By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
COLLINSVILLE – It’s understandable if this year’s Collinsville Panther football team feels like a piece of them is missing throughout the 2025 season.
It isn’t due to the graduation of a particular star player or a larger-than-usual senior class.
To many of the Panther football players and coaches, stat keeper John Morgan was a part of them on their sideline. He died on May 1 at the age of 77.
Junior running back/linebacker Kyler Beene calls Morgan a “pillar” of the Collinsville community. He was Beene’s pastor at Collinsville Baptist Church.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much he did for us,” Beene said. “He’ll be missed.”
Head coach Ernie Willingham said Morgan and his wife Gloria are “my friends.”
“They’ve been at Collinsville forever,” said Willingham, now entering his 17th year as head coach of the Panthers. “He was pastor at the Baptist church when I was in high school, and that’s a lot of years ago. He organized our pregame meals. We’d go to all the different churches, and he organized that. That fell on me this year. I think about him a lot.”
Willingham also shared what it meant to him to have the Morgans on the sideline through the years. He said they had a “calming” effect on his sometimes-animated personality.
“Sometimes I get really excited, and I’d start showing out a little bit, but I’d turn around and see them and they kind of kept me under control,” Willingham said. “I’m going to have to do that a little bit more myself this year.
“He was our stat guy, and he did a super job. I’d go to bed right about midnight after I watched the film a little bit, and between the time I went to bed at midnight and when I’d wake up at 6 a.m., my stats would show up. You’d get an email in the middle of the night. You’d be asleep when you’d get it, but you’d get an email with as good of stats as any SEC team has. We’re going to miss him and we’re going to miss her.”
As for this season, Willingham said the Class 3A Panthers have had a productive summer, despite numbers being a bit low for them. Only 36 players were listed on their roster by the end of July.
But what the Panthers lack in numbers is made up by the experience they return. Six starters return on offense. Seven are back on defense.
“Numbers being low doesn’t really affect how we play,” Willingham said. “I’ve had 40 10th, 11th and 12th graders before, and this year I have 18 or 19, but all 18 or 19 of them can play. We’re looking at that as a positive instead of a negative.”
One of those key players returning is junior quarterback Mason McAteer. McAteer, Willingham’s grandson, threw for over 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also ran for 412 yards and 12 scores on 69 carries last season.
Surrounding McAteer is returning junior receivers Gavin Lang and Sylas Adams, along with running backs Beene and junior Jeremiah Killian.
“The skill positions will be a strong point for us this year,” Willingham said. “All of our skill guys have been starting for two years. Some of them have started for three.”
The Panther offensive line could also be a strong point as the season rolls along. Although Willingham only returns one starter there in sophomore Bronner Jones, several others also got playing time in the rotation last season.
“We’ve got some young guys moving up. We’re hoping as the year goes on, we get better and better in that area,” Willingham said.
“Bronner Jones played for us last year. Halfway through the season he was not starting, but he started the second half of the season for us. He may have been our best lineman. Sam Stewart was the one who was starting, but Bronner took his place. Sam starts at middle linebacker and was starting at left tackle at the time. Sam actually got better and he’s returning. He’s the one returning senior we’ve got. He’s going to start at middle linebacker and move back to left tackle.
“Chase Godshall (a junior) is the hardest worker we’ve got. We all love him. He’s undersized, but he’s going to play center for us. There’s a lot of responsibility on our center because we do motions and shifts. The center has to be a pretty intelligent guy. He’s going to really have to step up for us.”
Juniors Brennan McElroy, Luis Soto, and sophomore Guillermo Ortiz are also expected to be in the line rotation.
“We’ve probably got about 10 (players) who have a good chance of getting in the rotation,” Willingham said. “The cupboard is not bare. We’ve got people.”
The starters returning on the defensive side include Lang and McAteer at safety, Beene at linebacker, Adams at corner, junior Jeremiah Killian and sophomore Noah Johnson at linebacker. Stewart will help anchor the defensive line.
“We’re pretty athletic and fast on defense, as we are on offense. That’s going to be an advantage for us,” Willingham said.
Following a jamboree at home against Appalachian on Aug. 15, Collinsville opens the 2025 season at home on Thursday, Aug. 28 against Cedar Bluff. The Panthers open Region 8 play at Fyffe on Sept. 5.
“We’re not scared to play the good teams,” Willingham said. “Everybody on our schedule is really good. We know we’ve got some challenges in front of us, but we’re looking forward to it.”
2025 Collinsville Panthers Football Schedule
Aug. 22 OPEN
Aug. 28 Cedar Bluff
Sept. 5 at Fyffe
Sept. 12 at Whitesburg Christian
Sept. 19 Asbury
Sept. 26 at Sand Rock
Oct. 3 Geraldine
Oct. 10 Sylvania
Oct. 17 at Brindlee Mountain
Oct. 24 Holly Pond
Oct. 30 Valley Head
