HS football: Stars shine late as West M staves off Morgan

FALLS TOWNSHIP — When it became gut check time for West Muskingum on Friday night, Slater Sampsel and Rashid Sesay had plenty to offer.

The former, a wide receiver, had the game's biggest catch — an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-7 that gave the Tornadoes a two-score lead in the fourth quarter.

The latter, the league's fastest player, came back after re-injuring his ankle to salt away the game — even after everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball.

Both factors all but decided a 26-20 win against visiting Morgan in a critical Muskingum Valley League-Small School Division game at Whirlwind Stadium.

West (6-2) had leads of 14-0 in the first quarter, 20-7 at halftime and 20-13 after three quarters, but the Tornadoes never shook the resilient Raiders (4-4) until Sesay re-emerged to run six straight times for three first downs to milk the clock.

It came after Morgan senior Logan Niceswanger directed a 6-play, 59-yard scoring drive operating from the no-huddle, hitting passes to three different receivers before a 13-yard keeper set up his 1-yard touchdown run.

Carson Copeland's extra point pulled Morgan within 26-20, and it still had two timeouts and 3:33 left. But after recovering an onside kick at midfield, Sesay took the first carry 12 yards. Two plays later, he busted loose for 17 — both through the middle of the Raider defensive front.

With no timeouts left, the Raiders never got the ball back. Sesay finished with 144 yards on 20 carries.

"I trust in my line 100 percent," Sesay said. "I knew those boys were going to get in there and get it done. Those dudes have worked their tails off. We've come so far (physically), especially on the lines, and that's where it starts. I think they all deserve Player of the Game."

West coach Nathan Brownrigg was happy to see his team close out another tight game with tough runs. It had faced similar situations in previous seasons, particularly last year at Maysville, a loss that cost the Tornadoes a playoff berth.

They returned the favor on the Panthers two weeks ago in a 14-7 win. Friday was a continuance in another big game.

"This year is now the second time we've been able to get over that and make a play," Brownrigg said. "That's what these games are about. Last year in some of those moments we weren't able to make a play. Now we're starting to do that. These kids are believing in themselves and believing the work they've put in. It's showing."

Another slow start for Morgan

Like last week's 40-23 home loss to New Lexington, Morgan was hampered by an inauspicious start.

Poor kickoff coverage allowed West to get the game's first possession at its own 49-yard line, which led to an 11-play, 51-yard scoring drive. It was capped by Sampsel, who beat 1-on-1 coverage for a 21-yard touchdown catch on third-and-15 from sophomore Jake Anton. West twice converted third downs on the drive.

One possession later, Morgan dropped a pass over the middle that would have taken it into West territory. That led to a punt after Wes Houston burst through from his inside linebacker spot to force an errant third-down pass.

Copeland's punt left the Tornadoes at their own 3, but their offense covered the 96 yards in 10 plays. Sesay's 44-yard burst off right tackle — splitting two Raiders in the open field in the process — was the capper, but two big catches from Sampsel for first downs kept the drive alive.

It was 14-0 Tornadoes after the extra point and 11:04 still remained in the first half. When the Raiders were forced to punt on their next drive after being called for a chop block, it looked like a long night was in store.

Just as quickly, the light came on.

Kole Searl's leaping interception gave Morgan the ball at the West M 42. Five plays later, after Niceswanger found Searl for 18 yards on third-and-10, the Raiders were in the end zone when Niceswanger followed left tackle Wade Pauley for a 25-yard scoring run. Copeland's extra point cut the deficit in half.

The momentum was short-lived. Sesay outran the Raider coverage teams across the field, then darted up the sideline for a 51-yard kickoff return.

Two plays later, Anton hit a streaking Sampsel against man-to-man coverage for a 34-yard touchdown. It was 20-7 with 4:45 left in the half after the extra point was blocked.

West had a chance to drop the hammer when Sesay's 33-yard catch down the sideline — also against man coverage — took West to the Raider 19 with less than a minute left. But safety Hayden Six stepped in front of an Anton pass over the middle on third down and intercepted it to bail his team out.

Morgan recovered with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter — all on the ground, almost exclusively over Pauley — and scored on Copeland's 3-yard run. The extra point was wide left, but Morgan was back within a score at 20-13.

The drive ate up 5:30 off the clock. When West went three-and-out on its next possession, and Morgan took over at midfield, the momentum had officially shifted.

West M stars too much down the stretch

After reaching the West 21, the Raiders elected for a counter play on third-and-9. It backfired, leaving them with a fourth-and-8. Houston came up with another big play, intercepting Niceswanger over the middle to thwart the drive.

That's when Sesay took over.

Taking direct snaps in the shotgun, he carried twice for 24 yards to start the next drive. Shawger added a 14-yarder on the next play, and Anton found Shawger in the flat for 15 yards to convert a a third-and-12 a few plays later.

Shortly after, Sesay went down via horse collar tackle and left the game unable to put weight on his previously injured right ankle. West still found a way to score, as the Anton-to-Sampsel connection worked again — this time on an out route to the field.

He had beaten man coverage yet again.

"Slater is one heck of an athlete," said Anton, who was 11-of-19 passing for 150 yards. "He is always down there somewhere. I trust him enough that I know that I can throw it up and he will make a play on it."

Sesay said he couldn't move his foot temporarily after going down, but he was re-taped by the training staff and found a way to play the next series. Fortunately, for the Tornadoes, his trademark burst was still there.

Sitting wasn't an option, he said.

"Thankfully adrenaline kicked in, and just wanting to win," Sesay said. "I had to."

Too little, too late

The 26-13 deficit with seven minutes left was too much for Morgan to overcome. Bowman said it was the turning point, even as the offense scored quickly to get within a score.

"That was the only touchdown they scored in the second half," Bowman said. "Defensively, other than that, we played much better in the second half. It was the same thing last week. We can't wait until the second half to start playing good defense. It's got to be a lot earlier."

Bowman's team was outgained 250-76 in the first half, while West held a 364-218 edge in total yards.

"The same thing happened last week against New Lex when they went up four touchdowns on us, and we fought our way back and made it a game," Bowman said. "I can't complain about that, but we've got to do a better job of executing early in these types of games. We just have to."

The win all but secures a playoff berth for West, which has divisional games with Coshocton and Meadowbrook remaining. They have three wins between them. The Tornadoes currently sit 11th in Division V, Region 19, where five teams have one or less losses and 14 have three or fewer.

Morgan's road to the postseason became far murkier. Like West, the Raiders have two games against inferior opponents to close the season in Meadowbrook and Crooksville. They are currently 14th in Division IV, Region 15, so a playoff spot is still at stake.

"That's what we just got through talking about," Bowman said. "We've still got something to play for."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Stars shine late as West Muskingum football staves off Morgan