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11/29/2014 11:00 PMIn the final game of the season for Morgan football, it not only gained a convincing victory over its Thanksgiving rival, but it also saw one of the Huskies’ best to ever hit the gridiron achieve a career milestone.
The Huskies hosted Old Saybrook/Westbrook on Nov. 28 and scored a 53-21 decision to finish the year at 8-3. Within the win, Huskies senior running back Jake Ward reached the plateau of 6,000 career rushing yards when he sprinted for a 45-yard touchdown rush less than four minutes into the fourth quarter—becoming only the seventh player in state history to achieve that feat.
“It was such a great experience and moment for not only me but the whole Morgan football program. To be able to reach that mark is a great tribute to the coaching staff and most importantly to the offensive line that has been by my side since 4
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grade,” said Ward. “To be among the six who have also reached that mark is a great feeling, and it shows the hard work my team and I have put forth the last four years. To break it on the 45-yard run was incredible and an exhilarating way to end my career.”
Ward—also the program’s all-time leading ground gainer—completed the final game of his Morgan tenure with 178 yards on the ground on his 32 carries to also finish with 6,019 yards for his four seasons as he also notched an interception on defense. Junior quarterback Chuck Kostek was 10-of-13 for 260 yards passing with five TDs (rushing for 1).
“It was a huge goal of ours for this week to finish the season the right way and play like a championship team and to also get Jake to 6,000 yards,” said Head Coach Mike Eagle. “Jake’s a humble kid, but him and the offensive line have played together since 4
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grade, so it was kind of an individual, team, and program goal all rolled into one, and it was special for him, his family, and the program.”
To open the game in the first, it was the Rams (0-11) taking the ball to the house when junior Dondre Swain raced 45 yards to give OS/W an early 7-0 advantage. Kostek then cut the Morgan deficit to 7-6 after a frame when he scampered in from eight yards out before a missed extra-point attempt.
The Huskies then went ahead in the second as Kostek tossed a 70-yard TD bomb to junior wide out Mateo Zumpano (also with a pick defensively) prior to the two hooking up again on the two-point conversion to put Morgan up by seven. The Rams then evened the contest at 14 following a 1-yard touchdown sneak from senior signal caller Chris Perrotti, although the Huskies had the final say before halftime when Kostek threw two tosses to the end zone of the 57 and 61 yards to junior receiver Gabe Eriksen and Zumpano, respectively, to lead 27-14 at the break.
During the third, Ward, who only amassed 41 yards rushing in the first two periods and needed 159 to break 6,000, scored twice on 2 and 1-yard spurts to increase the Huskies’ cushion to 26.
Perrotti heaved a 25-yard TD connection to senior tight end Max Urban early in the fourth for OS/W, yet it was followed up by Ward churning up field 45 yards with 8:43 remaining to both another Morgan score and history as his third trip to pay dirt on the night pushed him past 6,000 yards. The Huskies then capped off the night on an 8-yard pass from Kostek to senior receiver Gary Forbes.
“Give them credit, because they packed the box on us. I was stressing out, because we all wanted to see Jake get to 6,000,” said Eagle. “Yet in the second half we made some adjustments and started grinding it out. They were playing man-free coverage and we took advantage to hit some long touchdown passes. The thing about our team is that we aren’t all about the run. It was also more about us seeing the box they had and just throwing the ball.”
It was a hard-fought and emotional campaign for Morgan as it took its three defeats by a combined eight points—including a 26-25 loss to Coginchaug which Ward missed due to a knee injury. While the Huskies are not returning to the postseason, they earned their second straight winning season following a 5-5 mark in 2012 and a 1-9 finish for 2011.
“Without Jake in the Coginchaug game, it was one of those weeks where we didn’t have as strong a mindset,” said Eagle. “But we had our best defensive effort versus Valley Regional/Old Lyme [a 6-0 loss], yet we shot ourselves with interceptions and fumbling inside the goal line. It was back and forth with North Branford [losing 41-40 in overtime] and we did everything we could, although we pushed an extra point wide right by inches. But the attitude by these kids was a championship one; they could’ve cashed in on this year after the North Branford loss. Yet they showed resolve and resiliency and what they were made of.”