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Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 29,2017
sports Year in Review
3. MCHS clinches region title with 22-21 thriller
Justin Hubbard
justin@lakeoconeenews.us
On Friday the 13th, it was
only appropriate for Morgan
County football to win in a
thriller.
The Bulldogs (6-1) beat
Monroe Area (7-1) on Friday,
Oct. 13, 22-21, to remain in
control of their own fate in
the Region 8-AAA race.
The matchup pitted two
highly talented - and explo
sive - teams against one
another, and the game did
not disappoint.
Bulldogs head coach Bill
Malone is in his 11th year as
the head coach of the team.
Malone recalled two key
victories in his career - the
2000 playoff win against
Union County and 2012’s win
over Gordon Central - when
discussing where the win
over Monroe ranked in his
tenure with the team.
Malone did not name a
favorite of those three wins,
but he did say the barn
burner versus the Purple
Hurricanes was special.
“The way that this one
played out, it was very dif
ficult for me to celebrate,”
Malone said. “It took so
much out of me. It’s a huge
win, but it was almost more
of a relief when it was finally
over, if that makes any sense
at all. As opposed to a‘hip hip
hooray,’ it was ‘my goodness,
how proud I am of our guys
that they were able to hang
on there at the end.’”
Morgan’s defense forced a
turnover on the first series,
then its offense scored on
a touchdown throw from
quarterback Trey Patterson
to wide receiver Anthony
Cooper to take a 7-0 lead.
Monroe did not back down,
though, and scored on along
touchdown pass with 2:15
remaining in the opening
period.
From then on, the teams
traded scores with neither
taking a clear advantage.
After Monroe committed
a hold in its own end zone,
resultingin a safety, the game
swung in Morgan’s favor.
Trailing 21-16, the Bulldogs
did what powered them all
season: They let Patterson
toss another dime to Cooper.
Patterson found Cooper
over the middle about 10
yards out of the end zone.
Cooper went up and made
a great catch, hauled it in
and bolted forward to score.
Morgan took its decisive
advantage on the play, and
its defense held Monroe until
the clock hit zero.
“It feels amazing,” Cooper
said when asked to describe
the significant victory, which
came on homecoming night.
“Words can’t explain it.”
As for that final touch
down, Cooper saidhehadno
worries about catching the
ball, which had to be tossed
high to keep it away from the
defenders. His quarterback
said he knew Cooper would
catch it, too.
Patterson, who finished
17-of-27 with 242 yards
passing, said“nothingmuch”
was going through his mind
as he prepared to make the
critical throw.
“Just played it like a normal
play,” Patterson said.
The Purple Hurricanes
closed their eyes and hoped
it was just imagination. But
it wasn’t, and the Bulldogs’
defense protected the 1-point
lead on two series that saw
Monroe go for it on fourth
down.
Morgan’s offense immedi
ately fumbled the ball away
after the first one. On the
Purple Hurricanes’ second
late-game possession, the
defense came up big with
expert pass coverage and a
strong rush up the middle.
One of those clutch plays
was a pass deflection by
Tre’Mon Moore. The ball
was thrown high and, if not
for Moore, it probably would
have been complete. The
senior wasn’t having any of
it, and he closed in on the
ball to help seal the Purple
Hurricanes’ doom.
“Thatwas absolutelyhuge,”
Malone said. “He just got it by
sheer effort and the tip of his
finger to keep that kid from
catchingit. Thatwould’veput
them in field goal range and
could’ve been the difference
in the game.”
In total, the defense only
gave up 158 yards rushing
- a respectable number, con
sidering the Bulldogs’ early
struggles against Monroe’s
read option - and 186 yards
passing.
Among several defend
ers who turned in strong
performances was senior
Justin Hubbard/Staff
Morgan County senior quarterback
Trey Patterson drops back to throw a
pass during the Bulldogs' game against
Monroe Area.
Justin Hubbard/Staff
Bulldogs senior wide receiver Anthony
Cooper secures the game-winning catch
during the late stages of Morgan's win
over Monroe Area on Oct. 13.
Quin Williams. The line
backer had 18 total tackles,
including two sacks. He
forced a fumble, too, and
brought consistent pressure
tothebackfield. Malonesaid
Williams’ “presence was
definitely felt by Monroe
Area.”
Williams and others
brought heavy pressure on
Monroe Area’s final posses
sion. That, along with solid
coverage by Morgan’s defen
sive backs, sealed the game.
When Monroe’s final pass
felltothegroundincomplete,
the Purple Hurricanes heard
the door slam and realized
there wasnowhereleftto run
- Morgan had won the game.
The victory was signif
icant, but Malone said
Monroe might be in a better
spot the following week than
the Bulldogs.
“They get to sit back,” he
said. “Of course, they’ve got
to think about this thing,
but they can get it out of
their system. We’ve got to
turn right back around and
[Friday] play Hart County.
We’re physically beat up and
we’re emotionally drained
right now.”
Malone said he expects
to face a potent passing
offense against Hart. He
noted he and his coach
ing staff saw quarterback
O’Neal Anderson complete
a 64-yardbomb on film. The
Bulldogs of Hart County also
run effective sweep plays,
Malone said.
On the surface, Hart’s
2-5 record might indicate
Morgan will have a fairly
easy time this Friday night.
Malone said that isn’t the
case.
“They’re improving every
week,” Malone said. “I think
the teams that they’ve lost
to are a combined 36-7.
They’ve played some dogs
and it’s gotten them better
and they’re coming off of
a pretty easy win against
Jackson County. We’ve gotto
heal up physically, which we
will. It’s just, mentally, we’ve
got to gear ourselves back up
for another game that has
just as many implications
as this one past Friday did.”
Friday’s game will not
officially decide the Region
8-AAA champion. IfMorgan
wins, however, it will only
need one more victory in its
final two games to clinch the
title. Should the Bulldogs
lose to Hart, then tiebreaker
scenarios will come into play.
Malone said it’s imperative
his team avoids such situa
tions by winning out.
“It can be a mess if we
don’t take care of business,”
he said. “And if we do, we’re
sitting right on top.”
Morgan won the rest of
its regular season games,
clinchingits second-straight
Region 8-AAA title.
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