A case can be made that Morris is the area’s top football city. There are schools with more state titles and more wins. But the importance of high school football in Morris goes a step beyond any other local community.
Football is the first thing mentioned in the city’s description on Wikipedia, and the debate about the school’s troubled nickname is a hot-button issue.
The school board voted to change the name in January 2022. But it is still on the uniforms and the school’s PA announcer still uses it. A new mascot has not been chosen.
History and nicknames weren’t top of the mind on Friday though. Morris has what it desires most, a top-notch team. A huge crowd was on hand to watch the undefeated local boys take on unbeaten visiting Sycamore.
The Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White conference title was up for grabs. And more importantly, as Morris coach Alan Thorson described, “there was a lot of pride on the line.”
Morris struck early, scoring on a 77-yard touchdown pass from Carter Button to Jack Wheeler on the second play of the game.
This isn’t your dad’s Morris. Button and receiver AJ Zweeres, who caught a TD pass in the second quarter, have set school records for offense this season. Morris throws the ball.
The defense took over from there as neither team scored in the second half and No. 20 Morris beat the No. 21 Spartans 22-14.
“I knew I had burned them,” Wheeler said of his long TD catch. “I knew I had got them. Carter couldn’t have thrown a better ball. That set the tone. I love those balls where he makes me go get them.”
That was an opening firework. But running back Jacob Swartz was the workhorse that sealed the win. The 5-11, 175-pound senior had 36 carries for 230 yards, including a 56-yard TD midway through the second quarter that gave Morris (9-0, 6-0) a 22-7 lead.
“The offense did some good things but the defense won us the game tonight,” Swartz said. “Those first half scores [Sycamore] had were on the offense. We put them in bad positions with those turnovers.”
Morris already leads Sycamore 15-0 after this 7-yard TD pass from Carter Button to AJ Zweeres. pic.twitter.com/7E84wf5ZpR
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) October 21, 2023
Junior quarterback Burke Gautcher, who committed to Iowa earlier this week, accounted for both of Sycamore’s touchdowns. He scored on a one-yard run and a 19-yard run in the second quarter. He also grabbed an interception on defense in the third quarter.
Gautcher was 6-for-10 for 108 yards with one interception. He had seven carries for 63 yards for the Spartans (8-1, 5-1).
“We turned the ball over and had too many five-yard penalties,” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said. “We had plenty of opportunities. We just didn’t take advantage of it.”
Both teams lost in the Class 5A semifinals last year and have expectations far beyond a regular season conference title.
“We’re a pretty good team because that was a really good team that we played and we had a comedy of errors and we were still right there in the game,” Ryan said.
Button was 8-for-12 passing for 155 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Zweeres, who didn’t play in the second half, had three catches for 53 yards and a TD.
“Undefeated conference champs, that’s great but that is obviously not our end goal,” Swartz said. “We’ve been talking about it all year. We want to be state champs. That’s what we are looking to do.”
An undefeated regular season doesn’t mean your team will be remembered forever in Morris. The school has three state titles and 11 state championship game appearances. But it’s still a special moment for the current seniors.
“I couldn’t ask for a better overall night,” Wheeler said. “That’s a great Sycamore team.”
