FOOTBALL: Indians fail to slow down Hornets in 60-42 shootout
Du Quoin became the latest team to struggle to stop Nashville's big, powerful offense on Friday night as the Hornets rolled to 487 yards on the ground in their 60-42 home victory over the Indians to secure second place in the SIRR Mississippi Division.
The Indians made a game out of it after trailing by as many as 24 points, but couldn't get a stop on defense whenever they got the lead down to ten. Nashville scored eight of the ten times they touched the football and had three ball carriers top the 100-yard mark.
In hindsight, the Hornets made the game's key stops on defense in the first half.
On the fourth play of the ball game, Jaris Dalman ran it in from 49 yards out as Nashville grabbed an 8-0 lead. Du Quoin appeared to have an answer as they drove inside the red zone on their ensuing possession, but the Hornets came up with a big defensive stand to keep the Indians out of the end zone for a turnover on downs.
A 73-yard touchdown drive by Nashville followed with Dalman punching it in from six yards out for his second score with 2:32 to go in the first quarter, and the Hornets led 16-0 after the two-point conversion run by Quayd Novak.
Du Quoin got eight points back on their next drive, which was set up by a nice kick return from Brock Bullar into Nashville territory. A.J. Smith found Devin Jones in the end zone on a fourth-and-one from the Hornets' 4-yard line, then took in the two-pointer to halve the lead.
The Hornets just wouldn't stop coming, though. It took just seven plays for Nashville go to 70 yards on their next drive that ended with a 2-yard run by Novak.
Du Quoin then went three-and-out, gave the Hornets pretty good field possession at their own 41, and Nashville took advantage with another efficient drive and Dalman's third touchdown run of the night.
Down 32-8, Du Quoin again went three-and-out before they were able to recover a Nashville fumble with under a minute to go in the half. Smith connected on four passes on a 78-yard drive and Lane Valier bulldozed his way in for the score as time expired. Smith hit Jacob Hunziker on the two-point conversion to keep the Indians close at 32-16.
Valier got in on another one-yard touchdown run to start the second half scoring, but the two-pointer failed and Nashville maintained a ten-point lead. Du Quoin would not get any closer.
Novak, Dalman and Hunter Schultze each added touchdown runs as the Hornets held off the Indians' surge.
Schultze's 177 yards on 21 carries were a game-high. Not far behind were Novak (20-170) and Dalman (16-138).
"We didn't have an answer to it," said DHS head coach Al Martin of the Hornets' ground game. "The kids prepared, we just couldn't stop it."
Du Quoin matched Nashville's three fourth-quarter touchdowns with a 63-yard pass from Smith to Levi Brening, Valier's third rushing TD, and a 12-yard pass from Smith to Cole Hopkins.
Valier had 31 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Smith was 21-for-32 for 303 yards throwing the ball. His leading targets were Bullar (8-51), Brening (3-96), Hunziker (3-50), and Jarred Thomas (6-54).
The Indians (3-2, 4-4) will get one last shot at qualifying for the IHSA postseason when they head to Murphysboro (6-2) in week nine.