. The
Bulldogs were the consensus choice of the PSC coaches to win the title of the revamped conference, and Pawnee Coach Kitt
Thein cited Staunton's enrollment as the key factor. Staunton is the largest school in the new PSC with an enrollment of 417,
almost exactly double of Pawnee's 208.
The two teams have only one common opponent thus far, Mt. Olive, which Pawnee shut out in week two, 18-0. Staunton beat
the Wildcats 20-12 last week.
Dillon Pearce scored three touchdowns and the Pawnee defense pitched its second shutout of the season Friday as the
Indians demolished Nokomis here, 45-0.
The win set up a big matchup for the top spot in the Prairie State Conference this Friday when the Indians go on the road to face
Staunton, a 7 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are unbeaten at 4-0 and 3-0 in the PSC.
The Indians dominated all aspects of Friday's game, earning the running clock by the 40 point mercy rule early in the 3rd
quarter. The PHS defense was impressive, holding the Redskins to only one first down and 27 total yards on 31 plays.
Pawnee had 340 total yards, getting 297 on the ground, while averaging over seven yards per play. PHS had 14 first downs, did
not commit a turnover, and held the ball for over 27 minutes. The Indians, who were penalized five times for 43 yards, converted
three of five 4th down attempts.
Pearce led the ground game with 153 yards on 11 carries. Stanley Desart had 62 yards on six attempts and Cody Reynolds,
had 39 yards on seven tries. Drew Thompson completed two of four passes for 43 yards, with both completions going for
touchdowns.
Pearce got the Indians on the scoreboard with 4:52 left in the first quarter with a 15 yard td run. Later in the first frame, Pearce
rambled around end for a 45 yard touchdown and Reynolds ran for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.
Pawnee scored three times in the 2nd quarter to lead 38-0 at halftime. Thompson passed to J.D. Vandenberg for a 30 yard
score on the first play of the 2nd quarter and Pearce tacked on the two-pointer. Desart caught a 13 yard scoring pass from
Thompson midway through the quarter and Reynolds added the two-pointer. Reynolds got the final tally of the half from 25 yards
out and Pearce's two-point conversion run lifted the count to 38-0.
Pearce, who had 90 yards on three punt returns, returned a punt 61 yards for the Indians' last touchdown early in the 3rd
quarter. Shaquil Hayes kicked the PAT to provide the 45-0 final.
Desart led the defense with two solo tackles, three assists and a pass interception. Nick Stevens had two solos and two
assists; Reynolds had two solos, one tackle for loss and one assist; Wesley Ferrill had one solo tackle for loss and three
assists; J.D. Vandenberg had one solo tackle for loss and three assists; David Reinwald had five assists; Hayes, Dylan Grant
and Billy Howell had three assists each, and Tre Angeli, Jonathan Schrage and Dalton Doerfler all had two assists.
The shutout win was the first for Pawnee against Nokomis since 1993, when the Indians won 2-0. That game was scoreless
until 1:08 remained in the 4th quarter, when a bad snap sailed over the head of the Nokomis punter into the end zone for a safety.
According to the Post's records, Pawnee has never faced Staunton in football since the program was restarted in 1951. The
Bulldogs were the consensus choice of the PSC coaches to win the title of the revamped conference, and Pawnee Coach Kitt
Thein cited Staunton's enrollment as the key factor. Staunton is the largest school in the new PSC with an enrollment of 417,
almost exactly double of Pawnee's 208.
The two teams have only one common opponent thus far, Mt. Olive, which Pawnee shut out in week two, 18-0. Staunton beat
the Wildcats 20-12 last week.
Issue Date: Sept. 24, 2009
