With one quarter remaining in the eighth-grade football season, Carbondale had yet to allow a single point Sunday night.

That's when Marion made a charge at the Terriers with 14 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn't enough as Carbondale fended off the Wildcats, 22-14, to capture the Southern Illinois Youth Football Conference's eighth-grade title.

It was Marion's second straight appearance in the championship game.

"The kids played one heck of a game," Marion coach Sam Olson said. "This is the first time all year Carbondale has been scored on, so that's an accomplishment. We stuck with them from start to finish."

Midway through the second quarter, the Wildcats botched a punt attempt deep in their own end of the field as the Terriers took over at the 2-yard line.

One play later, Isiah Jones bulled in from 2 yards out for the touchdown. Jones hit Blake Gibson for the conversion and an 8-0 lead at halftime.

Carbondale increased its lead to 14-0 in the third quarter when Jones threw a swing pass to Gibson, who took care of the rest for a 77-yard touchdown.

Marion finally got on the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter when Matt Lewis hooked up with Jake Weandt for a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull the Wildcats within 14-6.

Following a fumble recovery by Marion's Cody Irwin to halt a Carbondale drive, the Terriers got it back when Gibson picked off a pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Jones hit Devan Payne for the 2-point conversion and a 22-6 lead with 3:15 to play.

On the ensuing kickoff, Henry Jones found daylight and ripped off a 53-yard return for a touchdown. Jones ran in conversion to keep the Wildcats within striking distance down by eight points.

However, the Terriers picked up a couple first downs to run out the clock and clinch their championship.

Carbondale's seventh-graders also defeated Marion in Saturday's "JV Jamboree" title game, 6-0, with a touchdown late in the second quarter.