Peoria High outlasts Morris in thrilling 58-52 shootout

MORRIS – Morris started the night on fire, driving 65 yards on its opening possession and capping the drive with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Blaine Beshoar.

On the ensuing drive, Morris capitalized on a muffed kick return, pinning Peoria High at its own 1-yard line.

On Peoria’s second play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Breon Green threw an interception to Morris junior linebacker Logan Sparrow, who returned it for a touchdown.

It was all Morris to start the game, finishing the first quarter up fifteen points over the Lions, but ultimately falling in a shootout, 58-52.

Peoria quickly answered back and was not going down without a fight, finishing the first half scoring 20 unanswered points and taking a six-point lead. Peoria coach Aaron Montgomery was impressed with the way his team bounced back after a rough start.

“We really just didn’t panic. We stayed true to ourselves. We just told the coaches over the headset, ‘Hey, 14-0, that’s not enough points. We’ve got to stay the course and stick to our game plan,’ ” Montgomery said. “We toted the ball, pounded the rock and just played Peoria High football all night long.”

Morris struggled to stop Peoria High’s running game all night, and it proved costly. The Lions rushed for 499 yards, with three players making significant contributions.

Junior running back Detaurion Pollard led with 219 yards, junior quarterback Breon Green added 123 yards, and senior running back Kendall Netters had 157 yards.

Montgomery emphasized that their game plan from the outset was to rely on their ground game.

“That’s definitely what we aimed to do when we came out here tonight. We wanted to put it in the hands of our O-line and our running backs and continue to just chop wood. Make football not fun for other teams.”

Pollard led the way Friday night as the featured back for the Lions, making the most out of his 32 touches and consistently getting extra yards after contact.

Pollard made sure to shout out his offensive line as he battled cramps throughout the game.

“I give them a lot of credit for what we did tonight,” Pollard said. “I kept catching cramps, and they just kept telling me to keep pushing. They really kept me on my game tonight.”

The game was a back-and-forth battle throughout the second half and featured some tense moments down the stretch.

With the score tied 42-42 and 3:20 left in the fourth quarter, Morris senior kicker Brady Ahearn made a 44-yard field goal to put Morris ahead by three points. Peoria High responded with a 90-yard scoring drive, ending with a 4-yard touchdown run by Pollard and a successful 2-point conversion that put the Lions up by 5.

The two-minute drill was on for Morris, as it had success through the air in the first half but relied on its running game in the second half.

Junior quarterback Brady Varner led his offense all the way into the red zone but threw a critical interception that was returned for a touchdown by Lions senior linebacker Gerald Jenkins, putting the Lions up two scores and essentially ending the ballgame.

Varner finished the night 12 of 22 for 216 yards, three touchdowns and the one interception.

Morris scored on the ensuing drive, but was unable to recover the onside kick.

Peoria High maintains its undefeated record and will look to continue its strong start as it hosts Manual in Week 4.

With the loss, Morris falls to 2-1 and will head on the road in Week 4 to face La Salle-Peru in an Interstate Eight Conference contest.