In a game heard on WEZC, a late turnover allowed DuQuoin to run out the clock and hold off Monticello 28-21 in a first-round Class 3A high school football playoff football game in DuQuoin Saturday afternoon.

The Sages controlled most of the game with the top-seeded and no. 4 team in 3A.

After a 44-yard halfback pass from Ike Young to Nolan Buehnerkekmper on the opening play from scrimmage, Monticello punched it in on a Sages one-yard run from Luke Teschke. 

The Indians answered but had their extra point blocked to make it 7-6 Monticello.

Colbert picked off a halfback pass in the end zone from Du Quoin to keep the Indians off the board and set up his own halfback throwback pass from Teschke in the second quarter to make it 14-6 Monticello.

The Indians again answered back and converted the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14. 

The score remained tied until Du Quoin went ahead 20-14 on a short two-yard touchdown pass from Camden Waller to Luke Bauman. 

Monticello kept the back-and-forth going when Teschke hit Young on a wheel route that the junior punched in on a dive for the pylon to go up 21-20.

On an incomplete pass that Waller threw away trying to get out of a sack after Waller turned to handoff to a tailback on his other side, his throw away was borderline intentional grounding and obvious illegal man downfield was missed. 

On fourth down after the incompletion, Waller found PJ Winters for the go-ahead score to go up 28-21.

From there, the Indians forced Monticello into a turnover on the ensuing drive and they were able to run out the clock.

There were only two flags against Du Quoin for the game.

Bauman had 40 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Waller finished 7-for-14 with 96 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

Winters had two receptions with two touchdowns for 64 yards.

Teschke finished 15-for-21 with 160 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception. He also had 11 carries for 47 yards with a touchdown. 

Young had seven receptions for 77 yards with a touchdown and had four carries for eight yards.

Colbert finished three receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. Colbert earned the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game as he also had a fumble recovery late in the first half that helped keep the score tied at 14 each.

The Sages end their season 5-5 overall for a second straight year. Du Quoin advances to take on Tolono Unity next week.