Morrison scores 34 unanswered points to top Fulton in 1A playoff opener

MORRISON – The No. 5-seeded Morrison Mustangs defeated the No. 12-seeded Fulton Steamers 34-12 on Saturday afternoon at E.M. Bud Cole Field.

The Steamers (6-4) took control of the game early building a 12-0 lead. They followed two three-and-outs on their first two drives with two straight touchdown drives.

[ Photos: Fulton vs Morrison Class 1A football first round  ]

Fulton junior quarterback Dom Kramer connected with junior tight end Jacob Huisenga on a 50-yard pass down the right sideline to set up the first scoring drive. Senior running back A.J. Boardman cashed in with a 6-yard touchdown run on the next play, giving Fulton a 6-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing Morrison possession, the Steamers tackled sophomore running back Brady Anderson short of the first-down marker on a fourth-and-2, forcing a turnover on downs at the Morrison 48. They quickly capitalized with a touchdown.

The 52-yard drive was finished by a 1-yard Kramer touchdown run. Fulton took a 12-0 lead with 8:31 remaining in the second quarter.

“We had a really good game plan. We were able to get some stops on defense. When we got the ball in favorable positions for us, we were able to get to some of the things we wanted to get to,” Fulton coach Patrick Lower said. “Their overall team speed was really good, and we knew that. We just weren’t able to make plays. They made more plays and big plays, and that’s what they are. They’re a big-play team. They’ve done it all year. And we take four or five plays away from that, the game, maybe it’s a different story. But they made those plays.

“Their speed is for real. They’re a really good football team.”

After Fulton’s second touchdown, Morrison shifted the momentum. On the first play of the next drive, Anderson found a gap up the middle, juked out three defenders and ran for a 62-yard touchdown, drawing the Mustangs (9-1) within 12-7.

“I think it really set the tone that we weren’t going to give up, and we were going to give it our all for all four quarters,” Morrison senior fullback-linebacker Carson Strating said. “That was a big play for Brady.”

The Steamers forced a three-and-out later and returned the punt to the Morrison 46, setting up their offense nicely again, but Strating intercepted a Kramer pass over the middle and returned it 53 yards to the Fulton 5. On the next play, junior quarterback Colton Bielema hit Anderson on a 3-yard touchdown strike. Morrison took a 14-12 lead with 56.1 seconds left in the half.

“That was an awesome play by him,” Anderson said about Strating’s interception. “He jumped the ball, ran it down to their 5 and managed to push it in [to the end zone].”

After a shaky start to the game, Morrison completely dominated the second half. Opening the third quarter with a 70-yard touchdown drive, it took a 22-12 lead and seized control of the game.

Initially, the opening drive of the second half appeared to be headed for a three-and-out, as Fulton forced a fourth-and-2 from the Morrison 38. But Mustangs senior Daeshaun McQueen took a fake punt 37 yards down the right sideline to pick up the first down, then picked up another 15 yards on a wide receiver screen from Bielema. Strating punched in a run from 2 yards out and ran in the two-point conversion for the 10-point lead with 8:21 left in the third quarter.

“We won’t stop fighting. We don’t panic. We know what we can do,” Anderson said. “We just keep our heads up and keep going.”

“Our team’s really aggressive, and we play as a team for the full four quarters,” Strating said. “We never look down on each other. We just play together as a team.”

Morrison senior defensive back Camden Pruis intercepted a pass late in the third quarter, and Anderson followed with an 80-yard touchdown run on the next play. Bielema threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Blake Adams to finish the scoring with 4:34 remaining.

Anderson totaled three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and rushed for 171 yards on 10 carries. McQueen caught four passes for 56 yards and had a 37-yard run. Bielema went 7-for-12 passing for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Reynolds Reavy and Karder White each recorded a sack for Morrison.

Kramer passed for 109 yards and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown, Trevor Tiesman caught two passes for 68 yards, Boardman totaled 51 all-purpose yards (30 rushing, 21 receiving) and a rushing touchdown, and Baylen Damhoff added 27 receiving yards and a 57-yard pass for the Steamers.

Morrison will travel to face No. 4-seeded Annawan-Wethersfield (9-1) in its second-round playoff game next week.