By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CEDAR BLUFF – The Collinsville Panthers jumped out to a two-touchdown lead just 1:08 into their season-opening football game at Cedar Bluff and cruised to a 42-0 victory.
The win was the 100th for head coach Ernie Willingham at Collinsville. He’s coached at the school in three different stints, from 1998-2002, from 2013-19, and 2021 until now.
According to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society website, Willingham’s overall record at Collinsville is 100-67. He is now in his 16th year with the Panthers. Including a 7-year stint at Appalachian, Willingham is 151-97.
“I thought we played really good. We’ve been practicing hard,” Willingham said. “We bumped up a class to 3A and we know our schedule is really, really tough. We think we’re going to be able to compete with most everybody we play. We wanted to come out tonight and basically tune up. We’ve got Fyffe coming in next week and we’re real excited about that.”
Willingham’s grandson, sophomore quarterback Mason McAteer, helped get the Panthers off to their quick start with a 10-yard touchdown run to cap a 4-play, 56-yard drive. Just eight seconds after their initial touchdown, Collinsville junior defensive back Quintavious Rogers picked off Cedar Bluff quarterback Hunter Stallings and returned it 23 yards for another score, putting the Panthers out in front 14-0.
“They’re a good team and they capitalized on the opportunity there,” Cedar Bluff coach Garrett Crane said. “The ball hits us in the chest, bounces in the air. They made a great play on it and took it to the house. They took advantage of every opportunity they had tonight.”
To make matters worse for the Tigers, they lost Stallings on their next offensive series to an apparent right leg injury following a Panther sack. Stallings had to be helped off the field and didn’t return to the game.
Backup quarterbacks Kuper Bradley and Bryson Teague finished out the game behind center for the Tigers.
Stallings injury is the latest to a Tiger starter. Running back Hunter Jenkins suffered a hip injury in last week’s loss at Valley Head.
“That was a difficult one. That’s one of our senior leaders,” Crane said of losing Stallings. “That’s the guy who leads you in tackles. That’s the guy who leads you in all-purpose yards on both sides. He’s a leader and a competitor and he’ll do anything for Cedar Bluff he can do.
“I thought Kuper stepped in and did well, and then he got banged up, then Bryson Teague comes in there. It’s just the next guy up mentality. The next guy gives us his unique self. He can’t be somebody else. None of them are expected to be Hunter Stallings. They can only be Bryson Teague and Kuper Bradley.”
McAteer accounted for Collinsville’s next touchdown on a 22-yard toss to Gavin Lang. With 7:15 remaining in the first quarter, the Panthers were out in front 21-0. McAteer added a 2-yard touchdown run early in the second to push the Panther lead to 28-0.
Lang later ran for a 12-yard score and Malachi Jelks added a 13-yard touchdown run with 2:06 remaining in the first half to put the game away.
The second half was a running clock.
Rogers led the Panthers with 76 yards on six carries, all in the first half. Kadien Tracy topped the Tigers with 46 yards on 13 carries.
As Willingham mentioned, Collinsville has a Class 3A Region 8 showdown with Fyffe this Friday. Cedar Bluff opens Class 2A Region 7 action at Gaston.
“You really want to get momentum rolling in those first two games, but at the end of the day, region play is what projects you going forward,” Crane said. “It starts this week. They’re all for real from here. We’ve got to have it.”
