The Morton Indians football team wrapped up their season earlier this month, finishing 2-8-1 overall and 2-3 in district play.
The Indians made the 2A-2 playoffs but fell in the first round, 78-14, to an elite Stratford Elks team.
While it may not have ended how they wanted, Head Coach Trevor Bulmer still acknowledged some positives about the overall season.
“Our season was filled with a ton of adversity from all angles, but I am so proud of how our team consistently responded and continued to get better. Despite injuries and other tough circumstances, we found our way into the playoffs,” Coach Bulmer said. “This senior group made the playoffs three years in a row which has only happened two other times in Morton football history. Our goals were high, we wanted to win a district title, and we were alive for that through the second to last week of the season. We fell short of that, which is disappointing, but I think the growth we saw throughout the year was a major success. I am extremely thankful that I got to go through this season with the group of kids and coaches we have.”
Even though they fell short of a district title, the Indians still showed resilience this season after going winless through the first six games and then fighting back to win two of their final four regular season games to make the playoffs.
And it’s easy to criticize Morton’s record, but for their eight losses, the combined record of their opponents is 75-45-1.
The Indians left it all on the field against elite competition and their stats show it. Offensively, Morton ended the year with 3,276 total yards, with 1,906 passing and 1,370 rushing.
The offense scored 36 total touchdowns with 24 passing and 12 rushing, also completing 61% of their passes and rushing for 4.1 yards a carry.
Defensively, Morton held their opponents to 108 pass yards per game and 48% on third down conversions, also forcing eight turnovers recording four sacks and 26 tackles for loss this season.
Those team statistics were powered by numerous fantastic individual efforts including junior quarterback safety Brayden Villarreal, who led the Indians in total touchdowns, passing yards, rushing yards and total tackles.
Villarreal passed for 1,561 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a 64% completion percentage. He rushed for 609 yards and nine touchdowns on 123 carries as well.
At safety, he recorded 71 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Other defensive standouts included senior defensive lineman Britton Boggs with 62 tackles and four tackles for loss, and senior defensive back EJ Rivas, who led the team in tackles for loss with six, also recording 48 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Sophomore defensive lineman Izzy Nanez, junior Antonio Samaniego and senior defensive lineman Ismael Teniente all tied for the team lead in sacks with one.
On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver EJ Rivas led the Indians in receiving with 1,213 yards on 61 receptions, also recording 13 receiving touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Jaeden Alvarado was Morton’s second leading receiver with 38 receptions for 436 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Alvarado also had 138 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the season.
And rounding out the season standouts is junior running back Luis Aguirre, who was Morton’s second leading rusher with 90 carries for 364 yards and a touchdown.
Three of those standouts, Rivas, Boggs and Alvarado, received First Team All-District honors. Rivas was recognized as a wide receiver and defensive back, Alvarado as a utility player and Boggs as an offensive lineman.
Congratulations to not only those athletes, but Morton football as a whole, on a hard-fought season with many memorable performances.
The returners can build on it next year, but before then they’ll have to say goodbye to a great senior class.
In Coach Bulmer’s closing remarks on the season, he had a specific message for that group.
“My message to our senior group is that they should maintain the high expectations they have built for themselves. This is a group that has won Gold Balls in football, basketball and baseball throughout their 3.5 years in Morton,” Coach Bulmer said. “They have always been athletic and talented, but where I saw each of them grow by leaps and bounds this season was their maturity, emotional toughness and leadership. I couldn’t have asked for a better group in my first year as a Head Coach. They will always be a special group to me and I’m very excited to see them continue competing in other sports this year. I’m even more excited to see where they go in life after they graduate. They have created a higher standard for the classes below them to follow.”
Best of luck to the football seniors of Ismael Teniente, Britton Boggs, Adrian Luevano, EJ Rivas, Jaeden Alvarado, Abram Castillo and Matthew Rodriguez, not only in their other sports this year, but life.