Morgan County’s season ended on Nov. 28 in the GHSA Class 2A quarterfinal with a 34-22 loss to Hapeville Charter.
The Dogs made too many mistakes and didn’t execute, allowing the Hornets to capitalize.
“We had some opportunities in the game, but when there’s a lot of parity, the game’s gonna come down to two or three plays,” Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins said. “There were just some plays that didn’t go our way.”
Hapeville quickly took action with a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, as quarterback Keylan Pope tossed a 31-yard touchdown to receiver Xavier Page, followed by the extra point.
Morgan County answered right back, though.
The Dogs put together a scoring drive that bled over into the second quarter, when quarterback Davis Strickland connected with receiver Ty Tillery for a 51-yard touchdown. Kicker Silas Husley tacked on the extra point, and the game was tied, but what followed was devastating for the home team.
Hapeville scored 14 unanswered points to lead 21-7 at the half. The Hornets responded to Strickland’s touchdown pass by regaining the lead with a 4-yard rushing score. They then forced Morgan County to punt, and the kick was returned 80 yards to the house, extending their lead.
Before the end of the first half, the Dogs forced a turnover, as Makai Owens picked off a pass. However, their offense couldn’t turn it into points after the unit stalled out deep inside Hapeville territory.
The Dogs didn’t quit, though. Morgan County scored on the opening possession of the second half, capped off by a 10-yard rushing touchdown by running back Christian Monfort. The Dogs had then trimmed the Hornets’ lead to 21-14.
However, Hapeville again responded as Pope found tight end Patrick Reddick for a long gain through the air, setting up a short rushing score. After the extra point, the Hornets extended the lead back to 28-14.
As it had before, Morgan County dug deep and drove right back down the field, reaching Hapeville’s 1-yard line before Monfort fumbled. The Hornets recovered and had all the momentum, but the Dogs forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with excellent field position.
Strickland made it a one-score game again with a short rushing touchdown a few minutes later. Morgan County then lined up for the extra point, but Hapeville was called for a false start, so the ball was moved up half the distance to the goal line, and Monfort pushed the pile to make the score 28-22.
However, that was as close as the Dogs got.
The Hornets converted two fourth downs late in the fourth quarter, one of which saw running back Ray Damond Stiggers rush for a 21-yard touchdown, putting the nail in Morgan County’s coffin.
The Dogs had chances, but they punted, were stopped on fourth down, and fumbled in the final period.
Jenkins said it “felt like [the team] got hit in the mouth” during the first half of the game.
Despite falling short, he was happy with the team’s efforts in the third quarter and believes it responded well to the challenge.
“They really accepted the challenge and came out, fought back, and had multiple chances to get back in the game,” Jenkins said. “That’s the way it goes when you get to this point in the playoffs, it’s always going to come back to who makes the most mistakes.”
Morgan County relied heavily on its running game throughout the season, averaging 208.5 rushing yards per contest. The Dogs totaled 83 rushing yards against the Hornets, with Monfort accounting for 78.
“We’re always wanting to go out and establish the run because the run game actually sets up your passing game,” Jenkins said. “We had a little bit of trouble blocking them in some spots, because they were really athletic up front, which we knew going in, but I felt like we did a better job running the football in the third quarter.”
With the loss, Morgan County finished the season with a 12-1 record. The Dogs set a program record with 12 straight wins this year, their longest winning streak since going 14-0 in 1962.
“I am just really proud of our coaches and kids; I mean, to win 10-plus games in football at any level, I don’t think people understand how hard it is to do,” Jenkins said. “Everybody’s hurting a little bit right now, but I told them, ‘When you guys look back on this and get away from this one, you’ll remember there were a lot more positives.’ So again, a lot to be proud of, and it’s been a heck of a run.”