Morgan County answered the call again on offense in a 42-28 road win over Putnam County this past week.
The ‘Dogs racked up 617 yards of total offense and scored 48 points in their first game against Warren County. Their offensive success continued last Friday against the War Eagles, with 406 yards and 42 points.
“We’ve done a great job,” Morgan head coach Clint Jenkins said. “We were in a situation where we had to outscore them.”
Morgan drove down the field on its first drive, capping it with a rushing touchdown by running back Christian Monfort. Quarterback Davis Strickland connected with wideout Jaylen Elder to set up Monfort’s score.
Putnam responded on the following possession as quarterback Jamarion Robertson completed a trio of pass attempts to three different teammates before tailback Rashod Daniel crossed the goal line from a few yards out.
However, Morgan countered on the next drive with another touchdown to retake a 14-7 lead. Strickland connected with Elder on a 29-yard pass to put the Dogs back in the driver’s seat. Their kicker missed the first extra point, so they went for two after the next touchdown and converted it as Drew Ainslie hauled in a pass.
Morgan’s defense made a significant play late in the second quarter, with Ty Tillery picking off a pass from Robertson and returning it for six. The Dogs gave up a late first-half touchdown to lead 21-14 at the break.
Morgan came out swinging in the second half, outscoring the War Eagles 14-0 in the third quarter alone.
On the first drive of the second half, Monfort broke off a long run but fumbled near the end zone, where fullback Brody O’Neal fell on the ball for a touchdown. O’Neal’s heads-up play gave his team a 28-14 lead.
Morgan extended its lead to three scores on its next drive when Strickland found a wide-open Elder for a 44-yard score.
Putnam fought back, scoring two touchdowns, but the Dogs found the end zone again between those two scores.
Monfort scored his final touchdown with 9:05 left. He took a handoff from Strickland and walked in for six. After not playing in the first game, Monfort rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Jenkins said he was proud of Monfort’s performance. He got the needed yards, especially in the fourth quarter last week.
“Christian ran the ball hard and scored a couple of touchdowns,” Jenkins said. “He was exactly what we needed. When we needed to ground the ball out and run the clock, we looked to him. He did a good job of that.”
Strickland completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Elder piled up 152 yards on seven receptions with two scores, while Tillery hauled in six catches for 54 yards against the War Eagles.
Strickland and Elder worked together in the offseason on their timing and rapport. In two games, they have hooked up 14 times for 330 yards and four touchdowns.
“It’s about trying to stay consistent,” Elder said. “Davis and I are working hard, trying to stay on the same page.”
Morgan (2-0) hopes to continue its success against Oconee County (0-2) this Friday at home with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.