Photo by Braiden Collazzo
Halls holds off Trojans, 21-14
By Steve Williams
The start wasn’t very flattering, but the ending was a white knuckler.
Halls was holding on for dear playoff life. Morristown West and their fans were hoping for just one more big play.
On the same field where Halls’ 2023 season came to an end in the first round, this time the Red Devils would leave historic Burke-Toney Stadium with a smile on their faces while at least one of the Trojans was seen leaving his team’s post-game gathering with tears in his eyes.
Halls had won, 21-14, to set up a rematch with two-time defending Class 5A state champion West this Friday on Sutherland Avenue. The Red Devils lost to the visiting Rebels 28-27 in Week 10 when they elected to go for the win in overtime and their two-point pass fell incomplete.
After MW Coach Alvin Sanders called his team’s last timeout with 16.3 seconds on the clock and the football on the Red Devils’ 35-yard line, Bereket Evans – a small but talented senior wide receiver, who may have very well been the one with tears in his eyes leaving the field – caught a pass over the middle but was quickly hit and fumbled. Linebacker Harlen Henley pounced on it.
With eight seconds remaining, Halls quarterback Amari Lethgo took a knee.
Lethgo, a 6-foot, 185-pound veteran junior, was the first player Halls Coach Brent Hughes mentioned in his post-game comments.
There were others too that Hughes complimented, including senior Marcus Moore, a tough running back, and the young offensive line in front of him who helped clear the way.
The Red Devils definitely had the edge in the QB battle. Lethgo appeared to have much more experience, while MW alternated signal callers, using a junior and sophomore.
Lethgo completed 21 of 25 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-10, 180-pound Moore rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and one TD. He also caught two passes for 20 yards.
Halls started the game with a block-in-the-back penalty on first down and a holding penalty on second down. After a 17-yard pass play from Lethgo to Moore, the Red Devils went for the first down on fourth-and-five at their 38, but Lethgo’s pass was overthrown.
Morristown West took over with great field position but netted minus two yards on its first three carries and Halls’ Jerrell Chandler broke up the Trojans’ fourth down pass.
After that, the offensive play improved for both teams.
The Red Devils drove 60 yards, including a 32-yard catch by Brody Rogers. Moore took it in behind the right side of the line on a 4-yard TD run and Parker Crittenden’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
The Trojans also started moving the ball and drove to the Halls 29, but Travis Brasfield cut down MW’s best RB, Camren Richards, for a two-yard loss on fourth and one.
In the second quarter, Halls marched to the MW 12-yard line, but a false start pushed them back to the 17. The Red Devils faked a 25-yard field goal but the holder, Landon Vest, was stopped for a 1-yard loss.
On Halls’ next possession, however, Lethgo fired a 25-yard TD pass to Rogers between two defenders to increase the lead to 14-0.
The Trojans answered with a 13-play, 71-yard drive and TJ Walthall capped it with a 13-yard pass to Richards with nine seconds left in the half. Ezekiel Alvarado’s PAT kick made it 14-7.
The 6-3 Chandler broke up sophomore Riley McClellan’s fourth-and-three pass at the Halls 31 to halt MW’s start in the third quarter.
Vest gave the Red Devils a 21-7 advantage when he hauled in a 36-yard pass from Lethgo and put a move on the defensive back to step into the end zone.
Halls followed with an onside kick, but the Trojans recovered it at their 48. The Halls’ D gave up two first downs but forced a punt.
Vest stayed in bounds with a 34-yard catch-and-run down the sideline, but Halls’ drive ended at the MW 27 early in the fourth quarter.
Tight end John Michael Rosen had a 24-yard catch to highlight a scoring drive that pulled Morristown West within seven points (21-14) with 6:40 remaining. A shift provided extra blocking on the left side for Walthall to score from the 3.
A 10-yard pass to Nathan Martin and a 15-yard run by Moore took Halls across midfield and the Trojans started using their timeouts with 4:05 on the clock.
Tight end Drew Ross hauled in a 30-yard pass and fought off a defender to pick up a first down at the 17. After the MW defense stiffened, Crittenden had a chance to give Halls a 10-point lead, but his 32-yard FG attempt hit the crossbar and fell short.
Morristown West’s last possession began with a 26-yard catch by Evans. The Trojans crossed the 50-yard line with a minute to go and got to the Halls’ 35 when they used their last timeout. But MW and its fans couldn’t come up with one more big play.
