Football: Morriss powers Sonora past Kermit in key game

KERMIT Under normal circumstances, the Kermit offense put up enough points to overwhelm almost any opponent.

But the Yellow Jackets had no answer for Sonora quarterback Ethan Morriss.

Running over Kermit behind a spectacular performance from Morriss, Sonora overwhelmed the Yellow Jackets 56-36 in District 4-2A action Friday night.

Morris carried 24 times for 374 yards, scored six touchdowns on the ground and tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Word Hudson with 1:23 left to seal the win.

“If you can’t stop one player like that, you’re in trouble,” Kermit head coach Gary Grubbs said.

Morriss set the tone right from the start.

On the second play from scrimmage, Morriss rolled to the left, burst through a seam and exploded for a 55-yard score.

Kermit (5-3, 1-2) answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Gabriel Chavez to tie the score 7-7.

Two plays later, Morris erupted for a 60-yard scoring run to take the lead right back.

“We wanted to stop him,” Kermit running back Steven Alvarado said. “If we had stopped him, the game would have been a whole lot different.”

The Yellow Jackets had a chance to match Morriss step-for-step.

But midway through the second quarter, Sonora defensive end Cash Jennings sacked Kermit quarterback Albert Carrasco, stripped the ball and Tyler Creek recovered.

Morriss capitalized with a 14-yard score. On the ensuing kickoff, Jorge Gaytan dislodged the ball from a Kermit kick returner, and Morriss burst through a hole for a 34-yard score to give Sonora (6-2, 2-1) a 28-14 halftime lead.

“We made a lot of mistakes, a lot of little things that cost us the game,” Chavez said. “Once you give up a lot of points, it’s hard to get it back.”

Chavez tried.

A senior running back, Chavez racked up 126 yards and three scores on the ground, and he added a 32-yard touchdown catch to end the first half.

Taking the ball to start the second half, Chavez punched in an 8-yard score to close the gap to 28-21.

But Kermit’s defense had no answer for the Sonora running game.

Will Anderson took the second play of the ensuing drive for a 70-yard touchdown run, and Carrasco pinned Sonora on the 1 with a 58-yard punt.

Facing third-and-8 at his own 3, Morriss hit Dustin Neff for a 23-yard first down.

On the next play, Morris raced away with a 74-yard touchdown run that made the score 42-21.

“I’ve always been a runner. I was converted into a quarterback because of the spread offense.” Morriss said. “It’s just always come natural to me.”

Kermit had one last chance to close the gap on Sonora.

Trailing 49-36 after a Steven Alvarado touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets took over at their own 7 with a chance to make the game a one-score contest.

But Sonora defensive back Kris Aguero intercepted Carrasco for the second time.

Morris capitalized by tossing his only touchdown pass of the night to a leaping Hudson in the end zone.

Now, the Yellow Jackets face a must-win situation against undefeated Alpine if they want to make a return trip to the playoffs.

“We have to beat Alpine next week,” Alvarado said. “Or it’s over.”

Sonora 56, Kermit 36

Sonora                         14  14                                    14  14                                    —  56

Kermit                            7    7                                    14    8                                    —  36

First Quarter

Sonora — Ethan Morris 55 run (Dustin Neff kick), 11:41. Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:14.

Kermit — Gabriel Chavez 1 run (Albert Carrasco kick), 7:19. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 3:12. Key plays: Gabriel Chavez 60 run on first-and-10 at the Kermit 23.

Sonora — Ethan Morris 60 run (Dustin Neff kick), 6:18. Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:56.

Second Quarter

Sonora — Ethan Morris 14 run (kick failed), 6:07. Drive: 4 plays, 23 yards, 2:04. Key plays: Tyler Creek 6 pass from Ethan Morris on third play of drive to set up touchdown run.

Sonora — Ethan Morris 34 run (Dustin Neff run), 5:43. Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:10.

Kermit — Gabriel Chavez 32 pass from Albert Carrasco (Albert Carrasco kick), 2:24. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:07. Key plays: Steven Alvarado 2 run on fourth-and-one at the Sonora 26.

Third Quarter

Kermit — Gabriel Chavez 18 run (Albert Carrasco kick), 9:26. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:21. Key plays: Steven Alvarado 21 run on third-and-3 at the Sonora 46.

Sonora — Will Anderson 70 run (Dustin Neff kick), 8:21. Drive: 2 plays, 74 yards, 0:53.

Sonora — Ethan Morriss 74 run (Dustin Neff kick), 5:17. Drive: 4 plays, 99 yards, 1:28. Key plays: Dustin Neff 23 pass from  Ethan Morriss on third-and-8 at the Sonora 3.

Kermit: — Gabriel Chavez 15 run (Albert Carrasco kick), 0:09. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 5:03. Key plays: Steven Alvarado 16 pass from Albert Carrasco on second-and-13 at the Sonora 35.

Fourth Quarter

Sonora — Ethan Morriss 14 run (Dustin Neff kick), 9:47. Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:22. Key plays: Ethan Morriss 26 run on fourth-and-1 at the Kermit 41.

Kermit — Steven Alvarado 1 run (Albert Carrasco run), 7:43. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 1:56. Key plays: Albert Carrasco 26 run on second-and-nine at the Sonora 29.

Sonora — Word Hudson 15 pass from Ethan Morriss (Dustin Neff kick), 1:23. Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 1:04.

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TEAM STATISTICS

                                    Sonora                                     Kermit

First downs......................... 16........................................... 16

Total yards....................... 534......................................... 315

Rushes-yards............ 38-458................................... 45-214

Passing.............................. 76......................................... 101

Comp-Att-Int............... 6-17-0.................................... 7-14-2

Sacked-Yards Lost........... 0-0....................................... 3-28

Punt Returns..................... 1-6......................................... 1-1

Kickoff Returns............... 2-31....................................... 3-72

Punts-Avg.................... 3-33.0.................................... 3-43.7

Fumbles-Lost................... 2-1......................................... 3-1

Penalties-Yards............ 11-63....................................... 6-55

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

Sonora

Ethan Morriss 24-374, Will Anderson 4-70, Dustin Neff 6-22, Zach Badeaux 1-2, Clayton Parks 1-(-6).

Kermit

Gabriel Chavez 15-126, Steven Alvarado 11-49, Michael Orona 8-40, Fabian Aranda 3-26, Albert Carrasco 7-19, Joe Pearson 1-0.

PASSING

Sonora

Ethan Morriss 4-15-0-51, Clayton Parks 1-1-0-0 , Dustin Neff 1-1-0-25.

Kermit

Albert Carrasco 7-14-2-101.

RECEIVING

Sonora

Cadesman Pope 1-25, Dustin Neff 1-23, Word Hudson 1-17, Tyler Creek 2-6, Zach Badeaux 1-5.

Kermit

Gabriel Chavez 3-60, Steven Alvarado 3-36, Bryan Simonds 1-5.

INTERCEPTIONS

Sonora

Kris Aguero 2-20.

Kermit

None.