The Morris Eagles took a tough road trip to face the undefeated Valliant Bulldogs on Oct. 23 and were handed a 51-6 defeat as Valliant improved to 8-0 on the year.
The Eagles (1-7) were held scoreless until the fourth quarter but continued to show key areas of improvement, particularly in the rushing game behind standout junior Chase Baumgarner.
Baumgarner powered the offense with 94 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 30-yard run and the Eagles’ lone touchdown. He also contributed defensively with six tackles and two assisted stops, along with 2 tackles for loss. Baumgarner handled special teams duties as well, recording two punts for a 26yard average and three kickoff returns for 7 yards per return, including a long of 12.
Quarterback Landon Martin finished the night 1-of-8 passing for 17 yards, with a 17-yard completion to Hagan Hodges, who led the receiving unit. Martin also chipped in 19 rushing yards on three carries.
Hodges saw action in every phase of the game gaining 6 yards rushing, making three tackles, a kickoff return, and even an attempted pass.
Other defensive contributors included:
• Isaac Taylor – 3 tackles, 3 assists, 1 TFL
• Dayton Andrews – 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 TFL
• Elijah Edwards – 2 tackles, 1 assist
• Rowan Ramirez – 2 tackles, 2 assists
• Jayden West – 2 tackles, 2 assists
• Gabe Clay – 1 tackle, 1 TFL Clay also handled the kicking duties, converting one PAT for the Eagles’ lone special teams point and booting two kickoffs with a long of 28 yards.
Scoring by quarters reflected Valliant’s balanced offensive attack across all four periods.
— Valliant 51, Morris 6
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Morris 0 0 0 6 6 Valliant 16 21 7 7 51