Morris QB-WR duo of Carter Button and AJ Zweeres top school record book

MORRIS – There is no denying Morris football has a rich tradition.

Since 1979, the first time that Morris made the IHSA playoffs, the program has appeared in the postseason 36 times. It has won three state championships and been runner-up eight times.

During that timeframe, there have been several standout players who have become legends in the town and school.

This year’s team has a 7-0 record and has clinched the school’s 37th playoff appearance. Leading the charge is the senior quarterback/wide receiver duo of Carter Button and AJ Zweeres. Not only are they leading the team this season, but they now are on the top of the heap for their careers.

“The great thing to me is that what Carter and AJ are doing are a reflection of the team, and they will be the first to tell you that.”

—  Alan Thorson, Morris football head coach

Button threw three touchdown passes, two to Zweeres, Friday night in a 48-7 win over Woodstock. That pushed his career total TD passes to 43, which broke the school record he had shared with Todd Schultz, who went on to be the starter at Michigan State in 1997. Next on the list with 34 TDs is Jason Knapp.

For the season, Button has completed 71 of 111 passes (64%) for 1,254 yards and 20 touchdowns against only one interception. For his career, he is 174 of 264 (66%) for 2,656 yards and 43 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also has 78 career rushing attempts for 373 yards and five TDs.

“I didn’t know until Monday that I was tied for the school record for touchdown passes,” Button said. ”Coach [offensive coordinator Justin] Zink told me in school that day.

“When you think about all of the players that have come through here and the great quarterbacks we’ve had, to be on the top of that list is pretty cool. It helps to have a receiver like AJ, too. I know that if I am in trouble, I can always look for him and throw it his way, and he will most likely make a good play.”

Zweeres is listed as a wide receiver, but he does a bit of everything. He has caught 30 passes for 639 yards this season, with 11 touchdowns. He has carried the ball nine times for 70 yards and three TDs, has 33 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble on defense, and has returned seven kickoffs for 183 yards (26.14 average) and nine punts for 191 yards (20.11 average) and two touchdowns.

For his career, Zweeres has 78 receptions for 1,325 yards and 24 TDs, has carried 55 times for 415 yards and 10 TDs, has 29 kick returns for 722 yards and a touchdown and 32 punt returns for 630 yards and three TDs. He sits atop the career receiving yards list, as he topped Jerry Mettille’s mark – set in the 1960s – of 1,290 on Friday night. He already had the receiving TD mark before Friday.

Next on the list are Frank Varner, a standout receiver for the 1979 Class 3A runner-up team and the 1980 Class 3A state championship team and the father of current Morris sophomores Bryce and Brady Varner, both of whom are playing with the varsity this season, with 17 TDs and Ryan Sylvester, who played at Western Michigan, with 14.

“I always know that Carter is going to get me the ball in a good spot,” Zweeres said. “He can put the ball in a tight window.

“We work on stuff all the time, obviously at practice, but any time there is a football laying there, we are going to pick it up and throw it around. And a big shout out goes to our offensive line. Carter hasn’t really been touched all year, so he has the time to read the defense and know where he should throw the ball.”

Alan Thorson has been Morris’ head coach for the past 12 seasons and has been on the staff since 2005. He has seen a lot of great players go through the program, from John Dergo, Jamie Cumbie and Alex Perry to Danny Friend and Zach Cinnamon to Mitch Mayberry and Kam Dransfeldt and Tyler Spiezio and the Sobol brothers, Reese, Griffan and Keegan.

He puts Button and Zweeres right near the top.

“I think Carter is the best quarterback I have ever coached,” Thorson said. “There have been some big names go through here. Todd Schultz, who was a D-I quarterback, Jason Knapp, Bill Button [no relation to Carter], Jim Feeney, Austin Feeney, Zach Cinnamon. And Carter is right up there with them. He’s not flashy and doesn’t talk about himself, but whatever college he chooses is going to get a good one.

“AJ, to me, is the best all-around player we’ve had here since John Dergo. He’s a different kind of player, but he just makes things happen when he touches the ball. Look at all the great receivers we’ve had. Frank Varner, Ryan Sylvester, Kelly Dransfeldt, Mike Wright, Tyler Spiezio. AJ’s ahead of all of them.

“The great thing to me is that what Carter and AJ are doing are a reflection of the team, and they will be the first to tell you that. If the offensive line doesn’t give Carter time to throw, he can’t get the ball to AJ, and they both know that.”

The duo will try to add to their school records this week at Ottawa before finishing the regular season at home against fellow unbeaten Sycamore in a game that should determine the Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White championship.