Winless Indians hand unbeaten Bulldogs first loss

The Harrisburg football team never got into any offensive rhythm and had some special teams miscues resulting in the first loss of the season, 28-14, at the Du Quoin Indians' Van Meter Field Friday night.

“Du Quoin rose to the occasion, but we turned the ball over a few times and gave up some big plays — gash plays — the kind of plays we were trying to get done on offense, but couldn’t get it done,” said Harrisburg coach Matt Griffith. “We could not get on a rhythm at all. Every time they had the momentum they took full advantage of it. We would get spurts of momentum and then it would fall flat out from under us.”

The Bulldogs (1-1) remain on the road next week with a Friday night 7 p.m. game against Pinckneyville. The Panthers come off the road having lost their first two games, 56-6 at Chester last Friday and 34-12 in the season opener at Red Bud. Last year Harrisburg beat the Panthers, 40-0, at home.

“We have to own this loss and come back as a team,” Griffith said. “We have to find out what we did wrong and get it corrected.”

Offensively, Pinckneyville was held to 127 total yards with six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumbles). Defensively, the Panthers gave up 372 total yards, including 265 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Chester also scored on a blocked kick return and an interception return.

The Bulldogs finished with a 195 total yards, including 103 rushing led by Brendan Hicks with 49 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and Reed Rider with 41 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Owen Rann completed 9 of 16 passes for 92 yards with one interception. Rider was the leading receiver with three catches for 40 yards.

The defense held the Indians to 229 total yards led by Colt Prather with eight tackles, Aiden Unthank with seven and Gavin Wayman with four. However, for the second game in a row the defense didn’t force a turnover.

“In the post-game huddle we told the team that was a good team and they won this game tonight,” Griffith said. “They executed exactly when they needed to at the right times and we fell short. Every time we had a chance to do something it fizzled. We had two turnovers and they had none. That is one of the oldest stats in the book on how you gage your team on a win or a loss — did you win the turnover battle? — and we didn’t. We knew going into this season we had a lot of guys without a lot of game experience and it’s showing right now.”

The game began with the defense holding the Indians first possession to just three plays and two yards forcing a punt. Harrisburg took over on its own 18, but managed just a one-yard loss on first down and two incomplete passes setting up a punt. Noah Siefert blocked the punt setting up Du Quoin at the six.

“It was just execution,” Griffith said. “We had guys not pick up the block right, so they got pushed back into the backfield and didn’t get all of the way out for the quarterback to kick.”

After a delay of game penalty and a two-yard loss on a run, the Indians were facing 2nd-and-goal from the 14. Indian quarterback Johnathan Brown got five-yards back on a run around left end and scored on an eight-yard draw up the middle. Tilden Henderson kicked the extra point to give Du Quoin a 7-0 lead 5:02 into the game.

Harrisburg came right back driving 60 yards on nine plays, including a 19-yard pass from Rann to Rider on 3rd-and-6 and ending with a 15-yard touchdown run by Hicks. The snap on the extra point kick was bobbled leaving the Bulldogs down, 7-6, with 2:09 left in the first quarter.

The defense again was stout holding the Indians to four yards on three plays and a punt setting up the offense at their own 24 with 12.2 seconds left in the quarter. However, Rann was intercepted by Luke Bauman on first down leaving the Indians at their own 45 with 5.2 seconds left.

Du Quoin marched down the field with the help of a 28-yard pass completion that set the Indians up at the Harrisburg 22. Three plays later Jeremiah Jones scored from the two and Henderson kicked the point to give Du Quoin a 14-6 lead with 9:23 left before the half.

Harrisburg was held to a three-and-out punt on its next possession while Du Quoin also was forced to punt after a seven play 17-yard drive. Harrisburg took over at its own 12 with 1:46 left and was sitting at the 40 with a third-and-five when the buzzer sounded.

The third quarter started with Harrisburg at its own 40 after a six-yard return on the kickoff. It took six minutes and 12 seconds for the Bulldogs to drive just 20 yards on nine plays. Facing 4th-and-14 Rann’s punt was partially blocked setting up the Indians at their own 41 with 5:41 remaining in the quarter.

The Indians drove to the Harrisburg 33 on five plays. Two runs that gained no yards and an incomplete pass saw the Indians go for it on a fourth down pass that was also incomplete, but the Bulldogs were called for roughing the passer, giving the Indians a fresh set of downs at the 18. On fourth and three at the 11, Brown and Jayden Davis connected for a touchdown pass. Henderson again was good for the point to up the lead to 21-6 with 10:25 left in the game.

Harrisburg took over at its 42 and immediately advanced to the Du Quoin 28 on a 30-yard Rann to Braxton Welge pass. Hicks then broke off left tackle for a long gain, but the ball was knocked loose and Jaden DeMarie recovered at the 14. Two plays later Brown and Davis hooked up again for an 82-yard touchdown pass. Henderson made it 28-6 with 8:12 remaining.

Harrisburg started at its own 41and marched down the field on 13 plays with Rider scoring from the two. Rider ran in the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 28-14, but with only 1:52 remaining. The Indians ran out the clock.