High school football: Kickoff return fuels Trojans' narrow win

GARLAND — With the game tied at 7-7 and just 15 seconds to go before halftime, Morgan High's Jordan Wamsley could have just focused on getting the ball on the kickoff, holding onto it and getting into the locker room.

Good thing for the Trojans, he did more than that.

Wamsley's 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the second quarter helped Morgan (5-1, 2-0) bounce back from a costly error to take a 14-7 halftime lead at Bear River (4-2, 1-1) Friday night, ultimately leading to a 17-14 victory.

"That was huge," Wamsley said. "It's always a big game with Bear River. I love it up here."

No kidding. Wamsley, who also rushed for 103 yards on the night, couldn't have picked a better spot to come through for the Trojans. Just minutes earlier, Morgan had fumbled deep in their own territory, giving Bears quarterback James Taylor an opportunity to hit Dax Sederholm on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tie things up at 7-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Wamsley decided to try and make something special happen.

"I thought, 'You know what, I've got a whole half to sit out, so I'm just going to go for it," he said.

He fielded the ball on a hop at the 11, faked a handoff on a reverse and shot up the middle of the field before turning to his left and racing up the sideline for the score.

"It was all the return team, they made every block through the whistle," Wamsley said.

Things would stay interesting throughout the second half, however. The Bears had the ball with 5:47 to go in the game, down by three points and a chance to put together a dramatic game-winning drive. But a costly fumble by Taylor at the Morgan 28 gave the Trojans the ball, who then used their powerful line and strong running attack to chew up the 5:24 that remained on the clock.

"We talked to our linemen and said, this game is on you," Morgan coach Kovi Christiansen said. "It's just a mental thing, and our kids did it mentally. I was proud of those guys up front."

Wamsley added, "I've never seen a line so good, they were just bringing it every single play. I was like, 'Should I run here or should I run here?' It was amazing, I was in awe all night."

Morgan and Bear River both have next week off before returning to the field on Oct. 9, as Morgan takes on Ben Lomond while Bear River hosts Juan Diego.