Along the trenches, the Trojans won their first two battles of the season

Coming into the season, Morgan head coach Jared Barlow says he wasn’t quite sure what he had with the Trojans offensive and defensive lines. 

“We knew we had some players, but we didn't know how they would gel or how effective they would be,”said Barlow. 

He and his coaching staff had an inkling that there was some talent, but even they couldn’t have predicted how dominating they’d be along the lines of scrimmage. 

Through two games, the Trojans have been impressive and balanced on both sides of the football. 

On offense, Morgan [2-0] has had 248 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The key stat here is that Barlow’s senior quarterback has himself run for two scores – one in each game. 

“Offensively we wanted to see our line physically dominate and get after people,” Barlow said. 

But, the Trojans O-line has also given their quarterbacks plenty of time to hang out in the pocket, too –to the point that Morgan has already amassed 527 yards receiving as a team and scored 75 points. 

“We have been very effective running the ball and our QBs have had loads of time to find our talented receiving group,” said Barlow of the Trojans unit that has eight different players with two or more receptions. 

Unsung and largely unheralded, a good offensive line is just as vital to any team’s success when it comes to running the football and having enough time and space to throw it effectively. 

When it’s great, however, it leads to trophies won. The bruising O-lines of Bingham High in the 2010s under then-head coach Dave Peck were notorious for opening gaping holes that running backs could’ve driven mining trucks through if they wanted, en route to six state titles. 

The offensive line, however, isn’t the only unit that’s playing well for the Trojans. 

“Both sides of the ball have been tremendous through the first two weeks of the season,” said Barlow, who’s guided Morgan to one state championship. “The defensive line has been able to use their athleticism and strength to cause problems up front and create space for our linebackers to work.”

And work they have. On defense, Morgan has combined for a whopping 158 tackles. Of those, 99 have been assisted and 59 were solo efforts. Among those tackles made, four players average more than five per game – another nine kids, three. 

In all, a total of 28 kids have contributed in some way, shape and form to the Trojans’ success on defense and have allowed 13 points total through their first two games. 

It’s a credit to all the hard work the kids have been putting in during the offseason to get that bitter taste of losing last year’s 3A semifinal out of their mouths. 

“We told the team prior to the season that our line play will dictate our success,” said Barlow of the message his coaching staff made during fall camp. “So far, that has played out. I am excited to see their continued growth and improvement as the season progresses.” λ