Morris Knolls was the 21-13 winner over West Essex when they last played one another back in October of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Golden Eagles took a 39-26 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Knights on Saturday. While the Golden Eagles didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Knights 13-6 in the first quarter.
Defeat or not, Morris Knolls got some senior leadership from Jaylin Jones and Timothy Wiedman. Jones rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, while Wiedman rushed for 156 yards and one TD while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Wiedman's longest rush was for an impressive 62 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Jake Long was nothing short of spectacular for West Essex: he rushed for 126 yards and a pair of scores, and also threw for 281 yards and three TDs while completing 94.1% of his passes. Those three passing touchdowns gave Long a new career-high.
Morris Knolls now has a losing record of 4-5. As for West Essex, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Morris Knolls will challenge Northern Highlands at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. The Highlanders' defense has only allowed 11.9 points per game this season, so the Golden Eagles' offense will have their work cut out for them. West Essex does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
