Isaiah Morris’ 273 yards carry Desert Pines past Sunrise Mountain

Desert Pines senior running back Isaiah Morris might be small in stature at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, but his coach Tico Rodriguez says he has the heart of a champion.

Friday night at Sunrise Mountain, Morris answered the call when his team needed him most.

After the Miners tied the game late in the third quarter, Morris put his team on his back with a pair of long touchdown runs, and the Jaguars clinched at least a share of the Class 3A Sunset League crown with a 27-20 victory.

“It’s never easy for us,” said Rodriguez, who can win his first outright league title with a win over Western next week. “We make things tougher for us because of mistakes and penalties. However, it’s great to have No. 7 (Morris) in the backfield.”

Desert Pines (7-1, 5-0 Class 3A Sunset) led 14-0 at halftime, but Sunrise Mountain roared back and opened the third quarter with back-to-back scores. First an 18-yard scoring pass from Stephen Wright to Te’andre Love brought the Miners within a touchdown, then a 34-yard run by Claude Moore evened things at 14.

Then Morris took the game over, scoring on a 50-yard run on the first play following the Sunrise Mountain touchdown. Three minutes later, Morris added a 29-yard scoring dash and the Jaguars were cruising past the Miners (3-5, 2-2).

Morris finished the night with 273 yards on 31 carries.

“He is a great player and a great leader,” Rodriguez said. “He wants to be the best on every play and gets better as the game goes on. He will be missed when he leaves the program.”