FOOTBALL: Indians take command of SIRR Mississippi
DU QUOIN, IL - Du Quoin running back Shayne Baxter ran for 165 yards and 4 touchdowns in addition to grabbing an interception on defense as the Indians took over sole possession of first place in the SIRR Mississippi Division with a 35-20 win over Carterville on Friday night at Van Metre Field.
Both teams topped 300 total yards of offense in the game, but Du Quoin's defense created the game's only turnover and got a huge stop in the third quarter which led to a two-score advantage.
Baxter picked off Lions' quarterback Michael Aschemann on the game's opening drive after Carterville had driven inside Du Quoin territory. The drive that followed by the Indians ate up 9 minutes of game clock on 19 plays from scrimmage and included three fourth-down conversions by the Du Quoin offense. DHS led 7-0 after a 5-yard TD run by Baxter just seconds into the second quarter.
The Lions answered with a time-consuming possession of their own. After taking over on their own 24, Aschemann and fullback Phillip Frangello (15 carries, 105) led Carterville on a 14-play drive capped off by Aschemann's 7-yard TD. Du Quoin's Deeja Cole blocked the extra point, however, and the Indians still led 7-6.
Keeping with the theme of long, grind-it-out drives, Du Quoin started at their own 40 with 6:25 to go in the half and again pounded their way downfield.
Baxter went in untouched on the drive's fifteenth play with 36 seconds on the clock, a 2-yard rush on a pitch from quarterback Brenden Fred, and the Indians led 14-6 at the break.
With a chance to go up two touchdowns, Du Quoin turned the ball over on downs on their first possession out of the locker rooms. The Indians' defense, which was ran on for much of the night, then came up with three big stops to force a three-and-out punt - the only punt of the ball game.
Baxter and Cole carried the load for Du Quoin on a 51-yard scoring drive as the Indians pushed ahead 21-6 with 3:03 left in the third on Baxter's third TD.
Frangello broke a 39-yard TD run for the Lions before the end of the period, but Baxter's fourth TD, this one from 8 yards out, restored the Indians' 15-point cushion.
Aschemann aired it out on the next drive, connecting with Dalton Brown for a 67-yard touchdown pass, but Carterville still couldn't find a way to stop Du Quoin's offense.
Fred finished off the last scoring drive of the game with a 29-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to Travis Chapman, putting the game away with 2:19 remaining.
Fred completed 9-of-12 throws on the night for 142 yards in addition to 38 rushing yards on 8 attempts. Daulton Donoghue led in receiving with 3 catches for 54 yards with Chapman (1-29), Cole (1-9), Baxter (2-15) and John Erwin (2-36) also grabbing passes.
Cole (9 carries, 25 yards) and Jonah Spencer (4-18) combined with Fred and Baxter for Du Quoin's 246 rushing yards against Carterville.
Aschemann was 5-for-10 passing with 101 yards and ran for 48 yards on 14 carries.
Du Quoin (4-2, 3-0) travels to Pinckneyville (2-4, 0-3) in week seven.