TROY – Morris used their defense to take a 57-28 win over Triad in a first-round game of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs Saturday evening at Triad’s stadium.
The Knights lost their final two games of the season after starting 7-1, and ends their season 7-3, while Morris improves to 6-4, and advances to a home game in next week’s second round against Highland, who defeated Marion 55-19 at Highland’s stadium on Saturday.
Morris took the lead about halfway through the first on a one-yard touchdown run, then Louis Yohannes tied the game on a 62-yard touchdown pass from Issac Ackerman to draw the Knights level at 7-7. Morris returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a go-ahead touchdown that made the score 14-7, then scored twice more, on a six-yard run and a 33-yard touchdown pass to go further ahead 28-7. Before the end of the quarter, Ackerman threw his second touchdown pass of the quarter, 42 yards to Mike Musgrave, to cut the lead to 28-14 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Morris scored twice on touchdown passes of 11 and 47 yards, adding a two-point conversion after the second score, to go up 43-14, with Jack Phelps catching a 41-yard pass from Ackerman for a touchdown, Ackerman’s third of the game, to cut the lead to 43-21 at halftime. Ackerman ran in from two yards out for a touchdown in the thrid to cut the lead to 43-28, but Morris ran two interceptions in the fourth quarter 40 and 33 yards to make the final 57-28.
Morris will host Highland in the second round game, with the date and time to be announced Monday afternoon, along with the entire second round schedule.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
