Shutout victory helps Plum football get back on track

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 3, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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For the first time this season, Matt Morgan was able to deliver a victory speech.

The Plum head coach’s winning address to his players came shortly after the final horn sounded signaling the end of a 29-0 victory over Mars on Sept. 24.

The Mustangs had come close the week before, but they surrendered a late lead in a 41-37 loss to Indiana.

This time around, the youthful Plum team left no doubt.

“I think it was a weight lifted off of all of our shoulders,” said Morgan, who guided his team into last Friday’s Greater Allegheny Conference matchup at Highlands 1-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.

“When you are losing so much, you start questioning everything you are doing and the process. We came together as a team against Mars, especially in the second half. It was one of the first times all season we did that in every phase, from offense to defense and special teams. They were able to finish off a game instead of letting a team get back into it with turnovers and what not.”

Morgan said his team really picked up the intensity in practice leading up to the game with Mars, and it flowed into the early part of the week of preparation for Highlands.

The win thrust Plum back into the hunt for one of the five WPIAL Class 4A playoff spots from the conference, and Morgan said he likes the direction his team has been trending. Thirteen berths are on the line overall from Class 4A’s three conferences.

Plum is set to host a Hampton team Friday which was undefeated at 5-0 and fifth in the Trib HSSN Class 4A rankings heading into its home game last Friday with Greensburg Salem.

The Mustangs were undefeated last year at 8-0 before falling by three points, 20-17, to Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL semifinals.

Plum junior linebacker Kaden Thomas, who made seven tackles against Mars and owned a team-best 44 stops through five games, said it was fun to see everyone contribute to the victory over the Planets.

“Each time, whenever someone made a great play, it brought up the entire team,” Thomas said. “We were really building off each play. If we had a bad play, we were able to let it go and move on to the next play and get a stop.”

The Plum defense limited Mars to 120 total yards of offense. Of that total, 99 came on the ground on 36 rushing attempts.

Sophomore Dominic Beyer and senior Jordan Major led the defense against Mars with nine tackles apiece, while senior Logan Brooks recorded eight stops.

The Mustangs tallied three sacks, and Thomas, Brooks and junior Eryck Moore each picked off passes.

The defense complemented an offensive effort that saw Moore and freshman Nick Odom rush for 108 and 86 yards, respectively. Moore scored two rushing touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Sean Franzi threw for 114 yards and a touchdown to senior Samo Pitts.

Thomas said he felt things start to turn around for the team in the Indiana game.

“The way Indiana runs their offense with the triple option, it takes a very disciplined team to go against an offense like that,” he said.

“Everyone has to be ready to do their specific assignment on every single play or else something falls apart. One play can change the entire game. We got our offense rolling in that game, and all the discipline we had to learn the week before kind of translated into the game against Mars in helping us with our assignments and staying true to what we needed to do.”

Morgan said he hopes the team can get healthier as it goes deeper into conference play.

“We’re going week to week with that,” he said. “We’ve had a few linemen down, and some other guys battling some things. We started the year with a defensive starter out for the year, and another one, hopefully we can get him back towards the end of the season. It started the first day of camp and hasn’t ended. Last year, we were fortunate enough to have a pretty healthy and experienced team the whole way through. Now, this team is young, and the older kids who do well are kind of banged up.”

Brooks, who owns 21 tackles and two interceptions in his four games this year, likes how far his team came from the start of the season to the midway point against the Planets.

“We’re a pretty young team, so it has been encouraging to see that chemistry grow and develop each week,” he said.

“However the season plays out, I know we are going to give it everything we have. Hopefully, by the end of the (regular) season, we’re right there in position for the playoffs. It was great to get that win over Mars, especially on a night like senior night.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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