MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County sophomore quarterback Davis Strickland accounted for three total touchdowns, with two through the air and one on the ground, as the Bulldogs defeated Jasper County 35-0 on Friday.
It was a much-needed win after Morgan County (2-1) lost to rival Greene County 24-14 in Week 2.
Bulldogs’ third-year head coach Clint Jenkins acknowledged the win was “needed” for his team.
“It’s a good bounce back from the Greene game,” Jenkins said. “It was the shot in the arm we needed. We wanted to come out, play well, and get some confidence back. That was much needed.”
Strickland was sharp, leading the offense after a bad performance the week before against the Tigers. But it wasn’t only Strickland who played well. Running backs Jaydon Dorsey and Christian Monfort each scored rushing touchdowns, while wideouts Jaylen Elder and Drew Cole also hauled in scores.
Defensively, Morgan was stout and delivered its best outing so far this season. The Bulldogs not only pitched their first shutout; they held Jasper’s offense to just 124 total yards. The Hurricanes rely on their run game but were held to just 53 yards on 41 rushing attempts on Friday.
Jenkins highlighted that he thought it was his defensive unit’s best outing of the year so far.
“Defensively, I thought we played as well as we had done all season. We stuck to the game plan,” he said. “I also credit coach [Ashley] Henderson and them at Jasper County. They are much improved from a year ago, and I think they’ve got some great skill kids. But I think our players came in and did a good job of sticking to the plan. So, we felt great about that after the win.”
Dorsey broke open the contest with a long touchdown rush in the first quarter. In the second quarter, senior linebacker Landen Vickers knocked a ball loose and Ty Tillery recovered it. He returned it inside Jasper’s red zone and a few plays later, Strickland scored on a 2-yard sneak.
Morgan’s luck kept up and its offense continued to roll following Strickland’s rushing score. He connected with Cole for an 18-yard touchdown pass followed by a 13-yard scoring strike to Elder.
The Bulldogs led Jasper County 28-0 with 6:26 left in the second quarter. The score remained that way until Monfort scored on a 16-yard rush from the right side of the field in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Talan Fuller played most of the second half, finishing the contest by completing 9-of-12 passes for 56 yards. Strickland was 4-of-5 passing for 21 yards and two scores.
Dorsey rushed for a season-high 111 yards with a touchdown. Montfort finished with 52 yards with a score followed by Jordan Gordon, who racked up 44 yards on six attempts (7.3 yards per carry).
Overall for Jenkins, it was a team effort, but he was excited to see the offense find its footing again.
“Offensively, we rushed for 220 yards and threw a couple of touchdowns. They were well-placed balls,” Jenkins said. “I was really proud of the way our kids played. It was a needed bounce-back win.”