Tysean Griffin is just a junior, but Morgan Park relies on him to make its offense go. Griffin’s speed breaks games open and keeps defenders on their toes.
So it was a tremendous sign of growth that the young Mustangs defeated Fenwick 14-6 on Saturday at Gately Stadium with Griffin managing only five carries and no receptions while nursing an injured ankle.
The victory sent Morgan Park (9-1) into the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Senior Orlando James stepped up in place of Griffin with 14 carries for 62 yards. He was a steady and dependable ball carrier in a close game.
”[Orlando James] is a point guard,” Mustangs coach Chris James said. ”So we lose him to basketball over the summer. But now he has his legs back, and he’s another weapon for us.”
Sophomore quarterback Marcus Thaxton and junior receiver Chris Durr Jr. connected on both of Morgan Park’s touchdowns. The first was a 26-yard pass late in the first quarter and the second was a 21-yard pass late in the third.
Durr had eight receptions for 161 yards.
”I’ve known [Thaxton] since we were 6 years old,” Durr said. ”And we’ve just had that special connection since we met.”
Thaxton is the most talented passing quarterback to play in the Public League in recent years. He was 18-for-33 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
”I have high expectations for Marcus,” Chris James said. ”I’m not going to hide that. Marcus is going to be one of the best quarterbacks to come out of the Chicago Public League. We just have to protect him.”
Junior Corey Harris had four catches for 35 yards as Thaxton connected with six receivers.
”It’s great to get my first playoff win as a sophomore,” Thaxton said. ”This team sticks together. There isn’t another team I’d want to be a part of. I love my teammates to death.”
The Mustangs’ defense, led by sophomore linebacker Jovan Clark, shut down the Friars’ passing game. Fenwick (5-5) completed only five passes for 47 yards. Clark had an interception in the first quarter and helped force a fumble in the second.
The Friars had success on the ground. Junior Luke D’Alise had 25 carries for 191 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown. But Fenwick was unable to finish several drives with scores, coming up short in the red zone.
”We were too one-dimensional on offense,” Friars coach Matt Battaglia said. ”But the defense played their hearts out.
”Holding them to two touchdowns was unbelievable. That’s a lot of explosive power, and the defense gave us a shot. But [Morgan Park] made the plays when it counted.”
”We expect to be this good, regardless of who the opponent was, but we wanted to beat them after they beat us last year,” Chris James said. ”And they were the defending state champions. To be the champ, you have to beat the champ.”
