Morris looking to make mark with Eagles

Adam Morris realizes that he is at the end of his high school football career, but he is focused on the mark he wants to make as a senior leader at Crawford County.

The Eagles are coming off an eight-win season, but that came while playing a non-region schedule. This year, they return to region play in GHSA Region 4B-1A, and Morris is excited about the return to region play.

“Everyone has been asking me if we are going back to play in our region, and when I tell them that we are, they are all excited,” said Morris, who will play tight end and defensive end for the Eagles. “Since we are back in the region that means we can make the playoffs, and that is really the main goal that we have. As a senior, I feel like it’s my job to make sure that all the younger guys realize how important it is that we have a good season.

“I remember being a part of a team that did not win a game in 2013, and that was no fun. Now my only goal is to win this year. I want to show the schools in the region that we play good football at Crawford County, too.”

Crawford County head coach Greg Street is excited about Morris, but also the upcoming season as a whole.

“Adam Morris has worked hard to become a good football player, and I think he is a D-I type of player,” said Street, who is looking to have 36 players on the team this year, which is up about 10 players from last year. “We have very few seniors on this team, so every one of them will be very important to our success. Everyone is excited to be playing Taylor County and Macon County and all of the surrounding schools again, and honestly I would say that we are prepared for it.

“We still have a limited amount of kids, and we will probably have at least nine players going both ways, but I feel like we are ready for the challenge.”

Street points to sophomore quarterback Alex Henton as a key player on offense. Henton started two games at quarterback last season and led the Eagles to two wins. Other key players will be Nick Jackson, Malik James, Quin Pennamon, KaShawn Baker and Derek Smith.

Smith, a senior middle linebacker who also plays guard, remembers many of the 43 straight losses that the team endured just a few years ago.

“It was not fun; that’s for sure,” Smith said. “But any time you have to endure something like that, it just makes you work harder, and you learn from it. I remember playing Taylor County my freshman year, and they beat us pretty bad. I know the region schedule will be tough, but we are all excited to see what we can do.”

When Smith was asked what a good year was for Crawford County this year, Smith thought about it for a minute before answering.

“I just want to win some games for the team and make sure the younger guys get those wins under their belt,” Smith said. “I don’t ever want them to go through what I had to go through. But really, I think we have a great chance to make the playoffs. I really do believe that.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Morris looking to make mark with Eagles."