State-Journal.com - Danville defense stifles Panthers

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Frankfort High's Aaron Jackson tackles Danville's Tyler Sebastian in Friday's game. Danville won 22-9.

Frankfort High has had its way with Danville in the two meetings prior to this season.

In this year’s regular season grudge match, however, few things went the Panthers’ way.

An up-and-coming Admiral squad appeared poised for another deep playoff run at Sower Field, defeating Frankfort High 20-9 behind a competent rushing attack and strong goal-line defense.

Three times the Panthers worked the ball inside the Admiral 10-yard line to earn a first down. Three times the Danville defense forced a turnover on downs as FHS failed to score an offensive touchdown on the night.

“We knew they were going to be a tough team,” FHS coach Craig Foley said.

“Everybody thought with Danville’s 3-6 record that they weren’t Danville, but if you look at the schedule they played, I think four of the teams they played were in the top two of their (respective) class.”

The loss of quarterback Dylan Quinn didn’t help matters for Frankfort High.

Quinn got knocked out of the game after a hit he sustained on a passing play early in the second quarter. He spent the rest of the game on the sidelines and likely has a concussion that will keep him out of the Panther’s first-round playoff game against Bishop Brossart Friday.

“It will be an act of God if he gets to play,” Foley said.

Marcus Washington took over in Quinn’s place, and Georan Cardwell played the final two quarters under center after Washington re-aggravated a shoulder injury.

“When the starting quarterback is out and the backup quarterback is out, it becomes almost Fat Albert or playground football,” Foley said.

“We don’t anticipate things like that happening.”

But before the injuries came, Frankfort High squandered a pair of golden opportunities to take command early.

The Panthers recovered a fumble on Danville’s opening play from scrimmage and quickly earned a first down inside the Admiral 5. Danville held FHS to four yards on three runs up the gut, and Quinn fumbled the snap on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs.

On its next series, Frankfort High took over at the Danville 36. An 11-yard draw play to Washington put the ball on the 9-yard line five plays into the drive, but FHS was forced to settle for a field goal after a run for no gain and two incomplete passes by Quinn.

Kent Rawlings’ 26-yard field goal gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Danville asserted its run game on the ensuing possession, alternating rushes between running backs Patrick Brand and Will Dunn. Brand capped off the nine play, 65-yard drive with a 3-yard plunge into the end zone, giving the Admirals the lead 7-3 with the extra point.

Quinn was injured on the Panthers next drive, and Danville pounced on its reeling opponent with a 65-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Devonta Alcorn to Brand, who beat a pair of Panthers in coverage.

“The back just released down the sideline,” defensive back Aaron Hall said. “I was standing straight up and when I went to turn I just lost my footing.”

Down 14-3 at halftime, Frankfort High leaned heavily on the run with Cardwell at quarterback. Six rushes between Zach Mason and Joseph Morgan covered 39 yards on the first series of the second half, but Mason fumbled on the seventh play and Danville’s Johnathan Tanner recovered the loose ball.

A bad snap on a Danville punt gave FHS another opportunity to pull within a score, getting the ball at the Admiral 5. Like their earlier goal-line possessions, however, the Panthers couldn’t get the final yard and turned the ball over on downs.

The lone fireworks for Frankfort High came off special teams at the start of the fourth quarter when Mason received a punt at the FHS 18, turned the corner, cut back across the middle and stiff-armed the last man to beat en route to an 82-yard touchdown.

The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 14-9.

The Panther defense gave FHS a chance to take the lead with eight minutes remaining, forcing a punt from midfield and allowing the offense to take over at its own 39.

Any hope for a comeback was quickly squashed, however, as Washington fumbled on a misdirection handoff on the third play of the drive and Dunn returned the ball 56 yards for a touchdown.

The extra point attempt failed, but Danville still led 20-9.

With the game slipping away, Frankfort High tried to catch the Admirals off guard with a deep pass on fourth-and-inches on the next series. The coverage was there, however, and Danville was able to run down the clock to under a minute after taking over on downs.

“You can’t fault their effort,” Foley said of his team. “They fought hard, played hard, were undersized, undermanned, pretty much under-everything.

“We’re OK. This gets us ready to roll into the playoffs, and all will be well next week.”

Foley said the attitude of the coaching staff and the team will ratchet up in intensity this week as the Panthers prepare for postseason play.

“From here on out, it’s win or die,” he said.