Governors rule rival in crucial GLAC game

HAMMOND | Morton's pain-inducing defense and junior running back Kayln Aaron's dynamic playmaking ability helped the Times No. 3 Governors clinch at least a share of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference title.

Aaron had 270 all-purpose yards and two touchdown receptions to lead the Governors to a 35-14 triumph against host Hammond on Friday. Aaron carried the ball 15 times for 127 yards and hauled in seven passes for 143 yards, but he wouldn't take all the credit for his highlight-reel performance.

"It's just my lead blocks," he said. "That's all I count on is my lead blocks.

My line, they really came up this week. We came out and dominated, and that's all we had to do."

Junior Andrew Glidewell and senior David Sisak had short scoring runs, and junior D'Jari Griffin caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Chris McCormack to give Morton a 21-0 lead with 4:45 left in the second quarter.

But Hammond (4-2, 0-1) struck back. Wildcats junior quarterback Antwion McGee Jr. hit senior Robert Stone with a 9-yard scoring strike. McGee later barreled ahead 1 yard for another touchdown and connected with Stone for a two-point conversion, trimming Hammond's lead to 21-14.

Morton (5-1, 2-0), however, regained the momentum heading into halftime and took a two-touchdown lead with Glidewell's 38-yard scoring pass to Aaron. In the fourth quarter, Aaron caught a 15-yard touchdown pass.

"There's something special about Kayln," Morton coach Roy Richards said. "You can see it. He rises to the top when the ball is in his hands. He makes big plays."

The only interruption from the back-and-forth scoring in the first half came midway through the first quarter, when Hammond junior linebacker Josh Ready suffered an injury and remained on the ground for about 20 minutes. Paramedics stabilized his neck, wheeled him off the field on a stretcher and transported to a hospital.

Hammond coach Robert Robinson Jr. said Ready's X-rays were negative and called his injury a bruised neck. Stone, who suffered a wrist injury, was among several other Hammond players who left the game in the second half.

"It was a physical game out there tonight," Robinson said. "I'm really proud of the way my kids played. We were a couple plays from being right in this football game."

PREP FOOTBALL

No. 3 Morton 35, Hammond 14

Governors junior running back Kayln Aaron had touchdown catches of 38 and 15 yards.