Here We Go! - Harrisburg At Carterville - Playoffs

Lets flash back for a moment...all the way back to last Friday night.

Week 9 of the high school football season featured a matchup between the Harrisburg Bulldogs and the Carterville Lions.

On a night when the Lions were celebrating the seniors not just on the football team but all the fall sports senior players, the football team closed the night out in style with a 45-12 win.

The Lions were efficient in all aspects of the game. In my opinion, probably the best played game of the season. That's a good sign going into playoff season.

Five different players scored touchdowns for the Lions:

First quarter:

9:33 - 24 yard pass Hellreigle to Bittle

6:57 - 38 yard pass Hellreigle to Burkey

3:37 - 34 ayrd pass Hellreigle to Cordes

Second quarter:

4:39 - 61 yard pass Hellreigle to Barton

1:23 - 23 yard run for Barton

Third Quarter:

9:13 - 16 yard run for Lannom

Fourth Quarter:

3:28 - 34 yard field goal by Luttenbacher

Oh, and don't forget the Lions executed a perfectly played onside kick which the later score on in the first quarter to take command of the game.

As you can see, this Lions team has plenty of weapons offensively and Coach Brett Diel and has been spreading the love in the offensive play calling.

But do not forget about the boys in the trenches on the line on both sides of the ball. And defensively, the team can play shutdown defense.

You always hope that once you get to the playoffs, you will have the opportunity to play someone new...someone who haven't played before. But this is something that schools have absolutely zero control over.

The task at hand is to focus on who is in front of you. This week, it's the Bulldogs.

These teams come in to this game knowing what the other brings. There should be no surprises shown by either team.

This is a game where you just go out and hopefully execute at a high level.

The winner of this game will face Freeburg, who defeated Richland County 69-19 last night.

I spoke with Coach Brett Diel about the repeat matchup against the Harrisburg Bulldogs

There is nothing like a home game in the playoffs. 2015 was the last time the Lions hosted a home playoff game. That is the cross-county game between the Lions and Herrin.

I hope everyone is able to come out and support this team. They are a fun team to watch. If you can't make it out, we will have our live stream up and running or can you catch the play by play call as always on NewsRadio WJPF.

You can watch it here.

Lions Volleyball - Regional Champions

The Carterville Lions and the Pinckneyville Panthers had played four time this season. The last time they met, Panthers won the SIRR Conference on the Mississippi side, splitting the season series 2-2.

Tonight, these two team met for the IHSA Regional Championship at Carterville High School.

After splitting the first two games, it was a back and fourth third game of the match. In the end, the Lions pull away and win the final game 25-19.

Coach Nathan Emrick, in his second season with the Lions guides his team to a 32-5 record after tonights win. The thirty two wins ties a school record for victories in a season.

I had a chance to talk to Coach Emrick after the win.

The Lions will play next Monday night at the Johnston City Sectional

Congratulations to Coach and the Lions...Volleyball IHSA Regional Champions.

Harrisburg at Carterville - Week 9

Where has this season gone? Didn't we just start a "normal" football season just a couple of weeks ago?

Believe it or not, the final regular season football game of the season is Friday night as the Carterville host the Harrisburg Bulldogs at Lions Field.

The Bulldogs enter the game with a 5-3 record on the season. With five wins, Harrisburg is now playoff eligible. The Lions on the other hand are 6-2 and are looking to solidify their playoff seeding. With a win Friday night, the Lions more than likely would have a home game for the first weekend of the playoffs.

Looking at the IHSA playoff outlook going in to this weeks game, both the Lions and Bulldogs are in the Class 4A bracket. With five wins this season, the Bulldogs are playoff eligible, but with a win their ticket to the playoffs would be punched.

The Lions have already secured their spot in the playoffs, but a win would almost certainly give the Lions a home game in the first round playoff game next week.

The playoff pairing will be announced Saturday night at approximately 8:00 PM.

With this being the final home game of the season, the Lions will honor their Senior football players and cheerleaders. Coach Brett Diel has eleven seniors on this years squad.

I had a chance to talk to Coach about tonight's game.

Scott Hudson and I will have the call on NewsRadio WJPF starting at 6:40 PM. You can also watch the live stream on YouTube here: