MORGAN COUNTY
Friday night was one for the books for Morgan County (3-2), who kicked off region play on Sept. 25 by hosting back-to-back state champions Hebron Christian Academy. After two consecutive losses and a bye week, the Dogs proved themselves in a fourth-quarter thriller, defeating the Lions 30-26.
Morgan County’s second-half comeback was led by senior wide receiver Cole Wesley, who punched in a one-yard touchdown in the final minutes. The Lions tried to strike back as quarterback Quentin Davie Jr. threw an unsuccessful Hail Mary from the 30-yard line with one second on the clock.
“We challenged our guys at halftime, and I couldn’t be prouder of them for the way they came back,” said Clint Jenkins, head coach of the Dogs. “We fought in the first half but just made some mistakes in the second quarter, then came back and fought our guts out in the third and fourth and gave us a shot at the end. I’m just proud of all three phases of the game coming together.”
Morgan County took the lead early by scoring 15 points in the first quarter but remained scoreless in the second quarter and trailed the Lions 20-15 at the half.
The Dogs totaled 416 yards on offense, including 247 rushing yards: 198 from Wesley, 53 from senior running back Alex Corrias, and five from junior quarterback Gunner Braswell.
The Dogs’ offense operated on a dual-quarterback basis, with Braswell going six for seven, throwing for 120 yards and a touchdown. Wesley took snaps on offense throughout the night and went 2-for-8, throwing for 49 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver DeAnthony Harris.
Wesley was named the offensive player of the game for his 46-yard touchdown pass, two rushing touchdowns, a touchdown reception, and 298 yards overall.
Jenkins explained why he gave Wesley snaps at quarterback, noting that he brought a unique aspect to the game and had some success at the position in their previous game. He added that running on a dual-quarterback game plan allowed the Dogs’ offense to “bring some confusion” to the Lions’ defense.
“I think Cole just brought a different aspect to quarterback; He’s real twitchy, and hard to tackle,” Jenkins said. “He’s been a good receiver for us, but we had a package for him against Mountain View, where he played some quarterback, ran the football, and we just liked some of the things we saw, and added to that.”
Jenkins credited Braswell for his efforts Friday night and said the coaching staff decided to give him some time on defense as well.
“Gunner did a really good job, was really efficient passing when he was in there, even came on the other side of the ball and helped us at corner in this game,” Jenkins said. “I’m just really, really happy, and we were able to get some things going offensively, and the offensive line did a good job.”
With the recent victory in the rearview mirror, Morgan County will take the road on Oct. 2 to face off with Elbert County. Jenkins said he is overall happy with the team for refusing to give up Friday night, but now they must put the game behind them and focus on their upcoming road trip.
“To go out there, we have to be able to move the football, run the football on offense and take advantage of the opportunities,” Jenkins said. “We have to stop the run on defense and not give up any explosive plays. We’ve got to carry this momentum into the next one, but obviously have to stay away from a letdown after a big emotional win. I’m just really, really proud of our guys, our coaches, and our community was a great environment.”