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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Panthers believe their improvements in execution since Week 2 loss to Warriors will change outcome

The Camp Point Central football team has won nine straight games since a 14-13 loss at Calhoun in Week 2 of the regular season. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — This isn’t about revenge. It’s about redemption. While tipping their cap to the way Calhoun played in its 14-13 victory in Week 2 — the Camp Point Central football players universally will tell you the Warriors were physical, tenacious and opportunistic — the Panthers felt they executed at a sub-par level,…

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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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Paben puts finishing touch on Central football team’s second-round playoff victory

Camp Point Central running back Drew Paben, right, stiff-arms a Hardin Calhoun defender during Saturday's Class 1A second-round playoff game in Hardin, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

HARDIN, Ill. — Drew Paben’s first touchdown run was by design, but his second was more or less an accident. Paben scored twice in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon to propel Camp Point Central past Hardin Calhoun 32-14 in the second round of the Class 1A state playoffs. Paben’s two touchdowns allowed Central to pull…

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Photo gallery: Central earns quarterfinal date with Belleville Althoff after dispatching Calhoun

The Camp Point Central football team celebrates its 32-14 victory over Hardin Calhoun on Saturday in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs in Hardin, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

HARDIN, Ill. — The road doesn’t get any easier, but it does lead home. After beating Hardin Calhoun 32-14 on Saturday in the second-round of the Class 1A playoffs, the Camp Point Central draws Belleville Althoff in the state quarterfinals. The Crusaders (10-1) will face the Panthers (11-0) at 2 p.m. next Saturday in Camp…

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Stand and deliver: Panthers put up fourth-down roadblock to fend off Warriors in WIVC clash

Camp Point Central sophomore defensive tackle Kadin Niekamp, center, reacts to stopping Hardin Calhoun on a fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — All of the game’s scoring occurred in the first half. All of the suspense materialized during a frantic final five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Central football team escaped its home opener Friday night with a 30-22 victory over Hardin Calhoun in a Western Illinois Valley Conference crossover game. The…

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Photo gallery: Central outlasts Calhoun in second-half defensive battle

Camp Point Central football coach Brad Dixon, left, addresses his team following Friday night's 30-22 victory over Hardin Calhoun. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Camp Point Central football team made a lead last despite getting pushed to the brink by Hardin Calhoun, holding on for a 30-22 victory in a Western Illinois Valley Conference crossover game. Freelance photographer Mike Pritchard roamed the sidelines and put together this photo gallery:

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