3A football playoffs: Top seed Morgan scoots past No. 4 Manti for championship seat
Korth, Gilson dominate ground game
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- Morgan senior Drew Korth runs the ball vs. Manti during the 3A state semifinal game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan senior Beck Sheffield calls out the snap vs. Manti during the 3A state semifinal game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Manti senior Will Osborn blocks a punt by Morgan senior Ryker Field during the 3A state semifinal game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan senior Lincoln Gilson (5) jogs off the field after scoring a touchdown vs. Manti during the 3A state semifinal game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
HERRIMAN — For much of the regular season, Morgan hasn’t fretted second-half football.
That certainly wasn’t the case Friday with the No. 1 Trojans steadying themselves in the midst of a dogfight with No. 4 Manti, earning a 42-28 win in the 3A football state semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium.
Morgan’s perfect season (12-0) lives to see the 3A state championship game Saturday, Nov. 16 — the Trojans’ second of the decade — with the winner of No. 2 Richfield and No. 3 Granstville sitting in the balance. It’ll be Morgan’s fourth state title appearance in five years following the team’s 10th consecutive state semifinal.
Seniors Drew Korth (129 rushing yards) and Lincoln Gilson (39) combined for four touchdowns for the Trojans, with senior Beck Sheffield (288 passing yards) surpassing 2,000 all-purpose yards and adding a touchdown through the air.
Two Morgan turnovers, coming on downs and an interception thrown by Sheffield after the Trojans came up with a second stop, were the crux of a scoreless first quarter that cast doubt on Morgan’s high-tempo offense.
Asked about his group’s first-half miscues, Morgan head coach Jared Barlow said it was a matter of checking off everything they knew Manti had in the bank and responding appropriately.
“First half, we were double moves and giving up big plays,” Barlow said.
“We just wanted to make sure we stayed in front,” he continued. “We knew they were going to throw screens, we knew they were going to take shots … We cleaned it up in the second half and did a good job.”
Sheffield and the Trojans put any such doubt to rest in the second quarter, finding the end zone four times to take a 28-21 lead before the break. Still, the Templars made it clear they weren’t going anywhere.
One possession removed from its second turnover, Manti struck first on a 57-yard touchdown catch by Tala Taulapapa with 11:48 left in the half.
Morgan answered twice, first with a 62-yard chunk hauled in by senior Lincoln Gilson setting up a quick touchdown pass from Sheffield to senior Boston Zack. Then, the Trojans translated a fumble recovery by junior Jake Hansen on the subsequent kickoff into a 1-yard Korth touchdown.
Giving up another touchdown pass by Manti’s Carter Mason, the Trojans clapped back with two more scores before the break. Korth carried in his second touchdown run, this time for 3 yards, with five minutes left and, after another stop, Sheffield carried in Morgan’s final score of the half from 16 yards out.
Korth’s pair of first-half scores were the product of a varied run game that impressed Gilson, who spoke highly of his backfield’s game plan.
“We knew they were going to plan for us and that we’d have to spread the ball out,” Gilson said. “(Korth) took the opportunity, ran the ball and he had a great game.”
With roughly two minutes until the half, Manti picked up steam with a pair of first-down completions and later rode a roughing-the-passer penalty for a Taulapapa 2-yard touchdown run to make it a one-score contest heading into the third quarter.
Opening the third quarter with a stop, Manti found some special teams mojo on a Ryker Field punt blocked by Will Osborn and recovered by Lincoln Alder in the end zone for six.
Tied again at 28-28, Morgan swiftly marched down the field and set up Gilson’s first touchdown rush of the afternoon.
An usual sequence of turnovers began with Morgan senior Miller Beardall picking off Mason in the end zone for a touchback only for Korth to fumble the ball into the hands of Trace Justesen on the very next play.
Nine seconds later, Hansen registered his second takeaway of the game by picking off Mason near the Morgan 34-yard line with just under two minutes to go in the third quarter.
Gilson, one of multiple seniors keeping his team’s levels in check during a chaotic third quarter, returned to his coaching staff’s advice: “The best team we’ll play all year is in practice.”
“When adversity comes, you’ve gotta go through it,” Gilson said. “We had a ton of guys being leaders … Our offense leaned on our defense and vice versa.”
Gilson logged his second touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter as the Trojans began to pull away. The second-half challenge proved to be where Barlow’s seniors shined brightest.
“It’s 100%,” Barlow said. “We talk to them all the time about being there for each other.”
Morgan meets the winner of No. 2 Richfield/No. 3 Granstville in the state championship game Saturday, Nov. 16 in Cedar City.
BOX SCORE
Manti 0 21 7 0 – 28
Morgan 0 28 7 7 – 42
SCORING LOG
SECOND QUARTER
11:48 – Manti touchdown: Taulapapa 57-yard pass from Mortensen. PAT good. (Manti 7, Morgan 0)
10:05 – Morgan touchdown: Zack 7-yard pass from Sheffield. PAT good. (Manti 7, Morgan 7)
8:38 – Morgan touchdown: Korth 1-yard run. PAT good (Morgan 14, Manti 7)
6:49 – Manti touchdown: Pringle 25-yard pass from Mason. PAT good. (Manti 14, Morgan 14)
5:20 – Morgan touchdown: Korth 3-yard run. PAT good. (Morgan 21, Manti 14)
2:24 – Morgan touchdown: Sheffield 16-yard run. PAT good. (Morgan 28, Manti 14)
0:22 – Manti touchdown: Taulapapa 2-yard run. PAT good. (Morgan 28, Manti 21)
THIRD QUARTER
8:40 – Manti touchdown: Alder 10-yard fumble return. PAT good. (Manti 28, Morgan 28)
5:56 – Morgan touchdown: Gilson 5-yard run. PAT good. (Morgan 35, Manti 28)
FOURTH QUARTER
10:01 – Morgan touchdown: Gilson 1-yard run. PAT good. (Morgan 42, Manti 28)
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
