Trojans win their state quarterfinal over Union, 49-7

With a severely undermanned team in Union visiting Morgan County for Friday’s 3A state quarterfinal, the Trojans were able to showcase their depth. 

“I thought the game went well. Outside of too many penalties, we played great,” said head coach Jared Barlow of Morgan’s 49-7 win two weeks after the Trojans blasted Union 62-7 on Senior Night. “We were able to play a lot of kids and started subbing out starters in the 1st quarter.” 

Morgan [8-3], the 3-seed, scored two touchdowns within two minutes of each other in the first quarter to start the game with a bang. 

Zak Sargent surged in from 7 yards for a TD with 8:52 showing on the scoreboard clock. 

And with 6:18 to play in the first it was Drew Korth’s turn to punch in a 7-yard run after the Trojans’ defense forced a Union punt. The score was 14-0 Trojans after Beau Johnson connected on each of the PATs. 

On the next drive, pressure from Morgan’s front four forced Union’s quarterback into a throw that was tipped by Tate Nelson and intercepted by Zak Sargent. 

With the ball back in possession of the Trojans, Sargent was penalized for hurdling a Union player. A holding call moved the Trojans offense back to the Union 39.  

Facing a 3rd down and 30, Beck Sheffield lofted a pass that Lincoln Gilson caught in stride for a 39-yard TD. The scoreboard read 21-0 for Morgan with 4:23 left in the first quarter after the PAT.  

A few plays after Gilson added a leaping interception to his stat line, Zak Sargent caught a screen pass and ran 18 yards for his second touchdown of the first quarter, giving the Trojans a 28-0 lead. 

With a spot in the state semifinals in firm control, Coach Barlow did a credit check from that point on, aware that 2-seeded Manti lies ahead later this week [Saturday] at Herriman’s Zions Bank Stadium. 

“We are excited to be able to represent Morgan for the 9th year in a row at the semifinals, where we play a solid Manti team,” said Coach Barlow. “Manti is a much-improved team from last year and we will need to play well in order to win.”

Luck might play a role, too. 

After the Trojans’ next drive stalled near Union’s goal line, a field goal attempt from Beau Johnson bounced off the back of his long snapper into the arms of holder Tate Nelson who ran the live ball into the end zone for a TD. With the PAT, the Trojans led 35-0 with 9:55 remaining in the first half. 

The 28-man Union Cougars then pulled a rabbit out of their own helmet. It turned into a football that they threw instead of punting, fooling Morgan on this Halloween weekend. 

The visitors then got their only points of the game scoring on a 5-yard TD pass with 5:14 left before halftime. 

The Trojans added TDs in the second half, a 37-yard pass from Cade Randall to Luke Wheeler in the third quarter and a 6-yard run from Drew Korth in the fourth. Junior Madden Bell kicked through the final point for Morgan, who’s now on a seven-game win streak. 

“We started the game about as well as you could and gave a lot of kids the opportunity to develop and get some varsity playing experience,” said Coach Barlow. λ