Too steep a Hill to climb: Althoff running back ends Central’s season with monster effort in state semifinals

Camp Point Central football coach Brad Dixon, right, hugs senior center Jaden Summy following the Panthers' 58-19 loss to Belleville Althoff in Saturday's Class 1A state semifinals in Belleville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The Camp Point Central football team got in the path of a freight train, and it was wearing blue and gold. Belleville Althoff cranked out 533 rushing yards — 319 of which came courtesy of University of Oregon commit Dierre Hill Jr. — and steamrolled its way to a 58-19 victory in…

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Stout effort gives Central upperhand against Calhoun, leads to return to state semifinals

Camp Point Central's Nate Peters reaches the end zone on a 4-yard run for the first touchdown in the Panthers' 16-7 victory over Hardin Calhoun in Saturday's Class 1A state quarterfinal ion Hardin, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

HARDIN, Ill. — Nathan Post held on to the ball as if his life depended on it. “I was not letting that thing go,” Post said. The Camp Point Central senior defensive lineman’s fumble recovery with 2:45 left helped seal the Panthers’ 16-7 win over Hardin Calhoun in Saturday’s Class 1A quarterfinals. As the Warriors…

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Peters’ five-TD performance emulates high-stakes manner of Panthers’ late-season approach

Cam Point Central's Nate Peters, right, cuts a swath through the Carrollton defense during Friday night's game in Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Nate Peters assures he is healthy again, and his Friday night performance confirmed it. The senior running back scored five touchdowns — three by rushing, two via reception — to headline the state-ranked Camp Point Central football team’s sixth straight victory, a 41-28 win over Carrollton before a Senior Night crowd…

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Friday’s trip to Calhoun will give Central football team chance to see how it handles rematch

The Camp Point Central football team, which beat Hardin Calhoun twice during the 2023 season, will head to Calhoun on Friday night for a matchup of WIVC heavyweights. | Shane Hulsey photo

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Hello, old friend. For the third time in a little more than a calendar year, the Camp Point Central and Hardin Calhoun football teams will clash when the Panthers make the 90-minute trek south to Hardin on Friday. “They played us as tough as anybody last year no matter who we…

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Defending state champion Panthers pick up where they left off with another dominant performance

The Camp Point Central defense, spurheaded by defensive lineman Wyatt Vandevelde (66), bottled up North Greene's offense during Friday night's season opener in Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — So far, so good. Camp Point Central opened defense of its Class 1A state football championship with a resounding exclamation point Friday night. The Panthers completely overwhelmed an overmatched North Greene team 69-0, winning their 23rd consecutive regular-season game.  In a contest where a running clock was in place the entire…

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Countdown to kickoff: Backed by culture of success, Panthers seek to defend Class 1A state championship

The ability to run the ball and consistently replace talented running backs is why Zack Wear and the Camp Point Central football team are expected to challenge for a Class 1A state championship once again. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

Coverage of the Camp Point Central football program is brought to you by: CAMP POINT, Ill. — There is a culture that envelops the Camp Point Central football program, a powerful intangible that was not built overnight. “We never point fingers,” said Kadin Niekamp, a junior lineman mature beyond his teenage years. “Mistakes will happen,…

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Bulldogged effort in Class 1A state title tilt by Central, but momentum, mojo never shift in its direction

Camp Point Central senior lineman Cole Pracht carries the Class 1A second-place trophy in the direction of the Central crowd following a 30-8 loss to Lena-Winslow on Friday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. | Photo courtesy Clark Brooks, PhotoNews Media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Every comeback starts at a tipping point, the moment where momentum and mojo shift dramatically. Everything lined up for a Lena-Winslow punt to be just that. Having forced the defending Class 1A state champion to punt from its own 23-yard line with 7 minutes, 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter Friday…

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Taste of Champaign: Panthers leave no doubt they belong in state title game after dismantling Mustangs

Central all-stater Isaac Genenbacher, center, and his teammates celebrate their 44-8 victory over Colfax Ridgeview-Lexington on Saturday in the Class 1A state semifinals in Colfax, Ill. | Photo courtesy Andrew Eyler

COLFAX, Ill. — Ross Riley’s explanation for the Camp Point Central football team’s Class 1A semifinal win over Ridgeview-Lexington was a simple one. That was fitting because the Panthers’ 44-8 victory was simple domination. “We were just going, and I was just running. I don’t know what else to say,” exclaimed a jubilant Riley. “It’s…

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Schuck on a Truck: Central football coach Brad Dixon discusses program success heading into state semifinals

Central football coach Brad Dixon, left, and Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman discuss playoff football for this episode of "Schuck on a Truck." | Muddy River Sports photo

CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central football players have traded cut-off t-shirts and shorts for stocking caps and sweatshirts. When that takes place, something more significant has, too. In this case, the Panthers have reached the Class 1A state semifinals for the fourth time in program history. Central (12-0) travels for the first time this…

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Panthers punctuate perfect regular season by hammering Warriors as playoff prelude

The Central football team's defense swallows up a play by Hardin Calhoun during Friday night's game in Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — At Central High School, the postseason has become an annual rite of passage once the calendar reaches deep into October. And it’s time — for the 14th straight year — for the Panthers to turn their attention to another playoff pursuit. Central, No. 4 in the latest Class 1A rankings, punctuated…

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Central’s Dixon reaches coaching milestone as sixth-ranked Panthers overwhelm Wolves

Central running back Gavin Graves, left, follows the lead block of lineman Robert Gooding during Friday night's game against Pleasant Hill at Camp Point, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Central football coach Brad Dixon preferred to deflect the post-game attention toward his team. But, hey, a coach only wins his 100th game one time, and Friday night it was Dixon’s turn. Central’s 46-0 victory over Pleasant Hill provided Dixon with that milestone, one that makes him just the 10th coach…

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Air attack helps Panthers soar to first-round victory, get rematch with Raiders

Central senior Garret Williams hauls in a pass that he turns into a 73-yard touchdown for the first score in Saturday's Class 1A playoff victory over Villa Grove. Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Nick Moore and Garret Williams both carried the same why-fix-it-if-it-ain’t-broken look on their faces. Moore, the talented sophomore quarterback for the Central Panthers, had teamed up with Williams, a senior wingback, for three first-half touchdown passes during Saturday’s 48-14 dismantling of Villa Grove in a Class 1A first-round playoff game. “(Williams)…

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Camp Point Central shuts out Pleasant Hill

CPC Coach Brad Dixon talks to his team after Friday night's 34-0 win over Pleasant Hill Photo: J. Robert Gough

After rallying for the win in their season opener, the Camp Point Central Panthers didn’t need to come up with any last-minute heroics this week.  Connor Griffin and Issac Genenbacher each ran for two scores and Garrett Williams ran for 118 yards as the Panthers improve to 2-0 with a 34-0 win at Pleasant Hill. …

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