MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County (3-1) held off a late push by Hebron Christian (3-1) on Friday night at Bill Corry Stadium to secure a 26-14 victory, which marked the football program’s 500th win.
Morgan County became the state’s 48th program to reach 500 wins after defeating the Lions.
“So many positive things came out of Friday night,” head coach Clint Jenkins said. “Just to have an opportunity to play such a small part in all of this, it was an honor. One of the things that I told our kids was that they can always say they were a part of the 500th win. It says a lot about the past and tradition here. It’s great we can play a small role in it.”
Morgan had complete control heading into the fourth quarter, leading Hebron Christian, 19-7. However, the Lions wouldn’t go down easily as they put together a long scoring drive.
Hebron Christian running back Devon Caldwell capped off the drive by punching it in the end zone. After the PAT, the Bulldogs led the Lions 19-14 with just over four minutes left.
Morgan regained possession hoping to put the game away, which it did a few minutes later. Sophomore running back Christian Monfort scored on an 80-yard run to seal the deal.
“Christian had a big run for us at the end of the game,” Jenkins added. “We needed a first down and we ended up scoring, which is even better. Christian had a really good night.”
Monfort led the Bulldogs in rushing with a career-high 120 yards on 11 attempts with a score. Senior running back Jaydon Dorsey finished with 98 yards and a touchdown on Friday.
Morgan County senior quarterback Talan Fuller completed 7-of-12 passes for 114 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown in the Bulldogs' upset win over the Lions.
Defensively, Morgan held Hebron to 272 yards and forced a few turnovers. Jaylen Elder, Zach Moore and Trevon Rhodes had picks, while Landen Vickers had about a dozen stops.
“I thought coach (Brett) Bell did a great job of calling the game,” Jenkins said. “We had some shifts and stuff like that caused them some trouble defensively. Again, I am proud of our defense as far as just sticking to the plan that we had. We had three interceptions on the night. We’re also doing a good job – on both sides of the ball - of doing the small things we’re harping on. You could see it in that game and the small things were paying off.”
Hebron Christian entered the game as a 10-point favorite, but the Bulldogs squandered that number. The Bulldogs flipped the script and won by a dozen as they led most of the night.
Still, according to Jenkins, Morgan County has a lot to improve on moving forward into next week.
“I felt like our kids played to the game plan, but we still made some mistakes but were able to force some mistakes on the other side, too,” Jenkins said. “It was still a great night.”