Editor’s note: Jerry Lindsey took the photos.
The game of football is and always will be one of the more unpredictable events in all of sports. The game between Morrison and Bureau Valley on Friday night, October 19, 2018, was the last game that the 14 Seniors from Manlius, IL, and the nine Seniors from Morrison, IL, would play in their high school careers. They all wanted to end it with a win.
If one looked at the statistics they would assume that Bureau Valley earned the victory by a wide margin, but the end result was far from being that predictable.
Stats reveal
- Bureau Valley gathered more yardage in the first quarter than the Mustangs recorded all night
- Morrison only earned four first downs all night
- Morrison was intercepted three times
- the Storm threw the ball for a total of 249 yards, with Kale Barnett making eight receptions for 142 yards
- the Mustangs only gained 11-yards in the second half.
The unpredictability of the game is shown by the fact that, despite the stats listed, the outcome of the game was not decided until only 1:15 remained on the clock, in the fourth quarter. As the game entered the final two minutes and 31 seconds, the score was Bureau Valley 14 and Morrison 7. The Mustangs owned the ball on their own 25-yard line. Three snaps later the line of scrimmage had moved to the Morrison 49-yard line, when quarterback Hunter Newman eluded tacklers as he rolled to his right and heaved a spiral toward the awaiting Nick Allen on the 12-yard line. Allen was covered with two Storm defenders, and the aerial was intercepted by Logan Hardy. The last breath of hope was removed from the Mustangs, as the Storm kneed out the clock for a 14-7 win. It signaled the end of a high school football experience for 23 Seniors.
The first quarter set the pace for the evening of missed opportunities. Bureau Valley’s two possessions ended with a Morrison fumble recovery on the 20-yard line and an Isaak Shetler interception on the 18-yard line, to stifle the Storm’s drives.
In the second quarter, the Storm unleashed the arm of quarterback Tyler Gustafson on the Mustangs. He threw 15 times and completed five for 85-yards and a 44-yard strike to Barnett for the only score of the first half. Halftime score was Morrison 0 Bureau Valley 7.
The Morrison highlight on the night came on the opening kickoff of the second half. Nick Allen received the kickoff on the right hash mark at the 10-yard line. He crossed over to fake a handoff to Keegan Anderson, turned up the left sideline, and galloped 90 yards into the end zone to tie the score, after a Brevin Pruis extra point kick. The defense took over the remainder of the third quarter. Morrison recovered a fumble by Gustafson when trapped by Cooper Darby, to kill a drive at mid-field. The Mustangs returned the favor three plays later. Brady Higgins intercepted a Nathan Helms pass. The quarter ended with Morrison gaining a -11 yards on the ground, and the Storm recording a weak 15-yards. That set up the fourth quarter dramatics with the score even at 7-7 and the Storm owning the ball on the Morrison 2-yard line.
The Storm gave the ball to Higgins twice to open the fourth quarter, before he crossed the end line to up the Storm advantage to 14-7. The Mustang’s first possession of the final quarter netted a -5 yards and forced a Pruis punt. The Mustangs regained possession on a diving interception by Isaak Shetler to give the visitors hope with 6:23 remaining on the clock. Newman immediately completed a 9-yard pass to Anderson to take the ball inside the Storm’s 46-yard line. The next snap from center went over Newman’s head, and he was thrown for a 17-yard loss after retrieving the bad snap. A third down incomplete pass forced a Pruis punt, as the clock ran down to 5:08. The Storm remained conservative forcing the Mustangs to use up their remaining timeouts, before they were forced to punt with 2:54 left in the game. The drive ended with the interception by Logan Hardy on the 12-yard line.
Thus ended the 2018 season for Mustang Seniors and the first year Morrison coaching staff. A talented stable of Mustangs from the undefeated Fresh/Soph teams of the past two years will complement the returning Juniors, offering high hopes for the 2019 Morrison Mustang football season.