Morton downs Tigers

By By Austin Bishop/EMG regional sports director
October 18, 2003
Southeast Lauderdale played their first three division foes close, despite coming up just short on the scoreboard.
That was not the case on Friday night.
Visiting Morton used superior field position and blazing speed to take a 20-point halftime lead on the way to a 34-7 win over SEL in Division 5-3A action.
Morton scored the first it had the ball, marching 55 yards on just five plays to score on a 28-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Shay Hodge to a wide open Nick Robinson with 7:56 left in the first quarter. The kick by Beau Hannah made it 7-0.
The Panthers, now 1-3 in division play, picked up its second touchdown of the game when Hodge hit Michael French, a converted lineman, who was standing alone in the endzone with 1:36 to play in the first quarter.
The touchdown came on a third-and-11 play that Hodge kept alive with his scrambling abilities. The score was set up when SEL turned the ball over on downs at its own 13-yard line, due to a low punt snap.
Morton made it 20-0 on its next possession, as the Panther moved the ball 50 yards on eight plays with the touchdown coming on a 24-yard run by Henry Parrott with 9:40 left in the half.
Southeast Lauderdale finally got the ball moving on its next possession, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown pass from junior Drew Harper to Chris Gordon with 7:44 left in the second quarter. Harper's kick cut it to 20-7.
The big play in the drive was a 47-yard pass play from Harper to Gordon that took the ball down to the Morton 15. Harper threaded the ball down the sideline and over the heads of a pair of Panthers into the waiting hands of Gordon, who did a good job of concentrating on the ball as the MHS defenders closed in.
Two possessions later Morton stretched its halftime advantage to 27-7 when Ken Gordon barreled in on a 1-yard scoring run with 1:51 left in the half.
The last touchdown of the night came on 60-yard run off a busted play by Hodge with just over eight minutes to play in the third quarter.
Morton plays host to West Lauderdale in Division 5-3A play next week, while SEL entertains league foe Newton County.