On the week of November 17th, the MSW football team had a program shift. Prior, the team had been on a rough stretch, losing their first nine games and only winning a total of two games in the last two seasons. The team was done and looking for motivation. That perfect opportunity struck the week of senior night.
It was a different week in practice than most. The effort was at the highest level it had been all season according to senior captain Christian Harris. It was as if they were practicing for something more than just the win. They were practicing for the seniors.
“The seniors talked a lot in the week of practice prior. They took their leadership to the next level,” said Junior #6 Xzavion Clark, “We all came to an agreement as a team that we needed to put forth 150% effort because it’s the game for the seniors, and it also shows the coaches and the team what it takes to win a football game.”
But it wouldn’t be easy. SMSA, a small school out of Hartford, came into this game in second to last place in the Pequot conference standings with a record of 1-9.
On a cold November 22nd night, it all came together for MSW. MSW started the game with a stop on the defensive side of the football. Something they have had trouble with this season, giving up nearly 12 points per game in the first quarter. When they got the ball for their first offensive possession, senior Wyatt Pennington scored his first career varsity touchdown on a 24-yard run, putting MSW out in front 7-0, giving Morgan their first lead in the first quarter all season.
That moment struck something in the team, said junior Xzavion Clark, motivating them and showing them the true meaning of senior night. Finally, they had hope. Getting off to a hot start was something MSW had struggled to do all year, but once they did, the team’s emotions skyrocketed.
“Wyatt Pennington’s touchdown to start the game really energized us,” said Harris, “It was definitely a great feeling for him to get his first touchdown of the year and just it made the team so much happier.”
MSW’s defense continued to play fiercely throughout the rest of the first quarter and into the second quarter, not letting SMSA score once and then forcing a safety to go up 9-0 at the beginning of the second quarter. Harris was able to force a fumble on SMSA’s next drive and then recover it. It was then when MSW reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out a trick play. Sophomore wide receiver Aedan Harkins switched to quarterback and threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to senior Johnnie Alexander.
“We just came into the game with the mentality that we have nothing left to lose. You know, it’s our last game of this season. Let’s go out with a bang, especially one we know we can win,” said senior Harris.
The game plan for the second half stayed the same, playing with absolutely nothing to lose. Powell rushed for a second touchdown in the third quarter to put MSW up 28-12 giving them a comfortable 2 score lead. MSW’s defense continued to show why their hard work all week paid off, only allowing 6 points in the third quarter.
“The game plan was to beat them and at least prove that we’re not the team that shows on the record, because, in my opinion, we’re not, and that didn’t change in the second half,” said Clark.
Harris started the 4th quarter with a huge 62 yard rush to put MSW back up two scores, his second 60 yard plus rush of the season.
The fight, however, was not over. Morgan entered another drama-filled fourth quarter with SMSA looking for a way to crawl back.
A key moment of the game came minutes into the fourth quarter, when SMSA’s was driving down the field ready to get back in the game. Suddenly, a whirlwind of a play happened. SMSA’s quarterback threw a pass that deflected off #54 senior linebacker Chayton Katterman’s helmet and was in the air, for what felt like minutes, then landed in edge rusher Xzavion Clark’s hands for his first career interception. This interception officially put the game out of reach for SMSA since MSW had the football back with a 2 score lead in the fourth quarter.
“They had a lot of momentum on their side. They were driving down the field with two big plays in a row,” said Powell. Then everything changed. “We were all really excited and jumping up and down like kids,” Powell commented.
The turnover turned into points quickly when MSW added another score after a rushing touchdown by senior Tristan Eliot put MSW up 42-18.
That touchdown was the fourth different senior touchdown on the night.
“It was a surreal moment, scoring on senior night in front of all my friends and family,” said Alexander, “I’m happy we were able to get that first win on senior night.”
Despite a late SMSA score, the game ended in a dominant 42-24 MSW win.
“It felt great, you know, to go 0-9 and put in all that work that you do every practice, every week in the summer, and to finally, at least, lead to one win to cap the season off,” said Harris.
Christian Harris was the most notable player from the win, recording 119 rushing yards on 15 attempts, a touchdown, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. Another notable performance is Trevor Powell’s 53 passing yards on a 60 percent completion rate, 67 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and one interception.
The win closed off a great four-year run for many MSW seniors. From playing varsity as freshman under Coach Kevin Sullivan, to making the playoffs as sophomores, to getting a fresh start junior year under now head coach Casey Trasacco, and finally capping off their careers with a forever memorable senior night win.
“This win is a tone setter for not only next season but the entire offseason,” said Clark, “ It was a small stepping stone to rebuilding a team and rebuilding team chemistry across the board for all three schools. And I feel like we’ve come together as a unit, as a family, and as a team to the point where winning is honestly just another day.”
