2018: After Long Wait Morse Makes Long Trip

Fourth in a series this week on San Diego Section teams’ playoff matchups

IV-AA

Morse, staggered by a late-season, 47-6 loss to St. Augustine, recharged to win its last four games and claim the Tigers’ first San Diego Section championship in 24 years. The Skyline Drive squad was rewarded with the longest trip of the Southern California playoffs, 320 miles to Visalia and a 7:30 Friday evening kickoff against the 11-2 Central Valley Christian Cavaliers, winners of the Central Section’s Division IV.

Morse coach Tracy McNair has compiled a 60-55-1 record and stabilized the program since becoming head coach in 2009. The Tigers were 21-78 under three coaches from 1997-2008, a period in which the school underwent demographic change and football dramatically declined.

Morse had appeared in eight championship games and won five titles from 1979-96 under the legendary John Shacklett, one of the winningest coaches in County history with an all-time record of 229-156-8 (.659).

Morse’s 9-4 record represents the most victories in one season since the 12 in 1996, Shacklett’s last championship season.

The Tigers have done it with a running attack revolving around Shamar Martin, who has averaged 11.2 yards and gained 1,617 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.  Isiah Thompson has gained 1,569 yards with an 8.8-yard average and 13 touchdowns.

Eric Dragt, a 6-foot, 5-inch quarterback, has thrown for 1,638 yards and 23 Cavaliers touchdowns.  Running back Jaalen Rening has gained 1,216 yards and scored 28 touchdowns

Central Valley is ranked 108^th in the state and Morse 112th by Max Preps.  The computer-based Cal Preps.com assigned a 32.9 rating to the Cavaliers, 33.4 to Morse, and predicts a 31-24 Central Valley win.

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Central Valley met two San Diego Section teams in 1986, defeating Army-Navy, 21-0, and losing to Santa Fe Christian, 24-3…the school began in 1979 as an elementary unit and became a kindergarten-to-grade-12 school in 1982…Morse is named after the man credited with inventing the single wire telegraph system known as the Morse code…the school name is officially Samuel F. B. Morse…his middle names were Finley and Breese…Morse died in 1872 but a granddaughter, Leila Morse, was an honored guest at a ceremony dedicating the school in 1962…