'People should be talking now': Morton football upsets state-ranked Pekin

MORTON — Seth Glatz said he was just a little tired. He should have been exhausted.

The Morton senior running back ran 32 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns Friday night, leading the Potters to a 20-13 upset of previously undefeated and state-ranked Pekin at Carper Field.

"People should be talking about our team now," Glatz said.

Indeed they should. After two weeks of Mid-Illini Conference football, only Morton (3-1, 2-0) and Metamora (4-0, 2-0) are unbeaten in the league.

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The Potters began the season with a mistake-filled loss to LaSalle-Peru. They've won three straight since.

"We got in our own way in the LaSalle-Peru game.  And really in our second game, too (a win over Galesburg)," said Morton coach Tim Brilley. "We've been focusing each week on getting better so that doesn't happen again."

The Potters got in Pekin's way Friday.

They moved the ball at will just about all night against Pekin's tough defense — piling up 343 total yards and 19 first downs. Morton also turned Kanye Tyler, the Dragons' vaunted running back, into a mere mortal.

Tyler, who had 669 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in Pekin's first three games, ran for just 62 yards in 16 carries against Morton. He scored both Pekin touchdowns.

Glatz said matching runs against Tyler inspired him.

"I have much respect for Kanye," he said. "He battles out there."

Glatz and Tyler rarely come to the sidelines. They're defensive stalwarts and play on special teams.

Brilley thinks he has a special player in Glatz.

"We think Seth is always the best player on the field," Brilley said.

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Morton quarterback Layne Kaufman took the pressure off Glatz in the second half Friday, making several important runs to keep time-killing drives going. Kaufman finished the game with 11 carries for 40 yards.

"Layne got some big yards when we needed them," Glatz said.

Pekin (3-1, 1-1, No. 9 in Class 7A) has to deal with a defeat — and adversity — for the first time this season.

"This loss hurts, but what's more important is how we respond," said Pekin coach Doug Nutter. "We have to go back to work Monday and get better.

"Give Morton credit. They played hard and Glatz is a great player. But we need to improve in every area, offense, defense and special teams.

"Penalties killed us. We didn't finish drives. We didn't wrap up on tackles."

Pekin came into the night allowing just 5.3 points per game. It took one play for Morton to eclipse that average. Glatz raced through a gaping hole and ran untouched 70 yards for a touchdown on Morton's first play from scrimmage.

The 5-foot-11, 188-pounder also scored on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and a 9-yard run in the second quarter, and ran for a two-point conversion after his third and final TD.

Backstory:Defensive fireworks keep state-ranked Pekin football shining against Dunlap

Tyler countered with an 11-yard run for a touchdown in the first quarter, bulling into the end zone, and he hauled in a perfectly thrown 18-yard touchdown pass from Scotty Jordan on a fourth-down play in the second quarter.

There was no scoring in the second half.

It looked like Pekin was going to shift the game's momentum late in the third quarter, when linebacker Brayden Beckham intercepted a defected pass to stop a Morton march into Pekin territory.

The Dragons then drove to the Morton 11, but a holding penalty hurt Pekin and the Dragons turned the ball over on downs at the Morton 24 with 11:04 to go in the game.

The Potters ran out final 5:30 after taking the ball on their own 25 following a Pekin punt.

So what's next for Morton? A trip next week to arch-rival Washington (2-2, 1-1) for the Panthers' homecoming game, which will include a post-game fireworks show.

"We'll enjoy the win over Pekin (Friday), then we have to get ready for Washington," Brilley said. "That's going to be another great test."

Pekin travels next week to Canton (1-3, 1-1).

Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.