September 21, 2024
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Relentless Morris pulls away from La Salle-Peru for 52-14 Interstate 8 decision

Cavaliers led 14-7 late in opening quarter of eventual defeat

By Jared Bell
Morris' Keegan Kjellesvik (41) sprints down the field as L-P's Griffin May (26) hurdles over teammate Rylynd Rynkewicz to chase the ballcarrier down Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Howard Fellows Stadium.

Morris' Keegan Kjellesvik (41) sprints down the field as L-P's Griffin May (26) hurdles over teammate Rylynd Rynkewicz to chase the ballcarrier down Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Howard Fellows Stadium. (Scott Anderson)

PERU – The Morris football team just kept coming Friday against La Salle-Peru.

In the Interstate 8 Conference opener for both teams, the Morris offense proved to be relentless, turning a close first-quarter game into a 52-14 rout over the Cavaliers.

“I thought once we settled down and relaxed, we started rolling and you saw what this team has,” Morris coach Alan Thorson said. “We’ve heard a lot that ‘Morris is down’ and how young we are, but we still have some pretty good guys, and we showed that tonight.”

After L-P had the early momentum and built a 14-7 lead with 1:17 left in the first quarter, Morris exploded offensively. It outscored the Cavs 45-0 over the final three quarters and, after falling behind 14-7, scored on its next seven possessions, six of which were touchdowns.

In all, Morris punted once – on the game’s first possession – and turned over the ball on downs deep in L-P territory on its final possession.

“We came out in the first quarter and competed well, but the ball just didn’t go our way at times,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “Our guys fought, but we couldn’t move the ball and put our defense out there longer than it needed to be out there.”

While things ended sourly for L-P, the Cavs stood toe-to-toe and pushed the pace in the first quarter.

Morris's Chace Bachert put pressure on L-P quarterback Marion Persich as he throws the ball down the field on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 at Howard Fellows Stadium.

Morris' Chace Bachert put pressure on L-P quarterback Marion Persich as he throws the ball down the field Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Howard Fellows Stadium. (Scott Anderson)

After forcing a Morris three-and-out to start the game, L-P struck first when freshman quarterback Marion Persich threw a 63-yard TD pass to senior receiver Adrian Arzola to give the Cavs a 7-0 lead with 8:16 left in the first quarter.

Morris responded quickly when junior quarterback Brady Varner threw a 32-yard TD to senior receiver Brett Bounds to tie the game, but L-P came fighting back as it turned a fumble recovery into a 2-yard TD run by junior running back Easton Moriarity to give the Cavs a 14-7 lead with 1:17 left in the opening quarter.

“We came out in the first quarter, and really competed well,” Medina said.

However, after that it was all Morris.

Morris scored three second-quarter touchdowns and kicked a 25-yard field goal at the halftime horn as it built a 31-14 lead at intermission. In the second quarter, Brady Varner threw for two TDs, and his twin brother Bryce Varner ran for a 30-yard score.

“We have some of the best receivers we’ve had in school history, so teams have to respect our passing game,” Thorson said, “but that opened up our running game. We created some challenges.”

Morris kept on chugging in the second half.

Brady Varner threw a 17-yard TD to senior receiver Jack Wheeler to give Morris a 38-7 lead with 1:58 left in the third quarter, and junior running back Caeden Curran ran for a six-yard TD as time expired at the third-quarter horn to make it 45-14.

Junior running back Keegan Kjellesvik added a 2-yard, fourth-quarter TD run to cap the win.

“They had a kid who can throw the ball and some receivers who can make plays,” Medina said. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make the plays.”

For Morris, Brady Varner finished 14 for 19 for 233 yards and four TD passes, while Curran ran for 111 yards on 20 carries and a TD.

For L-P, Persich finished 11 for 20 for 144 yards and a TD. Moriarity also ran for a TD before leaving the game with an injury.

With the win, Morris (3-1, 1-0 in the I-8) plays host to Kaneland (4-0, 1-0) in a key I-8 game next week; while L-P (1-3, 0-1) hosts Rochelle (3-1, 0-1) for homecoming.