The No. 9 Morgan Academy Senators (4-1) were defending a 15-14 lead in the final 1:25 of the game as the Glenwood School Gators (1-4) worked its way down field.

The game clock was slowly ticking down as Glenwood drove the ball 46-yards to Morgan’s 24-yard line.

The Senators stopped the Gators on third down and forced Glenwood to attempt a 29-yard field goal with 13 seconds left on the clock to decide the game.

The Gators were within the kickers range.

The snap was good.

The hold was good.

But Morgan Academy’s Mason Perkins beat his blocker off the edge and blocked the kick to seal the win for the Senators.

“I was just thinking he hadn’t blocked me all night, and I had to give everything for my team, these fans and everyone that came out to support us,” Perkins said.

The relieved crowd erupted with cheers as Dione Allen picked up the loose ball and returned it 70-yards for a touchdown.

“I was running with my arms up. It was huge,” Perkins said. “I think we brought back something Morgan hasn’t had in a long time, and I’m proud of that.”

The cannon behind the south end zone boomed in celebration as the Morgan Academy Senators won 22-14.

“I’m just so excited for our kids and our community,” Morgan head coach Josh Thacker said. “We finally got tailgates and the football atmosphere that we’ve been asking for, and I’m just so proud of our kids right now.”

The blocked field goal was the cherry on top of a highlight-filled night for Perkins. He also recorded a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a 20-yard reception on offense.

“[Perkins] never let up,” Thacker said. “All summer and after the injury, he never stopped. I want to kill him 99 percent of the time, but tonight I love him.”

Even though the Senators had the lead for the majority of the game, it was a tightly fought ball game.

Morgan Academy got on the scoreboard early when quarterback Jeremy Lee connected with wide receiver Hardin Utsey in the middle of the field for a 50-yard touchdown on the opening drive.

Lee completed 8-of-11 passes for 91 yards. His touchdown pass to Utsey was Morgan’s only play for more than 20-yards.

The Senators rushing attack was slowed down by the Gators as well. The team was averaging 136.25 yards per game on the ground through the first four games, but were held to just 81 yards on Friday night.

Even though the Senator’s longest rush of the night was a 13-yard rush by Holt Utsey, the multiple runs of 3,4 and 5 yards burned the clock down and kept the offense in short yardage situations.

Thacker’s clock burning strategy limited the Gators to just one possession in the first quarter, which ended with a missed field goal.

In the second quarter, the Gators had three offensive series. A one-play intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. A turnover on downs on the next series, and a pass intercepted by Hardin with 21 seconds before halftime.

The Senators led the game 9-0 at the half, but they hadn’t put the Gators away just yet.

Glenwood didn’t pass often, with quarterback Bryce Valero completing just four passes, but the Gators ran the ball effectively.

They ran sweeps and zone read plays that gashed the Senators defense for big plays to keep them in the game. Morgan Academy allowed a season-high 228 rushing yards to the Gators.

Glenwood had 10 running plays for 10-yards or more.

Even on fourth-and-short plays, the Senators had difficulty stopping Glenwood’s drives when they ran the ball.

Midway through the third quarter, Valero ran in a 7-yard touchdown to put bring the Gators cut Morgan Academy’s lead to 9-7.

Hardin’s fumble on the Senators next possession setup another scoring drive for the Gators. Morgan Academy trailed for the first time in the game after Glenwood’s Daryl Moon scored on 3-yard run with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

Sticking with the game plan, Thacker continued to chip away at Glenwood. A personal foul on the last kickoff of the third quarter gave Morgan Academy the ball on Glenwood’s 36-yard line. A 20-yard completion to Perkins put the Senators on the four-yard line where Holt was able to take the ball in for a score.

The Senators failed the two-point conversion, but the team regained the lead 15-14.

Morgan’s defense was back on the field after a short rest, and the Gators marched 65-yards down to the Senators 5-yard line threatening to score again.

The Senators defense held its ground with its back to the end zone and denied the Gators entry. On second-and-goal, a bad snap took the Gators back 26-yards. Morgan’s Kenneth Nichols sacked Valero for a loss of six on the next play to force the Gators to punt on fourth down with 4:28 left in the game.

Morgan’s offense failed to burnout the clock on the following possession, but Perkins block at the end of the game preserved the Senators’ win.

“Our team has worked hard all year, and I knew that we were going to come out on top after how hard we worked,” Perkins said.

The win gives Morgan Academy a 2-0 region record, which puts them in a first-place tie with No. 1 Tuscaloosa Academy.

“This team has never lacked confidence,” Thacker said. “They’ve kind of played with a chip on their shoulder all year, so I just got to keep it on them.”

The Senators travel to face Success Unlimited in Montgomery for a Thursday night game next week on Sept. 20.