It was the Jaylen Elder show this past week for Morgan County on Senior Night.
Elder helped the Dogs defeat region foe Jackson 36-7, catching a career-high 12 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 21.7 yards per reception and had a long catch of 86 yards.
Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins wasn’t surprised Elder and quarterback Davis Strickland played well. He also complimented offensive coordinator Brett Bell for calling a great game.
“The passing game is working. That bad thing about it was that we missed three touchdowns early,” Jenkins said. “We overthrew a few balls. It could’ve easily been 400 yards passing, but to say all that, it was an unbelievable job by Coach Bell. Jay was doing what he does, and Davis is improving.”
As Jenkins noted, Morgan County struggled offensively in the first half this past Friday against Jackson, mainly because Strickland missed his pass catchers on a few deep routes. However, the Dogs’ run game never got going, with leading rusher Christian Monfort missing the game due to an injury.
Senior tailback Jasper Cason also went down with an injury, which didn’t help, but things opened up for Morgan County in the second quarter. Strickland tossed a screen pass to Elder, who caught the ball in the flat and raced 61 yards past defenders to the end zone, giving the Dogs the lead.
Morgan County led the Red Devils 9-0 at the half after getting a safety late in the second quarter.
The third quarter was pivotal for the Dogs’ offense, with a strong effort from Strickland and tight end Drew Ainslie. The junior pass catcher caught a pair of touchdown passes of four and 43 yards.
Morgan County entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 22-0 lead. The Dogs added another score as senior tight end Draco Frazzitta capped off a drive with a one-yard rushing score.
Jackson responded by finally getting on the scoreboard on the ensuing drive, capped off by a two-yard rushing score.
However, the damage had already been done as the Dogs held a 29-7 lead.
Morgan County added insult to injury with Strickland firing an 86-yard touchdown pass to Elder on the next drive. Strickland hit a streaking Elder, who beat a pair of defenders deep and caught the ball right past midfield, where he raced toward the right sideline and safely made it to the end zone.
Jenkins has noticed a difference in Elder’s production since last season.
“Jay is starting to show his skillset and what he can do,” he said. “He was probably 15 to 20 pounds lighter last year and only had about 300 yards. That’s a big thing when I talk to college coaches about him. He was on the prospect sheet I sent, but they wouldn’t look at him because of his size. That’s been the deal with him, but we’ve been sending his tape out, but he’s a year better.”
Elder has seen his recruitment explode this year, with recent offers from UAB, East Tennessee State, Cincinnati, Georgia State, UT-Chattanooga, and South Florida. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior wide receiver has caught 53 passes for 1,135 yards and 12 touchdowns through eight games.
Strickland was also sharp, completing 17 of 24 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns. He’s completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 2,075 yards, 25 scores, and only four interceptions this year.
Next Friday, Morgan County (8-0, 3-0 Region 4-AA), ranked No. 2 in Class AA, travels to Pike County (4-4, 0-3).