Morgan football conquers the 3A North

Iron sharpens iron – so goes the saying. 

For Morgan football head coach Jared Barlow, the turning point for his team this season came in large part from the adversity that his players were dealing with during preseason games. 

“What I have been most impressed with this year is the resilience of our team,” said Coach Barlow, who is 37-10 over his four-year career at Morgan.   

“We started our season out a little rough, going 2-3 in the preseason, with losses to Crimson Cliffs [35-15 loss], Sky View [45-28 L], and Green Canyon [15-14 loss]. Our kids could have packed it in and quit, but they used those games as opportunities to grow.” 

Coach Barlow said the turning point in the season was a game at “big, physical” Kearns to give the Trojans their second win. Having come off a tough one-point loss at Green Canyon the game before, morale was low going into this showdown with a 5A squad. 

“We had a choice to make as a team,” said Coach Barlow going into Morgan’s 33-31 win at Kearns. “Were we going to fold and not play to our potential or were we going to keep working and try to become who we originally believed we were.” 

From that point onward, the Trojans marched through 3A opposition like an army of one. Through the air, they destroyed Juan Diego 44-14, laid waste to Ben Lomond 38-0 on the ground, and blasted Top 5-ranked Grantsville 26-0 in a ground-and-air offensive. 

That onslaught continued with a hard-fought battle, a 37-14 triumph at an Ogden team that was playing hard for their coach Eric Thompson who is battling ALS. That rivalry game started with a 28-7 first-half onslaught by Morgan—the Trojans never looked back from that point on.  

In the eyes of Coach Barlow, this Trojans team simply grew as the season went on and became a team that was more than the sum of its parts. 

“We learned what we needed to improve, and they have continued to put in the needed work to get better,” said Coach Barlow of his team that on offense amassed 1,327 yards on the ground and 2,631 yards in the air. 

The Trojans completed a perfect 5-0 mark in the 3A North, pummeling Union in a 62-0 victory as it paraded to a 42-0 halftime lead. 

With a record of 7-3 overall, the boys of Morgan will enjoy a first-round bye in the 3A state playoffs that begin on Oct. 20. They will face the winner of Ben Lomond-Union at home Friday, Oct. 27, in the quarterfinals.  

As a defense, the Trojans were literally impenetrable, allowing just 35 points in five games of 3A North action. 

Coach Barlow said he’s pleased with Morgan’s multifaceted offense and stingy defense as it heads into Nov., needing three more wins to repeat as 3A state champions. 

“We are playing much better offensively and defensively,” said Coach Barlow of his squad. 

“We made it through region undefeated and are carrying momentum into the playoffs.” λ