Published: November 28, 2009 01:33 am      

Morrison wins state football title

Herald Staff Report

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Through 13 games, Morrison was used to scoring first and using its inside-outside running game to disable opponents.

The Mustangs had to take a bit of a backward approach Friday, but things still worked out as they beat Maroa-Forsyth 36-14 to complete an undefeated season and capture the first state title in school history as they won the Illinois Class 2A football championship at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium.

“It feels amazing,” Morrison senior fullback/linebacker Josh Vos said. “It’s one of those experiences you can’t describe.”

Coach Cory Bielema said: “I’m not quite sure it’s settled in yet, but it’s fantastic. This group has really worked hard since the end of last season and put it together. I can’t be any more proud of them.”

The Mustangs (14-0) had to show some mettle to accomplish it.

They were in unfamiliar territory when Maroa-Forsyth (11-3) opened the game with a 10-play, 84-yard scoring drive. Sophomore quarterback Logan Stelzriede capped it with a 3-yard touchdown run as the Trojans took a 7-0 lead with 8 minutes, 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

“The first drive on a big stage like this, I think we had some nerves and jitters and weren’t following our reads,” Bielema said.

Forced to play from behind for just the second time all season, the Mustangs saw their first drive stall near midfield and were forced to punt. Adding to the concern, Vos, Morrison’s leading rusher with more than 1,900 yards on the year, was getting little room to maneuver inside.

No problem.

First the defense buckled down.

“I was a little nervous (after the first drive),” Morrison senior captain Kyle Janssen admitted. “We kept everybody up and said we could do this. We just had to stop the run and not let anybody deep. I think we did a pretty good job of not letting anyone get over us.”

Next, the offense got moving after a three-and-out by the Trojans.

With the Trojans keying on Vos, the Mustangs simply switched to an outside-inside attack.

Wingbacks Janssen and Conner Bealer were featured early until they opened up running room for Vos, and by the end of the day, all three had games to remember. Vos surpassed the 2,000-yard mark as he gained 172 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns, Janssen went over 1,000 for the year as he ran 13 times for 106 yards and Bealer rushed for 33 yards, caught three passes for 57 and returned three punts for 45 yards.

“That’s what it has been like all year,” Janssen said. “We start out running up the middle with Josh, and if that didn’t work out we’d go to me and Bealer. If me and Bealer started doing good, that opened up things for everybody.”

It still took a little more time for Morrison to get on the scoreboard, though.

The Mustangs’ second offensive series ended after eight plays and 47 yards when Wyatt Washburn intercepted an Andrew Cook pass at the 2-yard line and returned it to the 6. Maroa-Forsyth opened with back-to-back runs of 13 and 9 yards by Dalton Coventry, but Vos stopped Stelzriede for no gain on second-and-1, then a holding penalty killed the drive.

Morrison took over at its 38 after a punt, and the offense started rolling.

Bealer, the right wingback, carried to the left and broke off a 25-yard run on second-and-8, then Janssen did just the opposite on the next play, cutting upfield just before he reached the right sideline, breaking a tackle at the 27 and scoring on a 35-yard run with 10:58 left in the second quarter. Kyle Dermody kicked the extra point, and the game was tied.

After the defense forced another punt by the Trojans, Morrison took over at its 30 and started the drive that gave it the lead for good.

Cook and Bealer connected for 16 yards on third-and-9. Vos followed with a 12-yard gain. Sprung by a nice block on the outside by Zach Greul, Janssen picked up 25 yards to give the Mustangs a first down at the Maroa 16. Vos then carried three consecutive times, finishing the eight-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:17 left in the half.

“I think it was really big early to be able to run outside,” Vos said. “It really opened up the middle for us.”

A pair of fumbles — one that was overturned — then helped Morrison seize control.

First, Stelzriede mishandled the snap on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage, and Matt McDonnell recovered for Morrison at the Trojans’ 20.

“When I got the fumble recovery ... it made me feel a lot better,” McDonnell said. “As a sophomore, I was a little shaky (until) once I got that fumble recovery.”

It appeared the Mustangs might be ready to break open the game after back-to-back 5-yard runs by Vos left them with a second-and-goal from the 2, then disaster struck. Well, almost. Vos fumbled just before he reached the goal line, and Maroa-Forsyth recovered. Fortunately for the Mustangs, though, there was an inadvertent whistle and they got the ball back.

“I’m pretty sure it was punched out, but the side ref thought it was a touchdown and blew the whistle,” said Vos, who scored two plays later on a 4-yard run for a 20-7 lead.

Morrison kept the pressure on in the second half, and it was only a matter of time before the players were celebrating.

Time and again, the defense came up big.

First, Tyler Snow intercepted a pass at the Morrison 7 to stop a drive. The next time the Trojans had the ball, Morrison’s defense stopped the Trojans just short of a first down on a fake punt. It resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Dermody to increase the lead to 23-7.

A 35-yard punt return by Bealer set up Morrison’s next score, and he finished the four-play, 30-yard drive with a 7-yard run.

Maroa-Forsyth scored on its next possession, and fumbles stopped two Morrison drives deep in Trojans’ territory before Morrison put away the game when Vos capped a short drive with a 4-yard run with 1:35 left in the game.

“This will be a special memory being with this whole group,” Vos said. “We’re so close. Our whole team definitely deserves it.”

After coming so close the previous three years — a one-point loss in the semifinals in 2006, a quarterfinals loss to the eventual state champion in 2007 and a quadruple-overtime loss in the second round last year — it’s tough to argue about that.

“Morrison’s been waiting for this for a while, and we finally got the job done,” McDonnell said.



MORRISON 36, MAROA-FORSYTH 14

Morrison 0 20 3 13 — 36

Maroa-Forsyth 7 0 0 7 — 14

First quarter

MF — Logan Stelzriede 3 run (Alex Chiligrirs kick), 8:47

Second quarter

M — Kyle Janssen 35 run (Kyle Dermody kick), 10:58

M — Josh Vos 1 run (Dermody kick), 6:17

M — Vos 4 run (kick failed), 2:56

Third quarter

M — FG Dermody 23, 2:03

Fourth quarter

M — Conner Bealer 7 run (run failed), 10:48

MF — Justin Barnes 12 pass from Stelzriede (Chilgrirs kick), 8:07

M _ Vos 4 run (Dermody kick), 1:35

Morr MF

First downs 19 16

Rushes-yards 54-319 35-167

Passing yards 57 152

Comp.-att.-int. 3-6-1 16-32-1

Punts-avg. 3-44.7 4-42.8

Fumbles-lost 2-2 5-2

Penalties-yards 7-52 6-49

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Morrison, Josh Vos 27-172, Kyle Janssen 13-106, Conner Bealer 7-33, Andrew Cook 7-8. Maroa-Forsyth, Dalton Coventry 13-95, Dustin Hoffman 3-43, Logan Stalzriede 12-16, Justin Barnes 4-12, Aaron Greenwell 1-1, Tim Yuenger 1-0, Tyler Propst 1-minus-2, Aaron Ford 0-2.

PASSING — Morrison, Cook 3-6-1-57. Maroa-Forsyth, Stalzriede 16-32-1-152.

RECEIVING — Morrison, Bealer 3-57. Maroa-Forsyth, Wyatt Washburn 9-95, Joe Hockaday 2-21, Barnes 2-18, Blake Stalzriede 1-12, Taylor Sims 1-6.

MISSED FIELD GOAL — Maroa-Forsyth, Chiligrirs 47 (short), :29 2Q.