Frosh-Soph Football: Young Tribe, Bethalto Split on Saturday

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Du Quoin and Bethalto (Civic Memorial) split a pair of underclass football games Saturday at Van Metre Field to open the 2009 season.

In the freshman contest, Brenden Fred tossed three touchdown passes as the young Tribe rolled to an impressive 34-6 victory.

Du Quoin's sophomores, however, fell 44-15 to speedy Eagles squad, which scored 36 consecutive points after the Indians raced to an early 7-0 lead.

Thursday night, the frosh host Harrisburg. A week from Tuesday, the sophomore squad will welcome the Bulldogs.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Indian frosh jumped ahead 65 seconds into the second frame on Fred's 24-yard pass to Dalton Donoghue. The PAT kick attempt failed.

The lead stretched to 14-0 barely two minutes later when Trayvon Jones rumbled 48 yards on a fumble return. Jones then blasted in for the two-point conversion.

With just 18 seconds remaining in the opening half, Du Quoin pushed ahead 22-0 when Fred and Austin Mansker hooked up for a 40-yard TD pass. Fred threw to Daulton Beltz for the PAT.

A three-yard run by Shayne Baxter and Fred's five-yard TD pass to Dalton Pinski capped the scoring.

Sam Gossett went 10 yards on the quarterback option to start things with a flurry for the Indian sophomores. Cayle Diggins booted the extra point and Du Quoin led 7-0 with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

The Indians couldn't score again until midway thru the third, after BCM's lead had ballooned to 36-7. Gossett connected with Keegan Robbins for a 39-yard TD pass. Gossett then ran in for the two-point conversion.