WEST MORGAN HOLDS ON FOR WIN

West Morgan secured the program's first winning season since 2008 by holding on for a last-second win over Elkmont, 22-15.  

Elkmont had the ball inside West Morgan's 5-yard line late in the game, but was unable to stop the clock before getting off a final play.

Zeb Pankey and Cameron Davis each had rushing touchdowns in the loss for Elkmont.

West Morgan (6-3, 3-3 in Class 3A, Region 8) closes region play next week at Lexington. Elkmont (0-9, 0-6) plays at Clements.

Decatur Daily Article Link

Down Home Portraits has great actions shots of the game. Album Link 

MEET THE WEST MORGAN REBELS

It's the second year of West Morgan head football coach Heath Saint's rebuilding process and he expects to see positive steps this season after last season's 1-9 record.  In 16 years of coaching, Saint has experienced only two losing seasons. Last season was just the second when his team was not in the playoffs.Saint has been around winners. In 1998-2000, Saint was a volunteer assistant at West Morgan.The Rebels went 10-2, 10-2 and 7-5. He was a coordinator at Cordova when the Blue Devils went to the state championship game three times, winning the 2007 Class 3A state title.
 
"I knew what I was getting into when I took this job," said Saint. "The program lost a big senior class. We knew we were going to play a lot of young kids the first season. We still will be playing a lot of young kids this season.
"It's like I tell my players, when you take down a tree, one swing of the axe won't do it. It takes a lot of hacks to bring it down, but eventually it will come down. Eventually this football program will be back to where it should be."

Saint expects to dress 38 players. There are nine seniors and four juniors on the team. "We have a lot of starters back," said Saint. "Because we played so many young people last season, we will have a lot of starters back next season. The experience will be valuable, but the biggest difference is strength. We want to play physical football. You can't do that if you are weak. We've worked hard in the weight room. We're 1,000-percent stronger this season."
 
Offense:
Rodney Young (6-foot-2, 185-pounds) will be quarterbacking the West Morgan offense.
The Rebels want to run, run, run the football.
"Last year, I bet we didn't throw it 30 times all season," said Saint. "We want to embrace physical football, and to me that means lining it up and running the football. That's my style."
Saint likes the talent and depth in the offensive backfield, especially at fullback. Freshman Zac Mills (5-8, 200) started as an eighth grader.
Morgan (5-8, 205) and Devin Hawkins (6-0, 245) are two juniors.The tailbacks are senior Shelton Stewart (5-11, 175) and sophomore J.T. Kirby (5-11, 165). The offensive line has experience but lacks depth. Doing the blocking up front will be Dustin Beason (5-11, 240), Matthew Rolin (5-10, 175), Matthew Jasso (6-0, 255), A.J. Bolton (6-0, 215) and Brad Wilson (6-2, 235).
 
Defense:
On defense, Saint wants to rotate a lot of players at all positions. The defensive line will come from a group of Morgan, Wilson, Bolton, Beason, Austin Guyse and Blake Kranik. Mills will start again at middle linebacker. The other linebackers are Sam Hughes, Branden Tucker and Devin Hawkins.
The cornerbacks are Kirby, Derrick Cross and Judd Black. The safeties will be Young, Stewart and Austin Hulbert.
 
"We were not a good tackling team last season," said Saint. "A lot of that was because we were not physically strong. We're stronger this year, but we still have a long way to go to be where we need to be."

source article: Decatur Daily 

Sep 13 @ 7:00 - Football Box Score West Morgan  0 Colbert County  55 Box Score   Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    Final West Morgan          0   0     0     0       0 Colbert County   28 14     6     7     55 Game Story Alabama High School Football - Colbert County routs West Morgan (September 13, 2013: Leighton, AL 35646) The Colbert County Indians football squad scored 55 points and limited the visiting West Morgan Rebels to 0 in the Indians league win on Friday. Coming up next, the Rebels play the Elkmont Red Devils (Elkmont, AL) in a 3A Region 8 battle, on Friday, September 20. West Morgan will attempt to advance on its 0-3 season record. The Red Devils go into the battle with a 1-2 record after their 17-7 league win over Westminster Christian (Huntsville, AL).  Alabama High School Football - Clements nips West Morgan (September 6, 2013: Trinity, AL 35673) The Clements Colts (Athens, AL) football nudged the host West Morgan Rebels (Trinity, AL), 34-32 in Friday's league bout.  Aug 29 @ 7:00 - Football Box Score Priceville  48 West Morgan  35 Box Score        Q1    Q2     Q3   Q4     Final Priceville       13   20      0 15      48 West Morgan        0   22      0 13      35 Game Story Alabama High School Football - Priceville knocks off West Morgan (August 29, 2013: Trinity, AL 35673) The Priceville Bulldogs football squad scored 48 points and limited the host West Morgan Rebels to 35 in the Bulldogs non-league win on Thursday.   Coming up next, the Rebels play the Clements Colts (Athens, AL) in a 3A Region 8 battle, on Friday, September 6. West Morgan will attempt to advance on its 0-1 season record. The Colts go into the battle with a 0-1 record after their 44-6 non-league loss to West Limestone (Lester, AL).  Source:  MaxPreps School Schedule Date Participants Req Site Location 08/29/2013 @ 07:00 pm Priceville High School (4A) D West Morgan High School 09/06/2013 @ 07:00 pm Clements High School (3A) R West Morgan High School 09/13/2013 @ 07:00 pm Colbert County High School (3A R Colbert County High School 09/20/2013 @ 07:00 am Elkmont High School (3A) R West Morgan High School 09/27/2013 @ 07:00 pm East Lawrence High School (4A)   East Lawrence High School 10/04/2013 @ 07:00 pm Deshler High School (3A) R Deshler High School 10/11/2013 @ 07:00 pm Lauderdale County High School R West Morgan High School 10/18/2013 @ 07:00 am Madison Academy (3A) R West Morgan High School 10/25/2013 @ 07:00 pm Westminster Christian Academy R Westminster Christian Academy 11/01/2013 @ 07:00 am Hanceville High School (3A)   Hanceville High School

ELKMONT BREAKS THROUGH FOR FIRST WIN

The game deadlocked at halftime, Elkmont head coach Sean Holt challenged his young offensive line to dig deep and they responded by paving the way for two second-half touchdowns en route to the Red Devils’ 28-14 win over Class 3A, Region 8 rival West Morgan Friday night at Boss Hill Stadium.

Elkmont (1-3, 1-2) claimed its first victory this season by dominating the point of attack against West Morgan (1-3, 1-2) on both sides of the ball in the second half as the Rebels were held to 69 rushing yards in the final two quarters after gaining 173 on the ground in the first half.

The Red Devils deployed four running backs who had a turnover-free night and took advantage of ferocious blocking up front – anchored by senior center Jake Marshall, sophomore guards Kody Clark and Brent Stovall and sophomore tackles Jon Jon Willliams and Eli Vining — to gain 253 yards on only 36 carries for an average of just over seven yards per carry.

West Morgan opened the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run by Demetrius Warren with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter. Elkmont responded with a 4-yard TD run by Mike Tucker less than a minute into the second quarter and an 11-yard score by Dustin Ward with 6:05 left until halftime.

The Rebels tied the score at 14 heading into the locker room when quarterback Rodney Young, who had a team-high 126 yards on 17 carries, found the end zone on an 8-yard keeper with 3:01 left in the second.

It was all Elkmont in the second half as Ward struck again with a 2-yard TD with 4:05 left in the third quarter and a 2-yard keeper by quarterback Bryant Wales (3 of 4 passing for 25 yards) with 6:26 remaining in the fourth.

Ward led the Red Devils in rushing with 14 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had a team-high nine tackles and two sacks. Mike Tucker ran 10 times for 44 yards and a TD, while Jared Bailey was 3 of 3 passing for 59 yards and rushed 10 times for 76 yards.

Elkmont hosts 4A West Limestone in a cross-county, non-region matchup Friday, while West Morgan plays 4A East Lawrence at home Friday.

—Michael Carter

Great pictures of the game are available from Down Home Portraits.  

To order click on link:   Pictures

WEST MORGAN PREVIEW

The West Morgan Rebels are coming to Elkmont tonight.  Kickoff at 7 pm. School Schedule
Date Participants Req Site Location Game Name Results 08/30/2012 @ 07:00 pm Priceville High School (4A) D Priceville High School L 20 36 09/07/2012 @ 07:00 pm Clements High School (3A) R Clements High School W 54 0 09/14/2012 @ 07:00 pm Colbert County High School (3A R West Morgan High School L 7 35 09/21/2012 @ 07:00 pm Elkmont High School (3A) R Elkmont High School 09/28/2012 @ 07:00 pm East Lawrence High School (4A) West Morgan High School 10/05/2012 @ 07:00 pm Deshler High School (4A) R West Morgan High School 10/12/2012 @ 07:00 pm Lauderdale County High School R Lauderdale County High School 10/19/2012 @ 07:00 pm Madison Academy (3A) R Madison Academy 10/26/2012 @ 07:00 pm Westminster Christian Academy R West Morgan High School 11/01/2012 @ 07:00 pm Hanceville High School (3A) D West Morgan High School

Team Roster
Jersey Num Name Position Grade Height Weight 1 RODNEY YOUNG Qb/LB 10 6'1" 185 6 JOHN KIRBY Rb/Db 9 5'11" 160 7 Keevis Metcalf Wr/Db 11 6'2" 170 8 ARTURO CONTRERAS Rb/Lb 12 5'8" 185 9 Derrick Cross Wr/Lb 11 6'0" 170 12 William Bryant Wr/Dl 11 5'10" 185 14 SHELTON STEWART Qb/Db 11 5'11" 175 15 Tytrilocus Gardner Rb/Db 11 5'8" 145 18 Alvaro Dorsett 9 5'5" 120 19 Randall Hill Wr/Db 10 5'11" 150 20 GABRIEL ROSILEZ Rb/Lb 10 5'7" 165 21 Demetrius Warren Rb/Lb 12 6'1" 215 22 Bradley Wilson Te/Lb 11 6'0" 195 23 ANTHONY BLACK Wr/Db 9 5'7" 140 26 RON MORGAN Rb/Lb 9 5'7" 160 29 Geneva Kyle Rb/Db 11 5'9" 160 32 BRANDEN TUCKER Rb/Lb 9 5'11" 160 40 JOSEPH CLEM Rb/Lb 12 5'10" 195 42 ANTHONY MORGAN Te/Dl 10 5'8" 205 44 Zachary Mills Rb/Lb 8 5'8" 185 50 Darius Teague G/DL 8 5'9" 180 52 DUSTIN BEASON C/Dl 9 5'10" 205 54 AUSTIN BOLTON G/Dl 11 5'11" 210 56 MATTHEW ROLIN C/Lb 9 5'9" 160 57 Salvador Jasso T/Dl 11 5'11" 235 62 Robert Kranick T/Dl 12 5'9" 185 64 Oliver Aviles T/DL 9 5'11" 170 65 DOMENIC ROGERS T/Dl 12 6'1" 280 66 Michael Garrard G/Dl 11 5'7" 170 67 Antonio Hernandes T/DL 8 6'0" 220 70 Jonah Collier G/DL 8 5'10" 215 76 LOGAN JOHNSON C/Dl 12 5'10" 200 78 Tyler Berryhill G/Dl 11 5'9" 185

PREDICTIONS

West Morgan (1-2, 1-1) at Elkmont (0-3, 0-2)                7 p.m., Boss Hill Stadium
ATHENS NEWS COURIER:

Preview: Elkmont will try to get its first win of the season against a West Morgan team that beat Clements 54-0 two weeks ago. The teams’ only common opponent thus far, Colbert County, beat both teams by four touchdowns. Elkmont has won the last five games in the series by an average of 12 points

News Courier prediction: West Morgan 20, Elkmont 14

DECATUR DAILY:

Last season: Elkmont won 31-6
The skinny: Playing in West Morgan’s run-oriented scheme, Demetrius Warren has averaged 141.5 yards during the past two games. … Dustin Ward rushed for 120 yards with a touchdown on 11 carries to lead Elkmont last week in a loss against Westminster Christian, while Bryant Wales added another touchdown run Elkmont’s defense is giving up 30.7 points per game while the Red Devils are averaging 10 points. … Elkmont leads the all-time series 16-10.

The Daily picks: West Morgan 14, Elkmont 13

2012 VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

School Schedule
Date Participants Req Site Location Game Name Results 08/31/2012 @ 07:00 pm Ardmore High School (4A) Ardmore High School 09/07/2012 @ 07:00 pm Colbert County High School (3A R Elkmont High School 09/14/2012 @ 07:00 pm Westminster Christian Academy R Westminster Christian Academy 09/21/2012 @ 07:00 pm West Morgan High School (3A) R Elkmont High School 09/28/2012 @ 07:00 pm West Limestone High School (4A) Elkmont High School 10/05/2012 @ 07:00 pm Madison Academy (3A) R Elkmont High School 10/12/2012 @ 07:00 pm Clements High School (3A) R Clements High School 10/19/2012 @ 07:00 pm Deshler High School (3A) R Deshler High School 10/26/2012 @ 07:00 pm Lauderdale County High School (3A) R Elkmont High School 11/02/2012 @ 07:00 pm Wilson High School (4A) Wilson High School

WEST MORGAN GAME NOW ONLINE

West Morgan Game now on published on YouTube   Click on the Games Tab at the top of blog and scroll down to West Morgan.

ELKMONT ROLLS OVER WEST MORGAN - DUST DEVIL IN THE STANDS

GAME SUMMARY:

Elkmont traveled to West Morgan on Friday night and came away with its first region win of the year, 31-6.

In the first quarter, the defense set the tone of the game by completely shutting down the West Morgan offense.  On offense, Skyler Gant scored on a 3 yard touch down run and Jose Hernandez added the PAT.  At the end of the first quarter, Elkmont led 7-0.

The Elkmont defense continued to control West Morgan's offense in the second quarter.  The offense added another seven points when Cole Glass scored on a 61 yard shovel pass.  At the half, Elkmont led 14-0.

In the third quarter, Hayden Huseth had two long touchdown runs.  One was 55 yards and the other was 36 yards.  At the end of three quarters, the lead was 28-0.

Jose Hernandez added a 26 yard field goal in the fourth quarter.  West Morgan scored a late touchdown against Elkmont's second team defense but wasn't able to complete the PAT.  The final score was 31-6 in a very impressive road win.

OBSERVATIONS:

For the second straight week, Elkmont won big and only played their starters three quarters.  There are a lot of positives on this team so far.  The kicking game is outstanding and the special teams showed improvement with the addition of some seniors to the kickoff team.  The offensive line is playing well.  Both Skyler Gant and Hugo Hernandez are running strong and finding holes to run through.  Cole Glass showed that he can score at anytime as he exploded past four defenders for a 61 yard catch and run score.  Hayden Huseth is fun to watch in the open field; he sees the field well and hits the holes quickly.

The Dust Devil expected the defense to be good, but so far they have been outstanding.  In two games, the starting defense has not given up a single point.  Cody Martin and Daniel Logan make up a run-stopping, bone crunching duo at the linebacker position.  Jake Marshall had a big sack on Friday night and is becoming a force on defense.

PREDICTION:

Friday night could be the most important game of the year.  Rogers is now the region favorite after beating Lauderdale County last week.  If Elkmont could win this week, they would be well positioned for a playoff run.  The last time Rogers played at Boss Hill Stadium, the game ended with a bench-clearing brawl and almost became a very ugly incident.  Both teams are very physical and have strong defenses, but the Dust Devil predicts that Elkmont will win 17-14.

BIG ARTICLE IN DECATUR DAILY TODAY

You may want to pick up a copy of the Decatur Daily, September 3.  Michael Cummings wrote a extensive article on the game and has some nice quotes.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING - WEST MORGAN GAME

From Athens News Courier:


Elkmont piled up 404 yards of total offense as the Red Devils overpowered West Morgan 31-6 Friday night.

Skyler Gant gave Elkmont an early 7-0 lead with a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter after Cole Glass recovered a fumble by the Rebels.

The Red Devils went up 14-0 at halftime after Glass — who didn’t play in the second half due to an injury — turned a Hayden Huseth shovel pass into a 61-yard score.

Elkmont put the game away in the third quarter after Huseth scampered on scoring runs of 55 and 44 yards. The senior quarterback went 8-of-11 passing for 139 yards and one TD and rushed nine times for 177 yards and two TDs.

Elkmont (2-0, 1-0 Class 3A, Region 8) yielded just five first downs and didn’t allow the Rebels into the end zone until the final quarter.

Red Devils place kicker Jose Hernandez was 4-for-4 on PATs and converted a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, while linebackers Cody Martin and Daniel Logan each had 11 tackles.

Elkmont will host Rogers next Friday in region play.

—Michael Carter


From Decatur Daily:  Actual Article much more detailed 


At times Friday night, running Elkmont High's offense seemed as effortless as reading.  Reading the West Morgan defense, that is.  "We're running option football, and some of that is just reading the defense," first year Elkmont Coach Sean Holt said.  "We've got a senior quarterback who's good at it, works hard at it and makes good decisions."  The Red Devils finished with 250 rushing yards on 35 attempts.


" I need to brag on my offensive line." said Holt.  "They're doing a great job with their assignments, and I couldn't be prouder of them.  Our defense has held our opponents to one touchdown each week, and I can't ask for much more than that."


--Michael Cummings




From Huntsville Times:

Elkmont 31, West Morgan 6

Huntsville Times, September 02, 2011 10:18 p.m.

TRINITY, Alabama - Hayden Huseth rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to lead the visiting Red Devils, who led 14-0 at halftime.

Huseth also threw for 139 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-11 passing, and Cole Glass caught two passes for 69 yards and a touchdown for the Red Devils (2-0, 1-0 in 3A, Region 8).

Antonio Little rushed for 110 yards on 28 carries, and Zach Holbert rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown on six carries for the host Rebels (0-2, 0-1).

Elkmont @ West Morgan
Final	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	T
Elkmont	7	7	14	3	31
West Morgan	0	0	0	6	6

1st Quarter
Elk - Gant 2 run (Hernandez Kick), 2:10
2nd Quarter
Elk Glass 61 pass from Huseth (Hernandez Kick), 8:16
3rd Quarter
Elk Huseth 55 run (Hernandez Kick), 10:56
Elk Huseth 44 run (Hernandez Kick), 8:04
4th Quarter
Elk Hernandez 26 FG, 10:25
WM Holbert 2 run (Kick Failed), 3:29