Morris fooball team shows up strong in annual Maroon & White scrimmage

MORRIS – The Maroon & White scrimmage has become a ritual at Morris Community High School. First, the freshman team scrimmages against each other, then the varsity takes the field against the junior varsity team.

Such was the case again Friday night, and coach Alan Thorson came away impressed with the way his team performed. Not only did they play well in all aspects – offense, defense and special teams – but very few penalties were thrown by the veteran officiating crew led by Tom Hug.

After the scrimmage was over, Hug spoke to the varsity and JV teams that gathered around him. He had a few points of emphasis about equipment, such as the need for a mouthpiece and having jerseys tucked in, but overall he said that Morris played cleanly.

“This is one of the top officiating crews in the state,” Thorson said. “We were very fortunate to have them here. They have done a lot of state title games, and they were very complimentary about the way we played.

“We had some equipment issues, but that’s that this scrimmage is for. We need to iron things like that out before Week 1 when Coal City comes here and it starts for real.”

The varsity scrimmage began with special teams, as Morris is trying out four kickers. Three – Ben Salzman, Ryker Anderson and Connor Ahearn – are members of the Morris soccer team, and one, Esteban CiFuentes, is a member of the football team. All had their chances on kickoffs, extra points and field goals. Morris boys soccer coach David Valdivia was on hand to help the soccer players, as he performed for both the soccer and football teams while he attended Morris.

Luke Brown, a linebacker, running back and one of Morris’ four captains – along with Justin Hemmersbach, Nick Perry and Sam Reddinger – was anxious to get the season started.

“I am really excited about this season,” he said. “We have been looking good on both offense and defense.

“Honestly, I felt honored to be voted as a captain. It’s something I take seriously. I think I am both a vocal leader and I lead by example. If someone isn’t doing their job, I will let them know.”

Nearly everyone did their jobs well Friday night, as the defense stopped the JV offense for little or no gain several times, and the offense broke off an assortment of big plays.

“It was a good night,” Thorson said. “We were able to get under the lights. The kids, after the last couple of weeks of practice, are tired of hitting each other, and this got them at least a feel of a regular Friday night. You can’t simulate game conditions in a scrimmage, but being under the lights and having fans in the stands helps.

“The main thing is that we came out of healthy. The last thing you want to have happen in one of these is to have someone get hurt, and nobody did. One thing I did like was that our defense has made a lot of improvement, especially on their communication and getting a feel for each other.”

That defense returns eight starters from last year’s team. The defensive line figures to be Hemmersbach and Perry at tackle, with Jonah Williams and Dan Spencer at end. Mason Stapleton, Christian Arndt, Vaughn Mills, Carter Laudeman will rotate in as well. The linebackers will be Reddinger, Brown and Ashton Yard, with Jacob Swartz and Connor Mettille providing relief when they need a break. The cornerbacks will be Broc Grogan and Will Knapp, with A.J. Zweeres and Sam Mateski manning the safety spots. Other defensive backs include Matt Stark and Dmitri Lindemuth.

Offensively, Hemmersbach will be the center, with Perry and Aidan King as the guards and Justin Newman and Stapleton as the tackles. Tight ends will be Williams and Mettille, while the receivers will be Jack Wheeler, Gage Phillips, Zweeres, Stark and Lindemuth. Carter Button will be the quarterback, with the running duties taken on by Yard, Brown, Swartz and Reddinger.

“Our defense is very fast,” Thorson said. “They are going to be fun to watch. And on offense, Hemmersbach is a four-year starter, Perry is a three-year starter and Newman and King are two-year starters. That is a lot of experience. Carter is doing a good job at quarterback and he throws a nice ball. Our running backs all have a different style, but they all have a lot of ability.

“We’re pretty excited about this season. We feel like we have a lot of experience back and and lot of good players.”