Stay Connected with YourSeason
Morris avoids upset by defeating Morton 35-24
in the first quarter in Morris Friday October, 28, 2011.
| Ray Luna ~ For Sun-Times Media
Updated: October 28, 2011 11:48PM
With their hopes for an undefeated regular season falling fruitless in last week’s loss to Kaneland, the Morris football team got back on track in their 35-24 win over Morton in the first round of the 5A playoffs.
But it took until the fourth quarter for Morris (9-1) to find their groove to avoid the upset.
Down 24-14 and looking lethargic with just over eleven minutes to play, the Morris offense started to move the ball behind running back Jeff Perry. The junior back shed tackles as he broke a 20-yard touchdown run to cut the Morton (6-4) lead to four.
“Perry refused to go down,” Morris coach Alan Thorson said. “We have four backs we rotate, but we stick with who’s hot. Perry played great for us tonight when we needed it.”
Morton went three and out on their next possession and mishandled the punt, giving Morris prime field position deep in Morton territory. After a barreling Perry run to the five yard line, quarterback Austin Feeney found Danny Fried for his second touchdown catch of the evening, giving Morris a 28-24 lead with six minutes to go.
Morton and quarterback David Rossi (14-for-24 for 165 yards, three touchdowns, interception) began to march down the field, but senior captain Hunter Barry put Morton’s playoff hopes on life support.
Barry stripped a Morton running back and ran the ball thirty-yards into Morton territory. The play deflated the Morton team, setting up a bulldozing 31-yard touchdown run by Perry for a 35-24 Morris lead.
Perry finished with 145 yards and the two scores on 15 carries; 125 of those yards coming in the second half.
“We scored twenty-one fourth quarter points last week in a loss, and we did so again tonight,” Thorson said. “We need to get off to better starts, but I’m proud of our effort and fight, and that’s a credit to our kids.”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment