Morris to host unbeaten LaSalle-Peru

MORRIS – After being handed their first loss of the season last Friday, things don’t look any easier this week for the Redskins as they prepare to take on undefeated LaSalle-Peru football team.

The Cavaliers did not play the first week of the season because of a COVID-19 issue but have won in each of the past three weeks, including a 34-6 win over arch-rival Ottawa last week.

“L-P is a good team,” Morris coach Alan Thorson said. “They are big up front, they run the ball well and they have an aggressive defense. This is going to be another tough game for us.”

The Redskins dropped a heartbreaking 21-14 decision to Sycamore last week, as the Spartans scored the winning touchdown with only 23 seconds remaining, dropping Morris’ record to 3-1 on the year.

Thorson said that the Redskins are going to have to improve in a few areas entering Friday night’s game.

“Defensively, we definitely need to shut down their running game,” he said. “They are big up front and No. 23 [Matt Carrico] and No. 34 [Tre’von Hunter] are both good backs.

“They are a solid team. From where they were a few years ago, they have really improved. For the to still be undefeated at the midpoint of the season, we definitely respect that.”

The Redskin offense has been balanced between the run and pass most of the year, but the running game struggled a bit in the loss to Sycamore. Thorson would like to see a return to their performance from the previous three games.

“We want to get back to being a balanced offense, and to do that, we have to run the ball better this week,” he said. “Again, L-P has an aggressive defense like Sycamore, so we hope to make some adjustments and be able to run the ball.”

For the year, Morris quarterback Zach Romak has completed 63 of 98 passes for 676 yards and 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Nathan Jepson leads the receiving corps with 20 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while Myles Johnston has caught 12 passes for 189 yards and two scores. In all, 10 Morris players have caught at least one pass this season.

On the ground, John Landers leads the Redskins with 257 yards and three touchdowns on 51 carries, while Romak has run 50 times for 247 yards and a pair of scores. Sam Reddinger has added 159 yards on 37 attempts.

One thing Thorson hopes remains the same is the defense’s ability to take the ball away from the opposing offense. Morris’ defense had five turnovers (three fumble recoveries and two interceptions) against Sycamore, bringing its season total to 12 in four games. However, the Redskins have uncharacteristically committed 10 turnovers of their own, something their coach would like to see remedied.

“We need to concentrate on what we are supposed to do and play a clean game,” Thorson said. “Our defense has created 12 turnovers, which is great, but we are only plus-2 in turnovers. We usually take care of the ball better than that. We have gone full seasons, including playoffs, when we don’t turn it over more than eight times or so, and we already have 10 this year. We need to fix that.

“The biggest thing Friday will be both lines. In a game like this, it will usually come down to who wins the battles on the line.”