Morgan Academy comeback attempt falls just short in wild battle with No. 2 Patrician
Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 4, 2025
Morgan Academy battled back from a 20-0 deficit against Patrician to fall in a tightly-contested game by a final score of 38-30 on Friday, Oct. 3. (For the Selma Times-Journal/Doug Horton)
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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Publisher
SELMA – In a game that saw Morgan Academy trail by as many as 20 points late in the second quarter, the ending nearly saw the Senators storm back in a wild 38-30 loss to Patrician Academy.
The Senators got off to a slow start in the non-region battle of two top AISA teams, but they never faltered, despite an early 20-0 hole.
In the opening half, Patrician looked every bit the part of a team entering as arguably the top AISA team in the state at No. 2 in the AISA standings as one of only two unbeatens.
The Saints jumped all over the Senators, scoring 28 first-half points with little response.
Patrician snatched the lead quickly within the first five minutes, scoring the first touchdown of the night with 7:33 remaining in the opening quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass.
That was the only scoring in a quieter opening quarter to the game, but the Saints quickly added two more touchdowns in the second quarter.
Their first score came with 10:15 left in the period on a short touchdown run, while the defense did enough to get the ball back and give the offense a chance to build the lead into a 20-0 advantage on a lengthy 57-yard touchdown run with 3:43 until halftime.
That, however, served as a wakeup call for the Senators.
Rather than fold at the large deficit, Morgan Academy responded with its only score of the half. The Senators strung together several big plays, marching down the field to eventually punch the ball in from a yard out with 28 seconds left in the half to make it a 20-8 game after a successful two-point attempt.
Patrician, however, decided to try and capitalize on its offensive confidence from the half, getting the ball back with less than 30 seconds and making the most of it.
The Saints wasted no time throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to add six more points and take a 26-8 lead into the halftime break.
With one more gut punch just before the half, the Senators somehow found a way to rebound in the second half, and they did so quickly.
Starting at their own 20 to kick off the second half, Morgan Academy marched right down the field, capping off an 80-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 26-16 game.
But Patrician seemed to have an answer just as momentum shifted throughout the night.
The Saints answered quickly, putting together a powerful drive that was capped off with a short touchdown run to make it 32-16 with 3:00 left in the third quarter.
Morgan Academy, however, never gave in, which led to a wild game down the stretch.
The two teams traded touchdowns once again on their next two drives, leading to a 38-22 game thanks to a short rushing touchdown from Southside and a lengthy touchdown run from Patrician.
Trailing by 16, the fight to start the final quarter and throughout the majority of the final quarter, the fight still never ceased for the Senators.
They faced more heartbreak when they were stopped on the 1-yard line looking to cut into the deficit.
But, with 2:30 left, a fumble by Patrician was not only picked up by Morgan Academy, but returned 60 yards to the house to make it 38-30 with 2:22 remaining.
Like the rest of the night, however, they couldn’t quite get over the hump as Patrician used one more big run to cement the game and hold on for an eight-point victory.
The 30 points scored by the Senators marked the most scored against Patrician this season.
Morgan Academy is now 3-3 overall on the season with games against Lowndes Academy, Chambers Academy and Fort Dale Academy still left on the schedule.
