MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County (2-1) hosts fellow Class 3A team Hebron Christian (3-0) on Friday at Bill Corry Stadium.
• Series History: Hebron Christian leads, 1-0
• Last Meeting: Hebron Christian defeated Morgan County 35-28 in 2022. Coming off a huge win over Jasper County this past Friday,
Morgan County hosts the undefeated Hebron Christian Lions this Friday, who defeated the Class A Division I Commerce Tigers 31-21 last week.
The matchup between these two teams was exciting last year when it came down to the wire, but Hebron Christian came away with a seven-point victory behind the legs of quarterback Gavin Hall.
However, Hall, who passed for 1,790 yards and rushed for 2,547 yards last season with a total of 50 touchdowns, has transferred to Gainesville for his senior year. So, the Lions’ offense looks a bit different.
Still, Morgan head coach Clint Jenkins knows Hebron Christian still has a talented rushing attack.
“They have the same kind of powerful rushing attack,” Jenkins said. “They’re doing what they did last year with [Gavin Hall] again, but now it’s with three or four guys. They’re using them to take up for where the Hall kid left off. They’re going to run the ball and try to out-number us on Friday.”
Hebron Christian’s offense is led by sophomore running back Devon Caldwell. He’s rushed for 519 yards and a team-high six scores on the year. At quarterback, Thomas Stallworth had to replace Hall, and though not as productive as his predecessor, Stallworth remains efficient for the Lions.
Hebron Christian also relies on sophomore tailback Jarvis Mathurin, who has totaled 162 yards so far this season.
Last week in a win over Commerce, Hebron Christian started Barrett Bruce, who passed for 37 yards and rushed for 39. Caldwell carried the team with 203 rushing yards on 19 carries with two scores.
Hebron Christian is averaging 38 points per game on offense, while only giving up 13.6 on defense. The Lions will be a tough test for a Bulldog squad that is trying to find its identity this year.
After being tested with a loss two weeks ago to Greene County, Morgan bounced back in a strong way last Friday. The Bulldogs are just young and inexperienced in some areas.
Regardless, Jenkins believes if his team can execute, it can succeed against a tough non-region opponent.
“Hebron does a good job. They put up a lot of points (70) in the first game [against Chestatee]. They played well at Commerce last week, too,” Jenkins said. “They’re 3-0 and will come in here with a lot of confidence. Here we are again, sitting here looking at playing another AAA playoff team. For us, it’s a great chance to measure where we are at. Let’s see where we are on Friday.”