Crisp Morton carries Pottstown to second win over Methacton

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> Quarterback Owen Morton threw three first-quarter touchdowns to lead Pottstown to a 20-0 victory over the Methacton Warriors, Friday night, but after the game, the senior was unable to pinpoint the cause of his success.

“I don’t know,” Morton said, searching for an answer. “Maybe it was just the cold air.”

“(Morton) threw the ball very well tonight,” Pottstown coach Mark Fischer added. “He was hitting those slants early in the first half. He was getting the ball out quickly and hitting his guys in stride.”

Pottstown didn’t exactly jump out of the gate, going three-and-out on the first drive of the game. However, Methacton muffed the ensuing punt and the Trojans recovered. It didn’t take long for Pottstown’s offense to take off as Morton connected with Josiah Wiggins for a 24-yard touchdown.

“The offensive line gave me a lot of time and we did great as a team,” Morton said. “We came out and we fought hard. There’s nothing more you can ask for.”

Methacton’s passing game was unable to get off the ground in the first half. Quarterback Nicholas Olivieri was intercepted on each of the Warriors’ first two drive. Nehemiah Figueroa and John Oister were credited with the picks.

Both turnovers led to Morton’s second and third touchdowns of the night. The senior connected with Avery Nascimente and Figueroa for scores of 17 and 12 yards, respectively.

“Being on the sideline for barely a minute before going back on offense is a great feeling,” Morton said. “That momentum from defense just carried over to the offense and we took advantage of the turnovers.”

After the first quarter, both offenses struggled to gain any momentum as the defenses domintated. Not a single point was scored in the final three quarters, although each team turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone.

For the game, Methacton and Pottstown combined for just 348 yards of total offense and 24 first downs, while turning the ball over five times.

“I thought our defense played well tonight,” Fischer said. “We wanted our guys to make plays this week, that’s what we preached all week in practice.”

Both defenses also stood up well on third downs, allowing just five conversions on 27 attempts.

Methacton was without the services of quarterback Dylan Schultz, who was replaced by tailback Nicholas Olivieri. Olivieri carried the ball 23 times and picked up 69 rushing yards, but completed just 3 of his 13 pass attempts.

Morton completed 11 of his 24 attempts for 159 yards and three scores.

For Pottstown, this marks their second win of the year. The first came all the way back in September when the Trojans bested Methacton, 12-6.

“Moving forward, the big thing is to build on what we did tonight,” Fischer explained. “We had a lot of positives in this game, so the kids have to keep working hard and improve upon tonight’s performance.”