Football Recap: Morse Finds Playoff Glory Versus Hoover + How To Watch

It's playoff time, and Morse had no trouble coming through when it counted. They strolled past the Hoover Cardinals with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 45-30. That's more bragging rights for the Tigers, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Ethan Esmailian

Passer Rating

10/17/25 @ Clairemont	163.2
11/28/25 vs Hoover	152.1
10/03/25 vs Kearny	135.4
10/31/25 vs Canyon Hills	134.9
11/21/25 vs Monte Vista	119
+ 4 more games

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Morse to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ethan Esmailian, who threw for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only ten passes. Esmailian's passing game has become a key predictor of the Tigers' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 3-4 otherwise.

Morse was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 303 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 189 rushing yards in three consecutive games.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Morse, adding 13 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Superior Garror, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.

Despite the loss, Hoover saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hezekiah Manuel threw for 333 yards and three TDs while completing 73.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 56 yards.

Morse has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.5 points over those games. As for Hoover, the defeat snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 7-7 record.

Looking ahead, Morse will head out to face off against Grace at 6:00 p.m. on the 6th. Hoover does not have any more games scheduled as of now.