After a two-week hiatus, Morgan County will host East Jackson in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs.
In the 32-team bracket, the Dogs (9-1) are the No. 8 seed, and their opponent is the No. 25 seed. The Eagles (4-6) have had an up-and-down season but have a chance to pull off a major upset on Friday night.
Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins preached to his players not to take East Jackson lightly.
“They do a good job over there,” Jenkins said. “They are coming out of a really good region with Stephens County, Hart County, Prince Avenue Christian, and Hebron Christian. They played some good teams this year.”
East Jackson coach Cameron Pettus, who’s only in his fifth year, has turned the program around. This is the Eagles’ second trip to the playoffs in five years. The only other time they made the postseason was in 2009.
However, Pettus will have a tall task facing Morgan County at Bill Corry Stadium on Friday. The Dogs enter the game as the clear favorite, so the Eagles must play to the best of their ability.
Jenkins believes a key to the game will be containing East Jackson’s high-powered offense. The Eagles love to spread the ball out and move the chains, and they enter Friday’s contest, averaging 23.4 points per game.
“They do a good job offensively. They’ve moved the ball on everybody they’ve played. Anytime you’ve got a quarterback that can extend plays with his feet and still throw the football, it can be problematic,” Jenkins said.
East Jackson quarterback Brady Saunders has a plethora of playmakers he can throw to, including Branturan Callahan, a 6-foot-2 junior wide receiver. Freshman wideout Jayden Gibson is a deep threat as well.
Morgan County’s defensive backfield took a hit when cornerback Ty Tillery suffered a season-ending injury. So, the Dogs’ defensive front must pressure Saunders while their secondary contains Callahan and Gibson.
Morgan County struggled against Callaway two weeks ago in the region championship game. The Cavs attacked the Dogs through the air and were successful, so Jenkins doesn’t want a repeat of that on Friday night.
“We didn’t play as well as we wanted to in the second against Callaway,” Jenkins said. “We had some busts in the secondary that weren’t indicative of who we are.
We had some mental mistakes, especially early in the first half. There’s been injuries, and we’re playing some guys back there who haven’t played much.”
This week, Morgan County’s major goal is to limit explosive plays on defense and let its potent offense, led by quarterback Davis Strickland, running back Christian Monfort, and wide receiver Jaylen Elder, take over.
The Dogs’ high-octane offense, averaging 38.3 points, shouldn’t have a problem against the Eagles’ defense.
“With a team like East Jackson coming in with some receivers and a quarterback who can throw it, we’re focused on what we can do coaching-wise to help our kids,” Jenkins said. “It’ll be a good challenge for us. Football is definitely about matchups. Sometimes, where you’re not as good, other teams are, and vice versa.”
Morgan County and East Jackson will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The winner will play either Sumter County or Union County.