Both regular-season games between Morgan County and Jackson were decided by a single goal, with each team winning one of the first two contests. This was also the case in last week’s second-round playoff matchup.
Unfortunately for the Dogs, they fell short, losing to the Red Devils 2-1, which ended their 2025 season.
Longtime Morgan County head coach Aaron Paul and his players knew Jackson was going to be a tough out.
“We knew Jackson was going to be tough after having split with them during region play earlier in the season,” Paul said after the loss. “We played really well in the first half and had the game 0-0 at halftime. Jackson is a hard team to score on, and we have struggled in our attack the past few seasons with finishing on goal.”
The first half was competitive, with the Dogs and Red Devils making several attempts on goal, but it ended with the score tied at 0-0. However, the second half unfolded differently.
Jackson took a 1-0 lead with a high free kick that sailed over the head of Morgan County goalkeeper Blake Downs. The Red Devils scored again a few minutes later as they advanced the ball down the pitch for a goal.
Jackson’s back line held players like Teddy Young, Larson Detienne, Carson Keener, Julian Tenorio, Korbin Hedgwood, and others in check. The Dogs’ offense couldn’t break through for many shot attempts on goal.
Morgan County got a late goal off a penalty kick to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, the Dogs received a red card and were down a player with a few minutes left, so the Red Devils controlled the pace and got the win.
Morgan County’s season was cut short, and while disappointed, Paul knew it was a successful season. The Dogs finished with a 13-5 record and were seeded No. 1 going into the playoffs. They also won a fifth-straight region title.
“My goal is always to do better than we did the season prior,” Paul said. “Last year, we won the region, which we did again. Last year, we also made it to the Elite Eight, which we did not accomplish this season. As disappointing as our end result in the playoffs was, we have accomplished quite a bit.”