Was it the five-hour bus trip that took the Panthers across southern Indiana, into Kentucky and Ohio, before coming back into Indiana?

Was it the swine flu?

Was the team sitting on the sidelines listening to a radio broadcast of junior quarterback Matt McIntosh’s older brother Paul lead the Southern Illinois Salukis to a conference championship and a post-season berth?

Was it just nerves?

Whatever it was, the Panthers started off slow, but then regained their swagger to come storming back and take the regional championship in convincing fashion.

After a 12 yard by junior Cuda Dimmet left the Panthers just short of the goal line, junior quarterback Matt McIntosh reaches over the to put the Panthers up 6 more.

The Panthers started off with the ball, but in short order gave it back to the Trojans. Then a short McIntosh punt and a questionable penalty put the Trojans of East Central deep in Panther territory. The Trojans punched it in, taking an early 7-0 lead and putting the Panthers in the unfamiliar position of playing from behind.

The Panther offense sputtered, playing between 30s, until McIntosh runs it in from the 1 centimeter after an official measurement put the ball about one blade of grass out of the endzone. McIntosh then made an easy 11-yard pass to Jeff Hudson to go up 14-7.

The East Central Trojans watched McIntosh get into gear with a 17-yard pitch and catch TD to Morgan Jones. They then cut into the Panther lead by running the ball 25 yards to make the score 21-14 with just over a minute left. That would be the Trojans’ last real attempt to make the game competitive.

The Panthers responded with a 45 second, 4 play drive that culminated with a 13-yard scoring scamper by McIntosh where he stopped, started, waited for blockers and just plain embarrassed a Trojan defense that barely put a hand on him on his way to the endzone.

With just a few seconds left on the clock, the Trojans missed a field goal attempt before halftime that probably, along with the previous scoring drive, took the wind out of their sails. Alordo Bell made sure they were deflated with a 41-yard scoring run on the Panthers’ second half opening drive.

The Trojans were never in the game again, despite two scores in the second half, including one where the wide receiver made a Panther safety miss, opening up the field in front of him. Jeff Fentress put the icing on the cake with a vicious sack deep in their own territory to forced the Trojans to punt away their last hope with about 2 minutes left.

With a final score of 52-28, the Panthers earned the Regional crown for the second time in three years, the first under head coach Tony Lewis. That means that top-ranked Cathedral (12-1) will make the long drive to face the Mighty Panthers in the Bowl for a semi-state title. The winner will punch their ticket to the state finals in Lucas Oil Stadium to face the winner of undefeated Fort Wayne Dwenger (13-0) and Lowell (12-1).

McIntosh finished the game with 155 yards on the ground in 14 carries, and three rushing TDs. He added 163 more yards through the air on 14-20 passing and two more TD tosses. Bell had 70 yards on 17 attempts, and one score.