The new Jersey scoreboard is dedicated. (Photo by Michael R. Weaver)JERSEYVILLE - For Jersey football fans the first game was exciting because of an opening win over Granite City. But next to that, a new high-tech scoreboard was revealed a few minutes before the game started.

The Panther Athletic Club did a fundraiser for the scoreboard and the fundraising behind it was tremendous, Greg Brown, who led the drive.

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“The scoreboard is something that really came together with the support of local businesses,” he said. “It was a fantastic experience for me as I have been a lifelong resident of Jerseyville and it was great to see the enthusiasm and community engagement that occurred. As a member/captain of the 1993/94 Football Panthers that went to the state semifinals, I truly felt that it was my time to give back to the community.”

Brown said football taught him many things in life including:  “dedication, drive and discipline.”

“After serving on the school board as a board member and board president, I felt that this gave me an opportunity to give back to the school district and sport that means so much to me personally,” he said. “I served on the Scoreboard Committee with Deb Wittman, Jeff and Joni Soer, Mick Hughes, and Athletic Director Scott Tonsor.  The entire scoreboard and installation was covered by the fundraising efforts of the Panther Athletic Club and the school district did not have to contribute financially in this project as we all know the financial burdens that the majority of school districts in Illinois are facing.”

PAC President Deb Wittman said she couldn’t be more proud of Brown and what the club and community members did during the scoreboard fundraiser.

“It’s amazing because the scoreboard we had was over 25 years old,” she said. “You couldn’t even replace sockets on it even more. This was something we identified as we needed and luckily PAC took on.”

On Friday night at the Jersey opener against Granite City, the Panther Athletic Club held a fish fry. The fish fry is a large fundraiser for the club and is something people wait with anticipation every year. There is even a drive-thru for the fish fry for people that don’t want to get out of their cars, or older people, Brown said.

The fundraising took a few months and Jersey Community Hospital, JCH Wellness Center and JCH Medical Group combined as the largest sponsor.

Sponsors for the scoreboard are listed below:

Article continues after sponsor message

JCH Medical Group—JCH Hospital, JCH Wellness Center and JCH Medical Group

Jerseyville Banking Center

Tri-County FS

Pointer Electric

Sinclair Foods

Panther Athletic Club

Heneghan, White, Cutting  & Rice Insurance Agency

Edward Jones—Steve Medford

Scheffel Boyle

Jersey State Bank—25 Second Clock

JCHS Homecoming Spirits—25 Second Clock

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