Morris football looking to finish undefeated regular season Friday

MORRIS – It’s not time for the IHSA football playoffs yet, but Friday night’s Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight White matchup between Morris and Sycamore in Morris promises to have a playoff feel.

That’s because both teams are 5-0 in conference play and the winner will be the conference champion. It is also a bit of a revenge game for Morris. Sycamore defeated Morris, 21-14, last season and tied with LaSalle-Peru for the league crown.

“This is a game we have been waiting for,” Morris coach Alan Thorson said. “This was what we hoped for when the year started and we saw the schedule. We hoped both teams would be undefeated in the conference and that this game would be for the conference title.”

Sycamore enters with a 6-2 overall record, with losses to Class 7A DeKalb and Class 4A No. 2-ranked Richmond-Burton.

Morris is 8-0 and looking for its first unbeaten regular season since 2005, which was the year of Morris’ last state championship.

The Spartans have a run-pass balance. Junior quarterback Eli Meier has thrown for 1,148 yards this season. He’s also second in rushing yards on the team with 395 behind Nathaniel Altepeter’s 531.

Altepeter had 139 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s matchup, including the winning score with 23 seconds left. Meier threw for 186 yards in that game.

“Sycamore is well-coached and we have a lot of respect for them,” Thorson said. “They are the conference champions, so we are going to have to take that from them. They are physical, and their line does a good job.

“The running back [Altepeter] is a tough back and he ran for a lot of yards against us last year. The quarterback is a good athlete. He can scramble and he has a strong arm. They are definitely one of the toughest teams we have gone against this year.”

Morris will counter with a similarly balanced attack. Ashton Yard has run for 1,111 yards and 12 touchdowns while Zach Romak has 670 rushing yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Through the air, Romak has completed 71-of-103 passes for 1,045 yards and 10 TDs and just one interception. His leading target is Myles Johnston, who has 22 catches for 355 yards and six TDs.

“They are almost a mirror image of us offensively,” Thorson said. “And we have played them pretty much dead even in my 12 years. They are a traditionally tough opponent for us. We are a different team than we were when we played them in the spring, though.”

Besides the conference title, the game will be important for seeding for the playoffs.

“We are playing for a possible No. 1 or No. 2 seed if we can win,” Thorson said. “They will probably be able to get a home game in the first round if they win. It’s a huge game for both of us and it should be fun.

“This is why we play high school football, for games like this. For both teams, it’s a great game to have going into the playoffs. The game in the spring was back and forth, and this one could be, too.”