Du Quoin Fresh Pass Second Test

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Despite nearly 100 yards in penalties- and a pair of key turnovers-Du Quoin High School's Freshman Football team survived a stiff challenge from Harrisburg Thursday night.

The 14-12 win in Saline County gave the young Indians a 2-0 record entering next week's home debut against Herrin.

Harrisburg was playing its first game and jumped ahead 6-0 midway through the first quarter.

On its ensuing drive, Du Quoin knotted the score. Dillan Beltz' 45-yard touchdown pass on the halfback option to Jonathon Boss came with just 25 seconds left in the quarter. The PAT run failed and the score was 6-6.

Du Quoin carried a 14-6 edge into the halftime break following Quivon Bledsoe's five-yard scamper around left end with 97 seconds remaining.

Sam Gossett then ran in for the two points.

Harrisburg countered following an Indians fumble and scored on a 10-yard run with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

On the conversion attempt, John Galik and Jesse McDicken stopped Harrisburg's ballcarrier just shy of the goal line.

Bledsoe led Du Quoin with 69 yards rushing.

Gossett had 47 more and hit on two of six pass tries for 62 yards.

Defensively, the young Tribe had double-digit tackle efforts from McDicken (13), Logan Spain (11), Williams (11) and Dylan Pyron (10).

Caleb Harsy added eight stops.

Beltz intercepted a pass and recorded one knock down. Dakota Wheatley also knocked down a pass while Pyron recovered a fumble and had one quarterback sack.