Indians hold off Hornets to improve to 7-1

The Indians Taking the field for the pink out game vs Nashville

The DuQuoin Indians welcomed the Nashville Hornets for a Week 8 battle to close out the conference schedule, and the Indians came out on top 28-18.

In the first quarter, the Indians forced a quick three and out on Nashville’s opening drive, then marched down the field and scored on a short touchdown run from senior quarterback Johnathan Brown to take an early 7-0 lead.

On the Hornets’ next drive, they made it all the way to the Indians’ 11-yard line before sophomore quarterback Cole Stiegman threw an interception to senior Jeremiah Jones. DuQuoin couldn’t capitalize off the turnover but still led 7-0 after one.

With about three minutes left in the second quarter, DuQuoin worked their way back inside the 10, and Brown punched in his second short touchdown run to make it 14-0 Indians.

Nashville answered late in the half, driving into the red zone with under a minute left, but had to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 at the break.

To start the second half, DuQuoin put together another strong drive, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run from junior Aiden Adams, who dove for the pylon to extend the lead to 21-3 with 9:17 left in the third.

The Hornets responded fast, going down the field in under three minutes as junior Carson Seaton broke free for a 31-yard touchdown to make it 21-10.

Nashville’s defense came up big on the next drive, forcing a fumble from Brown. Stiegman then hit Gannon Turner for a 53-yard gain, setting up a short touchdown pass to Seaton. The Hornets added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 21-18 with two minutes left in the third.

Both offenses stalled for most of the fourth until Brown sealed it with his third rushing touchdown of the night with just 31 seconds left, giving DuQuoin a 28-18 lead. Nashville tried to score quickly, but the Indians’ defense held strong to secure the River to River win.

The Indians improve to 7-1 and will finish the regular season at home against Murphysboro, who sits at 4-4 and will be fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. Nashville drops to 5-3 and will hit the road to face Chester, who’s sitting at 7-1.