Morgan County (4-0) hits the road again this Friday for a matchup with Cedar Shoals (0-3) in Athens.
The ‘Dogs, who are now ranked No. 2 in Class AA, aim to extend their winning streak to five this week. They’ll be taking on a winless Jaguars team who had a bye last Friday to prepare for this game.
Morgan head coach Clint Jenkins and his staff spent the week preparing their team for Cedar Shoals.
“It looks like they’ve got some good skill players in some spots, and I’ve known their head coach (Leroy) Ryals for a long time,” Jenkins said. “He’s a good football coach. And I know this, too. They had a bye week to prepare for us, and they’re playing at home, so we’ll have to be ready to go.”
The Jaguars have taken all three losses on the chin, being outscored 132-6. However, their losses have come to formidable opponents like Clarke Central, Stephens County, and Monroe Area.
Ryals and Cedar Shoals are trying to find the team’s identity, especially on offense. The Jaguars haven’t scored a touchdown through three games and rely on freshman Keelin McLendon under center.
McLendon has been a spark in the passing game, but the offense hasn’t managed to run the ball well.
“They’re close to balanced when you run the numbers on them,” Jenkins said. “It’s about 50-50 run to pass, and most teams in high school are 60-40 or 70-30 to the run, but they’re closer to 60-40 to the pass. They run quick screens, RPOs, inside zone, and a little bit of gap scheme stuff.”
Jenkins and coordinator David Bethea spent the week preparing their defense for such a diverse offensive attack. The Dogs’ defensive unit has limited opponents to only scoring 17.5 points per game.
On the other hand, Morgan’s offense is thriving, averaging 37.5 points per game in four weeks. The Jaguars have given up an average of 44 points per contest through their first three games on defense.
The Dogs’ offense is hard to stop, led by quarterback Davis Strickland, running back Christian Monfort, and wide receiver Jaylen Elder. They’ll look to add more to that points total average this week.
Morgan is the heavy favorite, although Jenkins wants his team to come in focused and ready to play.
“The focus is always all about us and how we play,” Jenkins said. “We will see what happens this week.”