FOOTBALL: Indians head to Harrisburg 1-0 for the first time since 2011
Du Quoin began their varsity football season with a victory over Sesser-Valier-Woodlawn-Waltonville this past Friday night on their home turf at Van Metre Field, the first time the Indians have been able to kick off the schedule with a win since 2011.
Each of the last three seasons, DHS dropped their opening game to Class 5A school Highland, the last two by a combined score of 100-0. As Highland's program continued to grow and improve, it was obvious that Du Quoin - with roughly half the enrollment of the Bulldogs - needed to make a change to their early-season schedule.
That change was S-V-W-W coming to Du Quoin in week one, and it provided first-year head coach A.J. Hill the opportunity to get his regime started on a positive note with a 46-0 shutout at home against the Black Diamond's Red Devils.
"It was a good night for us," Hill said. "I told them after the game, if (S-V-W-W) had a little more depth on the offensive line they would be a really good football team. They come out and do a lot of nice things offensively with the no huddle."
"We were fortunate enough to get a couple stops early and pound it at them and be able to wear them out pretty early. We had a good night on both sides of the ball. We minimized mistakes, which is great to see for our first game. We were able to see what type of discipline our team had, but it's got to carry over. There's still a lot of room of improvement for this team."
The Du Quoin defense was solid all night, including a huge goal line stop before halftime that led to a late second quarter score for the Indians. The offense was strong, too, getting it done on the ground - ten different backs carried the load with Zayne Fornear's 98 yards on 9 carries topping the list - as well as through the air, where quarterback Caleb Vogel was 10-for-11 in his first varsity start. Hill says that performance should go a long way towards developing the junior signal caller's confidence.
"I think it just makes him feel a little more comfortable," said Hill. "Every week I try to get with him and ask him what he's most comfortable with, what he likes to have called early, just to have that in mind when I'm making my call sheets. I think for him it's a huge confidence booster. He's just a kid that probably needed that. He knows he has the ability, sometimes he gets a little down on himself, so it's huge for him confidence-wise."
His targets included six different receivers, and back-up QB Hank Stewart connected with a seventh in relief during the second half.
"I don't think Vogel locks in on anybody," continued Hill. "I think he's pretty confident in all of our receivers. That goes back to this summer, just getting some timing down and working with them."
With all the big numbers on offense, and the big zero put up by the defense, Hill said what impressed him the most was the way his team limited their mistakes in their season opener.
"Usually the first game you've got some false starts, or a guy lined up covering up a tight end or covering up a receiver, guys running the wrong play," said Hill. "We didn't have many busted plays and we didn't have many false starts, just one on an extra point. No turnovers as well, we didn't put the ball on the ground one time and I thought that was big. I think it shows how well these coaches have got these kids prepared."
The Indians will need to be well-prepared again this Friday night when their schedule toughens up dramatically with a trip to Harrisburg. The Bulldogs fell 44-31 in their season opener last Friday, but it was to state-ranked Mt. Carmel, a state semifinalist in Class 3A last year.
Hill's concerns begin with the athletic speedster Corbin Crim-Harbison, who had 95 yards rushing on just a handful of carries, including a 65-yard touchdown on an end-around.
"He's one of those players that you've got to know where he's at on the field at all times," Hill said. "If he gets the ball in a little bit of space, not many teams around here have somebody that's going to chase him down from behind. They do a good job of moving him around a little bit, he's a dangerous player."
Crim-Harbison is far from the only weapon Harrisburg will bring to the battle, though. Tylar Marler (14 carries, 143 yards) and Kane Carrigan (12 carries, 70 yards) also helped contribute to the Bulldogs' 391 yards on the ground against Mt. Carmel.
"They've got some good athletes in the backfield, a couple running backs, a big fullback who is also a good track athlete," said Hill. "They've got a lot of guys who can run around, and some big guys up front. I think our biggest thing will be tackling at the first contact, not letting them get second opportunities because they're a team that if you let them get out in the open they can break away from you pretty quick."
In addition to the defense wrapping up on their tackles, Hill wants his offense to once again get the ground game going in the Indians' first road game of 2015.
"I definitely think establishing the run game, giving them different looks, making them prepare for things will be huge for us," Hill said. "We're able to have enough depth that we can keep some guys fresh on the offensive and defensive lines, and I think that can play to our advantage down the line."
"(Harrisburg is) going to be a good football team. Al Way, you can't take anything away from what he's done, he's a great coach. He's been tested, there's nothing he hasn't seen or prepared for, so they're going to be coached-up and disciplined, and they're going to be physical. I've never played a Harrisburg football team that wasn't physical. We know we can expect those things going in."