No. 3 Morgan County capped off the regular season with a victory over No. 5 Callaway, claiming the Region 2-2A championship.
The Dogs also made history on Halloween night with their 43-22 win over the Cavaliers, marking their first 10-0 regular-season finish since 1974.
The region championship matchup was undoubtedly the Dogs’ most anticipated game of the season. In their previous matchup with Callaway, the Dogs lost, ending the 2024 regular season with a 9-1 record.
“That was a really good football team out there coming in here to play against us,” Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins said. “We knew it was going to be a counterpunch game, and our kids punched back, took over the game in the second half, and so I’m super proud of them.”
Jenkins said there is “no tomorrow” going into the postseason, and his team now has a 0-0 record. He found the regular-season finale especially meaningful for the seniors, including his kids, Brody and Caroline, who spent the last four years in the football program.
“To be able to go 10-0 with my son playing in the game, and daughter on the sidelines, really means a lot,” Jenkins said. “These kids [on the team] are special, and for my son to play with these guys [for a historic season], that makes it even more meaningful.”
Morgan County made a statement early in the game, when senior cornerback Makai Owens intercepted a pass from Callaway quarterback Blake Harrington on the Cavaliers’ opening drive.
Shortly after, the Dogs got on the board, as senior running back Christian Monfort scored his first touchdown on an 11-yard rush.
Montfort scored again in the first quarter with a five-yard run, pushing the lead to two scores. The West Georgia commit finished the night with 190 yards on 34 carries with three touchdowns.
Owens came up with his second interception with nine minutes left in the second quarter, but Callaway didn’t quit. The Cavaliers made it a one-score game late in the half, as Antavious Reeves scored on a three-yard run.
Jenkins knew Callaway would keep fighting, and that the Dogs would respond well in the third quarter when faced with adversity.
“Callaway’s a perennial power, and so we knew they weren’t going to go away,” Jenkins said.
Callaway’s defense got a big stop on fourth down to start the third quarter, followed by a 63-yard touchdown connection through the air from Harrington to Jeremiah Dunn, which tied the game at 14-14 after the PAT.
Morgan County responded on the next possession, as senior quarterback Davis Strickland tossed a 45-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Ty Tillery. The Dogs then attempted a two-point conversion, and it was successful, as Monfort ran the ball past the goal line.
Morgan County’s offense kept its foot on the gas, scoring three more times for a total of 29 unanswered points, before Callaway got back on the board when the game was decided late in the fourth quarter. The Dogs’ defense also intercepted Harrington two more times in the second half.
Strickland finished the game by completing 15 of 23 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Tillery was his favorite target, hauling in three passes for 87 yards and two scores. Junior wideout Cole Wesley also had a productive night, catching five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.
“We made some mistakes, but we kept battling, kept fighting, and ended up catching the momentum in the end,” Jenkins said.