Jacob Swartz, Morris defense power win over Sycamore for league title

MORRIS – Jacob Swartz said the Morris offense gets all the attention, but the team’s defense is just as good.

The defense made a strong showing in the second half Friday against Sycamore, forcing three turnovers as Morris used that and a 200-yard performance from Swartz to a 22-14 win over the Spartans and the Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White title.

“Our defense is outstanding. They won us that game,” Swartz said. “Offense, we did some good things, but that was all defense right there.”

Neither team was able to score in the second half. The Spartans (8-1, 5-1) tried to come back from 15-0 down. But they fumbled at around midfield on their first two possessions of the second half.

Morris (9-0, 6-0) was unable to capitalize, with quarterback Carter Button intercepted by Burke Gautcher on one drive and the Sycamore defense stuffing Swartz on fourth-and-1 from the Spartans’ 16.

Sycamore put together a methodical drive into the fourth quarter and reached the Morris 24, but Gautcher was intercepted by Mike Cuthbertson on a ball that went off receiver Kyle Prebil’s hands.

“Those things add up. It was a comedy errors at times,” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said of not only the three turnovers but the seven 5-yard penalties the Spartans were flagged for. “But I think it shows we’re a pretty good team because that was a really good team to play and we had a comedy of errors and we were still right there in the game.”

Morris ran 12 plays before it could take a knee to ice the clock. Nine of those plays were runs by Swartz, who ran 225 yards on 34 carries with a touchdown.

“I knew even if we didn’t get the scores our defense would get the stops,” Swartz said. “Those first-half scores were on the offense. A turnover and then giving them the ball at the 40-yard line. We have to be better than that.”

Morris needed just three plays to score the game’s first touchdown when Button found Jack Wheeler for a 77-yard touchdown pass on third and 7. The Spartans went three-and-out and Morris went 57 yards for another score, this one capped by a 7-yard pass from Button to A.J. Zweeres and a 15-0 lead.

Sycamore went three-and-out again, and once again Morris marched down the field. But Carter York intercepted Button in the end zone, to spark the Spartans. They missed a field goal opportunity, but Miles Galindo recovered a fumble in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Gautcher on fourth-and-goal for the score, cutting the lead to 15-7.

“I think the turnovers were a little bit our of character for both of us,” said Morris coach Alan Thorson after each team turned it over three times in the game. “I think we’ve only had two or three all year so the amount we had tonight was not like us. For us to be able to play through that, and our defense to be able to stand strong and keep us in the game, I couldn’t be prouder of this group.”

Swartz answered back with a 56-yard run on the first play of the next Morris drive and a 22-7 lead. Sycamore took over later in the quarter with just over 2 minutes left, and drove for a score. Gautcher scored from 19 out to cut the score to 22-14, but neither team would score again.

“It was a great interception to get us back in the game because the wheels were falling off a little bit there,” Ryan said. “But I thought our kids responded and got us back into the game. ... It could have gotten ugly in a hurry and we didn’t allow it, and that was good for the kids.”

Morris claimed its second league title in three years after Sycamore won the title last year.

Button threw for 143 yards in the win, with 60 going to Zweeres and 93 going to Wheeler. Tyler Curtis had only 15 rushing yards at the half for Sycamore but finished with 96. Gautcher had 86 and a pair of touchdowns.

“A lot of people didn’t think we were going to make it here, but we knew the whole offseason, whole summer,” Swartz said. “We knew we were going to be 9-0 conference champs. It feels great to prove a lot of people wrong.”