Morris scores 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter to close out Joliet West

JOLIET – In 2023, Joliet West’s lone regular-season loss came at the hands of Morris. The Tigers were hoping to avenge that defeat Friday night, and after a slow start it began to look like they’d do just that in the third.

Morris, on the other hand, was determined to make it a repeat of last year’s result, which is exactly what it got.

After pouncing on the Tigers early, Morris gave up 17 unanswered points through the second and third quarters. In the final quarter of play, though, Morris was the one scoring 17 unanswered to seal up a 31-17 Week 2 victory and stay unbeaten on the year.

“We talked all week about how (Joliet West coach) Dan (Tito) does a great job with his guys,” Morris coach Alan Thorson said. “Joliet West is a program on the rise, and we know that. ... Coming to their place was always going to be tough, and we’re still a team that’s learning. I think at times you can see how good we can be.

“I’m proud of a lot of things we did, and we still have some things to figure out.”

West looked sharp on the first play of the game, as Antoine Brooks ripped off a 37-yard run up the middle. Unfortunately for the Tigers and fortunately for Morris, running back Gerald Bush fumbled three plays later, and Morris’ Logan Sparrow recovered.

On the ensuing possession, Morris found itself facing a third-and-18 when quarterback Brady Varner hit Jack Wheeler for a 42-yard touchdown pass in the end zone. That put Morris up 7-0 with 8:46 left in the opening quarter.

The next possession saw Varner hit Wheeler for another third-and-18 conversion to set Morris up at the 3. Facing third-and-goal two plays after, Caeden Curran punched it in and made it 14-0 Morris midway through the first.

From there, it was all defense for a while. Sedrick Love had three of West’s five sacks on the night, with Micah McNair contributing three tackles for loss. Morris, meanwhile, had four sacks, including two by Colin Zierman, as it was difficult for either team to break through.

Until 2:37 remained in the first half, that is. That’s when McNair got his first offensive touch of the season. The result was 92-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit in half.

It wasn’t over yet. Tito opted to attempt an onside kick, which the Tigers recovered. After a series of penalties by both teams, West ended up settling for a 27-yard field goal by Adrian Ramirez just before halftime.

The second half saw the defenses continue to control the pace of the game, including an interception by Austin Kittl of the Tigers to set up West on the Morris 35-yard line. Brooks then danced around in the backfield to avoid Morris defenders and eventually hit Owen Barton for a 35-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 17-14 with 3:44 left in the period.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

Just 12 seconds in, Connor Ahearn nailed a 38-yard field goal to tie things up 17-17. After a quick three-and-out by West, Morris got the ball back and returned to the deep ball that worked so well for it early. Varner connected with Ethan Mumbrue for a 47-yard touchdown strike to move Morris back ahead.

Morris then used an 11-play drive to drain the clock down to 2:30. More critically, Griffin Zweeres scored on a 1-yard plunge to make it 31-17, essentially sealing the win for Morris.

Varner passed for 211 yards, while Zweeres rushed for 120.

“I was just thinking pound it in (at the end of the game),” Zweeres said. “We just needed more heart, and that’s all it takes.”

Aside from the 92-yarder by McNair, Brooks led the way with 89 yards rushing and 83 passing. All other ballcarriers combined for just 13 yards total. Still, Tito noted the Tigers’ resiliency above all else.

“We came back 14-0 against a very good Morris team,” Tito said. “Coach Thorson does an awesome job over there and runs a great program. Morris is a blue-chip team in our state, so for us to show them that we’re not going to back down and keep fighting I think says a lot about our character.”

West will host Yorkville next week, while Morris hosts Peoria High.