FOOTBALL: Indians keep rolling, blow out A-J 42-14
Long forgotten are the days when Du Quoin's offense had just 22 points through four games as the team struggled to a 1-3 start.
With another offensive explosion in week seven, the Indians thrashed visiting Anna-Jonesboro 42-14 in what may turn out to be Al Martin's final game at Van Metre Field as head coach for DHS. It was their third win in a row, and with it the Indians need just one victory in their final two games to qualify for the IHSA Playoffs.
Lane Valier had his second straight 100-plus yard rushing game and quarterback A.J. Smith hit six different receivers while racking up 197 yards through the air for the suddenly-high-powered Indian offense.
"The timing and everything with the receivers is improving," said Martin, "the line is doing a good job, and A.J. is doing a good job getting the ball off and knowing what he's supposed to do. It's been a good all-around effort from everybody on just improving our total game."
The Indians and Wildcats fought fairly evenly in the opening 36 minutes of the game. After A-J struck first on a first-quarter rushing touchdown by quarterback Zane Dewitt, the Indians responded with a 63-yard drive that featured the balanced offensive attack that Du Quoin has rounded into form over the past three weeks.
Big pass plays from A.J. Smith to Brock Bullar and Jarred Thomas set up a one yard touchdown pass to Bryce Clarry. The extra point was no good, leaving A-J with a one-point lead at 7-6.
Du Quoin's defense tightened up in the second quarter, holding the Wildcats to just seven plays on two possessions. With 1:39 to go before the half, Lane Valier finished off a 40-yard scoring drive for the Indians with a one-yard TD carry. During the drive, Smith found Bullar for a pass down to the 1-yard line to convert on a fourth-and-eight.
The second half started with another big drive by the Du Quoin offense. After starting at their own 27, the Indians ran the third quarter clock all the way down to 5:45 before Zayne Fornear broke a 26-yard touchdown run through a huge hole made by the offensive line.
A-J answered with a similar possession, starting at their own 37 and running off all but 23 seconds of the period. Dewitt capped off the 13-play drive with a 2-yard dive for six and the Wildcats trailed just 20-14.
But from that point on, it was all Indians. A 68-yard scoring drive followed for DHS with a pass from Smith to Bullar setting up a first-and-goal at the A-J 8, and two plays later Valier was in the end zone. Smith hit Devin Jones on the two-point conversion.
"We just made a couple minor adjustments (at halftime)," said Martin. "I think we just eliminated our mistakes in the second half."
With 6:32 to go in the fourth quarter and trailing by two scores, Anna-Jonesboro went for a fourth down from their own 20-yard line, but turned it over on downs with an incompletion. The Indians took advantage, scoring on a 4-yard Valier run.
Fornear later added a long touchdown run to put the game out of reach.
For the game, Valier (24 carries, 138 yards) and Fornear (7-96) combined for 234 rushing yards after going for 172 last week against Sparta.
"They both are running well," Martin said. "Lane has had a good year, he's done real well and Fornear is really improving each game."
Smith was 14-for-18 passing, connecting with Bullar (6-99), Thomas (3-65), Valier (2-29), Clarry (1-1), Levi Brening (1-10) and Jacob Hunziker (1-5).
The Indians (4-3, 3-1) will try to nail down a playoff spot this Friday at Nashville (6-1, 3-1) in a battle for second place in the SIRR Mississippi Division.