Unable to overcome the early deficit, the Morton Indians fell in their first district game versus Seagraves, 51-11.
The scoop-and-score in the first quarter put the Seagraves ahead early, 6-0, and the Eagles did not look back, scoring 39 unanswered points, making it difficult for the Indians to climb back into the game.
“A couple of early mistakes by us that definitely put us behind the eight ball,” Morton’s Head Coach Trevor Bulmer said. “When you’re playing a team that’s four and one and really good like Seagraves, you can’t do that.” Totaling six turnovers: three interceptions and three fumbles kept the Indians offense from generating enough offense to stay close in the game.
Morton defense allowed all of Seagraves offensive production to come from the run game, with 294 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The Eagles went 0/1 from the air.
The Indians found some success on offense in the third quarter with quarterback Aidyn Ramirez and Brayden Villarreal for a 14-yard touchdown pass.
Defensively, Morton was able to force two fumbles, which can be a recipe for their success throughout the rest of the season.
“We’ve always emphasized turnovers since I been here,” Bulmer said. “The goal is you want to create two a game. If you look at the data, a lot of times if you can create two takeaways in a game, your chances of winning go way up.”
The next game for Morton (0-6, 0-1) will be District 2-2A opponent Ropes (6-0, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at home.
Coach Bulmer will stress making Ropes uncomfortable by stopping the run. “We got to stop the run and then live with the results if they’re going to throw the ball,” Bulmer said. “The message is force them to do things that they’re not doing as well.”