FOOTBALL: Indians knocked out by Central Catholic
A 4-hour bus ride, rainy, windy conditions, an offense that couldn't seem to sustain a drive, and mistakes on special teams all added up to a 27-0 loss for Du Quoin in round one of the IHSA Football Playoffs against Central Catholic High School in Bloomington on Saturday.
The Indians fumbled the opening kickoff out of bounds at their own 6-yard line, the first of several mishaps that prevented Du Quoin from knocking off the fourth-ranked Saints on their home field.
After a three-and-out on that first drive, Jordan Edwards' punt into the wind was marked at the Indians' 25-yard line, and Central Catholic was handed excellent field position for their first possession. Brett Segobiano ran in the game's first score with 8:40 left in the first quarter, an 11-yard touchdown to put the Saints up 7-0.
"That opening kickoff just kind of set the tone for where we were going to start our drives the rest of the game," said DHS head coach A.J. Hill. "Our punt teams, we've definitely had better days. It was a tough day with the wind and the rain, but that's no excuse. The offense and special teams put the defense in some tough situations. Outside of those four drives they had (starting on our side of the field), the defense didn't play too bad."
Du Quoin was moving the ball on their next drive with four Zayne Fornear rushes taking the ball from the Indians' 27-yard line down to the Saints' 35, but a fumble gave the ball back to Central Catholic.
The Saints' offense was in business again until Cole Hopkins picked off quarterback Jake Baughman at the DHS 15 with 4:33 left in the first quarter.
Again, the Indians were on the move. A screen pass from Caleb Vogel to Fornear on second down and nine from their own 16 yielded a 44-yard gain, but on fourth-and-five from the BCC 35, Vogel's pass was deflected for an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
Special teams woes came into play again for Du Quoin early in the second quarter. The snap got away from Edwards on a punt deep in Indian territory before a desperation kick got the ball to just the 10-yard line, and the Saints were gifted another short field to work with. Du Quoin's defense made a big stand to keep it a one-touchdown game though, forcing a field goal attempt that was wide.
The Indians stalled on their next drive near midfield and Central Catholic's Bobby Brady returned the punt to Du Quoin's 44. A 39-yard pass from Baughman to John Hayes set up Segobiano's second touchdown run from 5 yards out, and the Saints led 14-0 with under three minutes to go in the half.
The Indians drove into BCC territory again as time ticked away, but on fourth-and-one from the Saints' 32, Vogel's pass fell incomplete sending the teams into the break with Du Quoin down two touchdowns.
"We did some nice things offensively against them," Hill said. "We'd get past the 50 and have a drive-killer, or a negative play. Those are things we talked about during the week - the team that executed the best was the team that was going to win and that held true."
The Saints drove 55 yards in 9 plays with Segobiano punching it in from a yard out on the first possession out of the break to make it a three-score game, and Du Quoin couldn't get the ball past midfield after the half.
The wet conditions made throwing the ball a nightmare, as Vogel was able to complete just 6-of-17 passes in the game for 135 yards, most of which came on two completions to Fornear (2-71). Hopkins (1-16), Braden Tuthill (2-33) and Devin Jones (1-15) also had receptions for the Indians.
"The wind really picked up in the second half, and the rain really picked up late in the third quarter and through the fourth quarter," said Hill. "That's a difficult situation, it's not ideal being down. You've got to be able to hit a few passes in a game like that. When you're relying on the pass to come back its really a tough position."
Fornear wrapped up a stellar statistical season running the football with his tenth consecutive 100-yard-plus performance on the ground. He totaled 102 yards on 22 carries while no other Indian finished with a positive rushing total. He finishes his junior season with (unofficially) 1,450 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Segobiano rushed for 109 yards on 24 attempts for 9-1 Central Catholic. The Saints will take on Paxton-Buckley-Loda in round two later this week.
The Du Quoin-Elverado football co-op finished Hill's first season as a head coach with a record of 5-5, a conference championship, and their first trip to the playoffs since 2012.
"We had an up and down year but I think there were a lot of positives to take from this year," said Hill. "There are a lot of things that we can build upon and I think that's huge for the program. Winning the conference championship and getting back to the playoffs are two of those things. My first year as a head coach, I'm learning, I'm always trying to learn. I think I learned a lot this year, and there are some things that I already know I want to address this offseason."