Conwell-Egan can’t stop Morgan, Upper Moreland in second half (VIDEO)
WILLOW GROVE – Upper Moreland senior RB Rodney Morgan rolled up 251 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears’ season opener at Penncrest then added 118 yards and a score in week two’s win over Philly Catholic League AAA rival Archbishop Carroll.
Facing Conwell-Egan Catholic in a Sept. 18 non-league pairing at Upper Moreland, Morgan was limited to less than 50 yards rushing in the first half. The scoreboard reflected that, too, as the Eagles held a slim 3-0 lead heading into the intermission.
You just knew Egan was in trouble, however, when junior defensive tackle Keanan Baines staggered off the field a few plays before a 30-yard field goal by CEC kicker Nick Dykes.
Baines nearly single-handedly stopped the Bears’ previous drive, sacking UM quarterback Casey Decker for a 10-yard loss then stopping the QB again for no gain.
But Baines didn’t play at all in the second half. That’s when Morgan went to work, rolling up over 100 yards rushing and a 13-yard touchdown scamper in the final minute to help seal a 20-10 triumph that favored the Suburban One League (SOL) American Conference rival.
Defensively, Morgan also helped seal the Eagles’ fate in the second half, latching onto a pair of aerials tossed by CEC quarterback Kendall Jones, the second one of which he snared on his own side of the field and returned 40 yards all the way to Egan’s 22 yard line to help set up the final dagger in the visitors’ backs.
“That’s life in two-way football, you don’t have a lot of guys to go around,” stated CEC head coach Jack Techtmann. “But you lose a guy like Keanan Baines, that’s tough to replace. He’s probably one of the best linemen in the area.”
On their second possession of the third quarter, the Bears needed just seven plays to drive 90 yards down the field, capping it off with a 1-yard scoring run by Decker, one of two trips to the end zone on the night for the junior QB.
Morgan registered one of the biggest plays on the drive, taking a pitch 30 yards down the left sideline before being dragged out of bounds at Egan’s 42 by CEC defensive back James Thompson. A 15-yard facemask penalty gave Upper Moreland the ball at the 27 and a 22-yard aerial from Decker to senior RB Nick DeLucas put the ball at the five. Morgan and Decker did the rest.
A blocked extra point and an ensuing 85-yard kickoff return by CEC freshman running back Patrick Garwo gave the Eagles new life and a 10-6 lead heading into the final frame.
But the Bears assembled a 10-play, 73-yard drive that put the home team on top for good, using the last two minutes of the third quarter and 1:39 of the fourth.
A 15-yard pass from Decker to senior tight end Ryan Norton that gave UM a first down at Egan’s 31 and a pitch play to Morgan that gained 15 yards to the 15 were two of the key plays in the drive. Decker capped it off with a 9-yard scoring scamper around the right end in which he ran over an Eagle defender on the way to the end zone.
Penalties proved costly to Egan. The Eagles lost 15 yards on a facemask penalty on the first play of the drive and had a controversial pass interference call along the right sideline that kept the drive alive for Upper Moreland.
The Bears gathered their share of flags too, though. After Morgan’s first pick that gave UM the ball at the Egan 45 yard line, the home team went backwards, losing yards on procedure and holding violations. UM also lost yards on sacks registered by Tom Reilly and Dwayne Majors, who was in for the injured Baines.
With 4:44 to go in the contest, that gave Jones and company one last shot at taking the lead.
“They’ve been doing that all year, they were keeping us in the game,” said Techtmann. “It’s a great defense. Coach Jenkinson, Coach Scanlon and Coach Green are doing a great job and the offense has to pick it up. They are putting us in good positions all the time.”
But, of course, Morgan’s second pick sealed the game in the Bears’ favor.
“The two picks were huge; he just made great plays on them,” commented Techtmann. “We were probably a tenth of a second too slow releasing the ball.
Injuries along the CEC sidelines are mounting and that’s also a cause for concern. Senior split end Jarrett Patman (hamstring), junior RB Kyree Bronson (shoulder) and Garwo (muscle cramps) were not 100 percent in the second half so that hurt the Eagles’ cause.
“I’m worried about my offense because I don’t have all my bullets,” said Techtmann. “When you don’t have all your bullets, you can’t shoot.”
And the loss of Baines also hurt Egan’s chances on offense.
“If you think Keanan is a big loss on defense, it’s worse on offense,” added Techtmann. “He’s our right tackle; that’s why all that penetration came through when he went down. We were getting hit at mesh-point with the ball.”
Now at 2-1 overall after a 6-0 season opening win over Carroll and a 14-6 triumph over Philly Public League Quad-A rival Martin Luther King, the coach is pleased with the effort he sees from his team thus far.
“I’m so proud of the way we fought,” said Techtmann. “We’re playing bigger schools and we’re like a M.A.S.H. unit out there.
“They kept fighting and that’s all I can ask.”
Next up for the Eagles is a home game vs. Saunders Trade Saturday, Sept. 26 at CEC. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Contact the author at ssherman@buckslocalnews.com, or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Upper Moreland 20, Conwell-Egan 10
(Sept. 18 at Upper Moreland)
Conwell-Egan 0 3 7 0 – 10
Upper Moreland 0 0 6 14 – 20
SUMMARY
Second Quarter
CE — Nick Dykes 30-yd. FG
Third Quarter
UM — Casey Decker 1-yd. run (kick blocked)
CE — Patrick Garwo 85-yd. kickoff return (Dykes kick)
Fourth Quarter
UM — Casey Decker 9-yd. run (Randy Meehl kick)
UM — Rodney Morgan 13-yd. run (Randy Meehl kick)
