Bounds’ record effort lifts Morris past Triad in Class 5A opening-round win

TROY – In nearly any football game, there is bound to be a play or two or a sequence of events that make that game memorable.

There was no shortage of those moments Saturday night in Morris’ 57-28 Class 5A opening-round playoff win over Triad.

For starters, 42 points were scored in the first quarter alone, including a span of 1:04 on the game clock that saw the teams combine for four touchdowns.

Morris opened the game with a drive that took about five minutes off the clock, running the ball on 11 of the 12 plays, and quarterback Brady Varner scored on a 1-yard sneak at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter. Triad took possession after the kickoff at its own 43, and quarterback Isaac Ackerman hit Brody Hasquin with a 57-yard TD pass on the first play, tying the score at 7 with 7:27 to play in the first quarter.

Morris (6-4), which hosts Highland at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second round, countered with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Steven Wagner to take a 14-7 lead at the 7:16 mark. Morris then stopped Troy and forced a punt. The snap went over the punter’s head and Morris’ Logan Sparrow recovered it at the Knights’ 6-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Griffin Zweeres plowed his way through several attempted tackles to score a 6-yard TD and put Morris ahead 21-7 with 6:33 to play in the first quarter.

“Where to start?” Morris coach Alan Thorson asked after the game. “We were good in all three phases of the game. The special teams got us a touchdown on the kick return and then they recovered the botched snap to set up another score. The offense started out hot, and we have to credit our offensive line for that. Griffin Zweeres ran angry.

“Brady Varner [8 of 11, 234 yards, three TDs] had one of his best games, not only by the numbers but with the reads and decisions he made. We gave up a few big plays in the first half, but other than that our defense played very well.”

Morris was able to stymie the Triad run game, allowing just 44 yards on 19 attempts. The Knights attempted 36 passes, and Morris’ Brett Bounds intercepted four of them, all in the second half, the last two of which were returned for a touchdown. According to ihsa.org, the four interceptions and two returned for touchdowns are a record for a Class 5A playoff game. For the season, Bounds, a senior who has committed to Purdue-Northwest to play baseball, now has seven picks, three of which he has returned for a touchdown.

The first pick came at the perfect time for Morris to shift the game’s momentum. Morris held a 43-21 halftime lead, but Triad took the second-half kickoff and drove for a touchdown to pull to within 43-28. The Knights then recovered an onside kick, and another touchdown drive would have closed it to a one-score game. Bounds ended those thoughts by making a leaping interception near the Morris sideline. Late in the third, Triad took over at the Morris 47 and on 2nd and 3 from the 40, Ackerman threw deep. Bounds made an over-the-shoulder catch for his second interception.

Morris had to punt and Triad took over at its own 40. A holding call moved the Knights back to the 30 before Ackerman attempted a pass toward the sideline. Bounds timed his move perfectly, intercepting the ball and racing 35 yards for a touchdown and a 50-28 lead. On the next drive, Ackerman was rolling right and tried to fire the ball over Bounds’ head, but Bounds leaped high and somehow caught the ball before returning it 30 yards for his second score.

“I’ve never had four interceptions in a game before,” Bounds said. “On that last one, the defensive line put pressure on the quarterback and made him roll my way. When he went to throw, I just jumped trying to knock it down. It stuck in my hands, and I had an open field.”

Jack Wheeler, a University of Illinois baseball commit, added to his numbers earlier in the game on an incredible play of his own. Midway through the second quarter, Varner launched a deep pass from his own 26. The ball was a little behind Wheeler and bounced off of the Triad defender’s helmet, but Wheeler kept his concentration and caught the carom in stride and continued the rest of the way for a 74-yard touchdown. He later added a 49-yard TD reception before halftime. For the season, Wheeler has caught 22 passes for 645 yards (29.32 average) and eight touchdowns.