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Saturday, October 27th, 2007

Panthers persevered to strong year

By Gary R. Rasberry
VERSAILLES - Area football fans might admit that they rooted for Parkway this season, unless the Panthers were their school's opponent for the week.
It's hard not to root for the Panthers, a team that has struggled over the past few years, getting just one or two wins each of the last few seasons and being on the wrong end of some blowouts by powerhouses like Coldwater and Marion Local.
Look up the word "perseverance" in the dictionary - which means "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." - and a picture of a Parkway football player would likely be included.
Parkway ended the regular season with a win over Versailles, the first against the Tigers since 1964.
Parkway is still in the playoff chase and has a shot at taking a spot in the postseason for the first time since the 1999 campaign.
Even if the playoff train pulls away from the station without Parkway, this was one of those seasons that Panther fans will remember.
The ones who will remember it most are the 11 seniors on this year's team, a group who took their lumps over the past few years.
"This is what happens when you have a lot of guys who want it bad," said senior quarterback/linebacker Jordan Thompson. "That group of seniors, we know what the 1-9 and 2-8 (records) is. The seniors, you have to pay tribute to them because they're the guys who stuck with it."
In an era where sometimes it's easier to quit during the rough times because losing isn't fun, the seniors persevered, and got their chance to shine.
"It would have been so easy last year to quit, knowing we didn't have anything," said Thompson. "That's where we came together."
Head coach Ed Kuhn worked to get his team back in form in taking the job last season. The Panthers were 2-8 last year, but showed signs at times of what could happen.
The change was that Parkway made it happen this year instead of having it done to them and in the process laid a strong foundation for future Panther squads.
"Jordan and that whole group of senior guys; Men of character," said Kuhn. "I told them when I got the job that character will always lead to success. They had great character, Jordan and all those senior guys. They kept working and doing their job."
Additional online stories on this date
Montezuma and St. Marys will serve turkey, trimmings
Area volunteers are well into preparations for two Giving Thanks community dinners but there will be no such dinner in Celina this year.
Celina co- [More]
Flyers 10-0 for first time since 1971
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers capped the school's first undefeated season in 36 years Friday night by blowing away the New Bremen Cardinals by a score of 40-0. [More]
FORT RECOVERY - The St. Henry Redskins finished their season on a high note as they used a solid defensive effort to post a 34-6 Midwest Athletic Conference win over the Fort Recovery Indians in Midwest Athletic Conference action Friday night at Barrenbrugge Park. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
FORT RECOVERY - Livestock and fence rows are a common sight in these rural communities.
Covered wagons and rifle-carrying, bonnet-wearing pioneers are not.
Voters in four Mercer County townships - Marion, Hopewell, Liberty and Center, will vote on tax levies that generate funds to pay for fire protection services when they go to the polls on Nov. 6.
The Auglaize County court system is the first in the area to give free Internet access to local case information.
On Monday, the court in Wapakoneta went online for the first time and everything appears to be going well, Clerk of Courts Sue Ellen Kohler told The Daily Standard.
VERSAILLES - All week, the focus for the Parkway football team was to take care of business on its end when it came to playoffs.
A win for the Panthers didn't guarantee a spot in the playoffs, but they needed to win regardless to have a chance to get into the postseason.
There was lightning in the sky and offensive fireworks on the field Friday night at Celina Stadium as the Green and White hosted Defiance for a Western Buckeye League encounter.
While it's still too early to give the exact number of computer points all the area teams will end up with, for most of the area teams, it can now be determined if they are in the playoffs.
Rockets fall short of playoff berth
ANNA - The Anna Rockets came into this last game of the season with hope still alive of securing a spot in the playoffs.
All such hope had died weeks ago for the Minster Wildcats, and the difference showed during their matchup.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Koby Frye finished his career at St. Marys with a 121-yard night as St. Marys finished with a 70-7 thumping of Elida at Baughman Stadium.