Roland blanked Morris 7-0 on Friday night at Ranger Stadium to keep pace with Hugo for the fourth-and-final playoff spot in District 3A-4. Both teams are 3-3 in the league and will face off next Friday in Hugo with the winner advancing to the postseason.
The Rangers moved to 5-4 overall while notching their second shutout in a row. Field position was a key to the victory as punter Ricky Acevado averaged 37 yards per kick and repeatedly forced Morris to start from the shadow of its own goal-line. Four of the sophomore's punts pinned the Eagles inside their own 10-yard line.
Neither team scored in the first half, but Roland had the best chance to break the deadlock. Travis Ness intercepted a Matt Longan pass to set the Rangers up at the Morris 36 in the second quarter. However, two sacks and an incomplete pass forced Roland to kick the ball away.
After the break, Morris put together its best drive of the night. The Eagles took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and ran eight minutes off the clock while marching down to the Roland 25-yard line. The Ranger defense came up with a crucial stop on fourth down and Roland responded with its best drive of the game.
Quarterback Kyp Matlock directed a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The senior signal-caller got the chains moving with a 15-yard pass to Logan Beakley and a 10-yarder to Brenton Ness before Justin Dowdy ran for an 11-yard gain. Acevado and Dowdy both got the necessary yardage on key third-down plays and Dowdy scored the touchdown on a five-yard run. Acevado's point-after kick was good and Roland led 7-0 with 11:20 left in the fourth quarter.
The Ranger defense forced Morris to go three-and-out after the ensuing kickoff and the offense ran more time off the clock with a 10-play drive. That possession stalled at the Morris 37, where Acevado drilled a 44-yard field goal only to have it waved off by an illegal procedure penalty. After the penalty was marked off, Acevado pinned Morris at its own one-yard line.
Six plays later, Beakley sealed the win for Roland by intercepting a pass near midfield. The Rangers then ran out the clock to drop Morris to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in District 3A-4.
Roland, which was playing without injured tailback Matt Goodson, was led offensively by Dowdy. The senior running back carried the ball 15 times for a team-best 80 yards. Matlock added 37 yards on the ground and also completed 5-of-10 passes for 49 yards. Brenton Ness had two receptions for 18 yards and Brian Smith had a 13-yard reception.
Marcus Lewis was the game's leading rusher, gaining 104 yards on 17 carries for Morris.
