Surrendering six touchdowns on the ground, the Morton Indians fall to 0-4, losing 48-8 to the Dimmitt Bobcats.
Leading 21-0 at the half, the ‘Cats stretched their lead to 48 after scoring 27 points in the third quarter.
“Had some mental lapses and weren’t mentally tough enough to overcome that in the third quarter,” Morton’s head coach Trevor Bulmer said about the defense giving up 27 points in the third quarter.
The ‘Cats consistently moved the chains through the run game as each rushing attempt averaged 10.3 yards per carry, totaling 342 yards.
Looking for improvement on the defensive side, the Indians recorded their most passing yards this season with 122 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Aidyn Ramirez for the Indians went 13-for-20, displaying efficiency through the air in his second start, leaving Coach Bulmer optimistic about the passing game.
“His footwork and his decision-making, I thought it was a lot cleaner for his second start,” Bulmer said. “He worked hard in practice last week, and he got better; it showed up in the game, and we’re expecting him to do the same thing this week.”
Starting the season 0-4, the Indians are focusing on internal improvement instead of the margins of losses. “It’s really about us and how we’re playing. How are we executing? What are the things that we’re doing well?” Bulmer said. “A couple of moments where you can point to and say, ‘hey, this is what we’re capable of.’
As the Indians prepare themselves for back-toback road games, they’ll key in on their mental toughness, especially versus their next opponent, the Bovina Mustangs, that has been able to squeak out victories, and being “mentally tough,” said Bulmer, will be critical.
“I think we have a challenge this week in terms of playing a more experienced team that knows how to win,” Bulmer said. “Go be tougher than these guys in terms of mental fortitude to stay in the game.”