Entering Friday’s Illinois Central Conference tilt at Manteno, Coal City coach Francis Loughran knew that his defense had been playing well – it entered the night allowing just 11.6 points per game – but not quite up to the lofty standards that Loughran and the defenses of Coaler past have created in Coal City.

“They were challenged this week with that,” Loughran said. “I didn’t think we were creating enough turnovers, and we know that Manteno’s offense is always dangerous. We said that if we get the opportunity to take the ball back and give it to our offense, we needed to do that.”

The Coalers wasted no time answering the call, as Brody Widlowski picked off Manteno quarterback Connor Harrod on the first play of the game to set the stage for the first of five first-quarter Coaler touchdowns in a runaway 55-0 win to spoil the Panthers’ homecoming.

It was the fourth straight win for the Coalers (5-1, 4-0), who have outscored their opponents 202-20 during that span. And for senior offensive/defensive lineman Cade Poyner, who recovered a fumble, Friday was the latest of a string of textbook Coal City victories.

“What it means to me is basically to just keep pushing forward,” Poyner said. “The objective always is to win. We expect to win at Coal City in every single sport.”

Aiden Scogham took the third play of the first Coaler drive 26 yards to the house on a jet sweep, and it was all Coalers from there. Junior quarterback Connor Henline was an efficient 8 of 10 passing for 152 yards and four touchdowns to three different receivers. Gavin Berger had touchdown grabs of 20 and 22 yards and finished with three catches for a game-high 58 yards.

Logan Natyshook took a short pass 52 yards for a score on his lone catch, while Scrogham’s lone catch was a 19-yard score. Natyshok also ran for a pair of touchdowns and led all players with eight carries for 103 yards, with all of that offensive production coming by the time the Coalers took a 48-0 lead into the half. Bobby Rodriguez added a 9-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Henline, who started a few games when 2025 graduate Xander Meents went down with an injury early last season, now has 17 touchdown passes this year. With the offense finding the end zone four times in the air and three more on the ground, Henline credited the team’s offensive balance for their success.

“We want to have the run game going so we can open up the pass game,” Henline said. “And if the pass game is going and our running game’s not, we’re going to open the running game with the passing game.”

Facing a shorthanded Manteno offense Friday, the Coalers held the Panthers to 51 total yards. Connor Harrod was 3 of 15 passing for 14 yards and a pick. Brady Anders had 20 yards on six totes while Nick Honkisz added nine carries for 17 yards.

“Our defense is really strong almost every single season,” Poyner said. “We came out, we did what we were supposed to and that’s the objective every game.”

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Coal City's Gavin Berger, right, carries the ball past Manteno's Jayson Gotkowski in a game on Friday, October 3, 2025. (Nicholas Holstein for Shaw Local)

The Coalers visit Peotone next week and then host Herscher before a Week 9 collision at fellow ICE powerhouse Wilmington. They’ve caught fire since a 24-20 loss at Richmond-Burton in Week 2, but with several key cogs back from last year’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals, the Coalers aren’t going to be complacent.

“We’re staying disciplined, working hard,” Henline said. “Our goal is to keep working. We want to be the best.”

The Panthers (3-3, 1-3) head to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley and Peotone the next two weeks before returning home for Week 9 against Streator.