Ellender defeats Morgan City 43-2

Morgan City High School certainly had its chances against Ellender Friday — especially in the first half when the game was still undecided — but the Tigers just couldn’t convert when they needed to, as they fell 43-2 in District 7-4A action in Morgan City.
While Ellender scored touchdowns on their first two drives — a Curtis Anderson two-yard run on their opening possession with 7:48 left in the first quarter and a 24-yard pass from Anderson to Brisson Lewis with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead — Morgan City’s defense rose to the occasion,
keeping the Patriots out of the end zone for much of the second quarter.
However, the Tigers’ offense couldn’t finish drives as respective drives stalled at the Ellender 22 and the Ellender 16, the last with 2:59 left in the first half when Kalen Hillen couldn’t secure a pass from quarterback Abram Hartley in the end zone.
Even then, the Tigers’ defense helped them out as Andre Welsh sacked Anderson in the end zone for a safety with 2:12 remaining in the quarter and a 14-2 Morgan City deficit.
However, the Tigers’ drive stalled soon after Hartley completed a 31-yard pass into Ellender territory as the Tigers could get no closer than the Ellender 23.
“Our defense (has) been playing pretty good all year. … We’re not doing what we need to do on offense,” Morgan City Coach Scott Tregle said. “We (are) making too many bonehead mistakes. … We’re missing some blocks (that) we needed. A few times upstairs they said one block away we break it. We just got to keep practicing.”
Ellender took possession at its own 31 with 12 seconds left after a fourth-down incompletion by Hartley.
Anderson completed an 11-yard pass to Reginald Williams to the Ellender 42-yard line, and the Patriots called time out with 1 second left.
After the time out, Anderson took the snap and heaved a pass to wide receiver Davontaveon Martin. Morgan City’s Scott Comeaux, who
was covering on the play with Hillen, deflected the pass and Martin secured it soon after and scored.
Anderson’s two-point conversion was good for a 22-2 halftime lead.
Tregle said Comeaux made a “decent” play on the ball on a touchdown that he said looked like LSU’s Blue Grass Miracle against Kentucky years ago.
“There was nothing we could do with that,” he said. “It’s just how it fell, and like I said, one week we’re going to catch those breaks that these guys are getting on us, and it’s going to come together and (we’re) going to get a victory.”
Anderson led Ellender as he rushed 17 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while he completed 7-of-11 passes for 134 yards.
Martin led the Ellender receivers with two catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Things just got worse for Morgan City from there as they fumbled the opening kickoff of the third quarter, and Ellender recovered at the Morgan City 36.
On the first play of the drive, Anderson kept the ball for a 36-yard touchdown run.
He again converted the two-point conversion for a 30-2 Ellender lead with 11:49 remaining.
Ellender added two more scores via a four-yard pass from Anderson to Montae Smitherman with 11:57 remaining and a three-yard run by Edward Kennedy with 3:49 remaining for the final.
Ellender finished the game with 19 first-downs and 380 yards of total offense (246 rushing, 134 passing).
Morgan City had nine first downs and 149 yards of total offense (60 yards rushing, 89 passing).
Hartley finished 8-of-19 passing for 89 yards with one interception.
Makye Richard led the Tigers’ receivers with five catches for 60 yards, while Kedric Scott led the ground game with 10 carries for 45 yards.
Morgan City had the ball in Ellender territory on all four of its second-half possessions but just couldn’t finish drives.
Morgan City (4-3 overall, 0-2 district) will return to action Friday when it travels to take on winless South Terrebonne (0-7 overall, 0-2 district).
“Like I told them, we’re not giving up,” Tregle said. “We got three good weeks. We got to keep preparing every week to win. That’s what we (are) out here for is to win. We’re not out here just to wear a jersey and coaches stand on the sideline. We’re out here to win, and that’s our goal."

MCHS ELL
First downs: 9 19
Rushing yards: 60 246
Passing yards: 89 134
Total yards: 149 380
A-C-HI: 19-8-1 11-7-0
Penalties-yards: 2-10 2-10

Score by Quarters
ELL 14 8 8 13
MCHS 0 2 0 0

Scoring summary
First Quarter
ELL: Curtis Anderson 2-yard run. (Anderson run) 7:48

ELL: Anderson 24-yard pass to Brisson Lewis (Kick failed) 1:12

Second Quarter
MCHS: Safety (Anderson tackled in the end zone by Andre Welsh) 2:12

ELL: Anderson 58-yard pass to Davontavean Martin (Anderson run) 0:00

Third Quarter
ELL: Anderson 36-yard run (Anderson run) 11:49

Fourth Quarter
ELL: Anderson 4-yard pass to Montae Smitherman. (Justin Partin kick) 11:57

ELL: Edward Kennedy 3-yard run. (Kick fail) 3:49

MCHS Stats
Passing
Abram Hartley, 8-19-1, 89 yards

Receiving
Makye Richard, 5-60; Lloyd Singleton, 1-31; Kalen Hillen, 1-0; Kedric Scott, 1-(-2) yds.

Rushing
Kedric Scott, 10-45 yds; Kalen Hillen, 3-22 yds; Ethan Scioneaux, 7-14 yds.; Taaj Daniels, 1-0 yds.; Abram Hartley, 7- (-21) yds.