Season opener Friday against Mary Persons

By Alvin Richardson
Staff

Morgan County unofficially opened their season with a scrimmage at Jefferson's Memorial Stadium last Thursday and for three and a half quarters, the Bulldog's starters outscored the Dragons 20-10.
Jefferson scored another touchdown late in the third quarter as Morgan County began substituting on defense to make it 20-17.

The B-team and second unit players for both squads finished out the rest of the night in order to give the coaches a chance to see all their players in action.

Bulldog Head Coach Bill Malone saw some good things and noted some areas that need improvement.
"I was pleased that our secondary was able to handle the hurry up style of Jefferson's offense and align themselves correctly against the numerous sets. We need to improve our pass rush and be able to recognize swing routes out of the backfield." he said.

"Offensively, our line blocked very well at times and Ryan Glosson ran the ball tough. When we protected quarterback J.D. Hawkins, he put the ball in the right spot and gave our receivers an opportunity to make plays. Clay Duvall did a good job handling the punting and kicking duties and Jamison Foskey performed well as the long snapper," Malone added.

Defensive Coordinator Clint Jenkins was pleased with his unit's effort in their first outing.

"I thought our reactions and communication against the no huddle offense were handled well," he said.

"The first unit defense gave up only 170 yards on 31 plays, and 101 of those yards came on two plays by their quarterback."

Jenkins also noted that Phillip Stovall and Brandon Rivers each had a quarterback sack and Dell Stokes came up with an interception to stop a Jefferson drive in the red zone.

Offensive Coordinator John Robbins felt like the team took some positives from the game.

"Most importantly we won and we identified some things we need to work on," he said, adding "Ryan Glosson had several outstanding runs and our quarterback tandem of Terance Harper and J.D. Hawkins worked out well. Phillip Stovall's effort on the offensive line was the best performance of the night."

Statistically, Glosson ran  14 times for 165 yards and scored on runs of six and 84 yards. Hawkins threw three times and completed two for 42 yards and  Harper threw three times and completed one for five yards.

Dominique Hall caught one pass for 37 yards, and Clay Duvall and Dell Stokes each caught five passes.

The first unit offense rushed for 185 yards and passed for 47 total yards. Clay Duvall made two of three PAT attempts.

Morgan County will open the 2008 season in Forsyth taking on the Mary Persons Bulldogs Friday night.