Dogs wreck warriors 56-14, record up to 4-0

The Bulldogs dominated the Oconee County Warriors last week, beating them 56-14. After the win against Oconee, Morgan County’s record moved to 4-0.

Since Oconee was the Bulldogs’ first region opponent of the season, there was a lot of tension in the air before the game, but the Dogs came out charged and were able to overpower the Warriors from the very beginning.
Morgan County won the coin toss and elected to receive to begin the first half of the game.
Michael Gray crossed 54 yards on the first play of the game, putting the Bulldogs only 6 yards from their first touchdown.
Marquis Benton brought the ball into the endzone for Morgan County, and, with Campbell Harrison’s first extra point of the night, the Bulldogs were on the board 7-0 with less than a minute of the game elapsed.
The Bulldogs stopped the Warriors on four downs, and Andrew Couch returned the ball to the Oconee County 33-yard line.
Four plays later, Michael Gray scored the second touchdown of the game for Morgan County. The score was 14-0 with almost eight minutes to go in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs were able to stop the Warriors’ offense again, and Morgan County got their ball back deep in their own territory.
Melvin Davis scored the next touchdown for the Dogs with a 50-yard carry after impressive carries by Trent Hawk and Benton.
Because of an offside penalty by Morgan County, the special teams squad had to set up on the 35-yard line, but Harrison kicked the ball 65-yards into the endzone anyway, forcing an automatic touchback for the Warriors.
“Campbell has been dominating,” said Head Coach Bill Malone.
“That’s a tremendous advantage for us. From an defensive coach’s perspective, it’s a dream come true.”
The Warriors were able to score once in the first quarter, making the score 21-7. There was only one-tenth of a second left in the first quarter as they kicked off to the Bulldogs, but that didn’t stop Benton from almost carrying the ball back for a touchdown.
The Dogs started the second quarter on the Warriors’ 16-yard line, and Oconee County defense wasn’t able to hold Hawk out of the endzone on a fortuitous quarterback keeper, making the score 28-7.
Couch was the fifth member of the team to score a touchdown against the Warriors, bringing the ball 47 yards into the endzone. The extra point brought the score to 35-7.
Morgan County scored once more before halftime. Michael Gray carried ball almost the length of the field to score, an unbelievable 96-yard touchdown run.
The score at halftime was 42-7.
Oconee County received the ball to start the second quarter, but Carter Shultz was able to intercept the ball early in their drive.
The Dogs steadily moved downfield, and Benton earned his second touchdown of the night with a 4-yard run. The extra point brought the score to 49-7.
During the Warriors’ next drive, Bailey Ross sacked their quarterback for a 6-yard loss, on a third-down play, forcing the Warriors to kick away to the Bulldogs.
Couch had a huge 52-yard carry on the return, which brought the Bulldogs all the way to the Oconee County 11-yard line, but Armoni Warren brought the ball into the end zone for the final Morgan County touchdown of the night. Andrew Bishop kicked the extra point, making the score 56-7.
In the last minutes of the game, the Warriors were able to score with a 52-yard pass play, and Morgan County let time run out on their next possession, winning the game 56-14.
Coach Malone raved about how well the team’s offense is doing.
“There is no middle-of-the-road way to take this offense. You’ve got to do it, and that’s what our kids realize now. They are gaining confidence, and they see what we’re capable of when we execute our offense the way it is meant to be executed.”
Malone was also eager to praise the defensive line.
“We dominated the line of scrimmage. It was very impressive to hold Oconee to only 11 yards rushing.”
Of the entire team’s performance and improvement over the last few weeks, Coach Malone said, “It’s coming together like we hoped it would come together.”
This week, Morgan County is taking on its second region opponent of the year, the North Oconee Titans. The game will be played away, and will start in North Oconee at 7:30 Friday evening.

Printed in the October 4th edition.