FOOTBALL: Gossett, Indians carve up Lions
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[When the Du Quoin Indians' vaunted run attack was stalled by Carterville's defense, quarterback Sam Gossett went to the air.
And that was just fine for the Indians as Gossett passed for 152 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to lead Du Quoin to a 34-12 victory over the Lions in a key SIRR Mississippi Division matchup Friday night.
The win lifts the Indians to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference, while the Lions are in danger of having their long playoff appearance streak snapped as they now sit at 2-4 and 1-2.
Gossett first connected with Daulton Donoghue for a 35-yard touchdown, then after Caleb Harsy recovered a Lions fumble, Gossett tossed a scoring strike to Dillon Beltz from 18 yards out on a fourth down to give the Indians a 15-0 lead early in the game.
"They pretty much stopped our run game dead," said Du Quoin coach Al Martin, even though his team still racked up 187 rushing yards. "Gossett and our receivers came up with some plays and our defense stepped up."
Tyler Bundren put the Lions on the board with a 46-yard score to make it 15-6, but it was all Du Quoin after that.
Haeden Sweetin scored on a 48-yard touchdown and Gossett hooked up with Brandon Williams for an 8-yard score to give the Indians a 28-6 lead at the halftime break.
"Our nemesis all year has been that we don't come out ready to play," said Carterville coach Dennis Drust. "They capitalized on our mistakes and they grind the ball. Gossett had a big night but give their defense credit."
The Indians controlled the clock in the third quarter and the connection of Gossett to Donoghue resulted in a 12-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to make it 34-6.
Carterville quarterback Jeff Aldridge was held in check by the Indians defense until he score a 22-yard touchdown late in the game. He finished with 24 total rushing yards.
Trevon Jones had 84 yards on 14 carries, while Deeja Cole had nine attempts for 70 yards for the Indians. Donoghue finished with four catches for 63 yards.
Bundren led the Lions with 88 yards on 11 attempts.
Next up, Carterville travels to Sparta and the Indians return home to face the rival Pinckneyville Panthers in a huge conference game.
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