Tuscaloosa Academy jumped out to an early lead Friday night, but Morgan Academy battled back to earn the win.

“I’m just proud of our guys. They never quit and they fought back,” said Morgan head coach Jake Wingo. “There was a lot of ups and downs in this game, and we just found a way to win it.”

With an interception by Tuscaloosa’s Jamarques Darien followed by a fumble recovery that led to a 30-yard field goal, the Knights were up 3-0 early in the first quarter.

Tuscaloosa once again capitalized on a Morgan fumble when quarterback Keonte Chambers ran a quarterback draw from the 1-yard line to make the score 9-0. A failed two-point conversion kept the score at 9-0 where it remained until the second quarter.

With 10:26 left in the first half, Morgan’s Woodham Kemmer ran the ball 30 yards for the Senators’ first touchdown of the night. With a converted extra point attempt, the score was 9-7.

Just over a minute later, Tuscaloosa answered when Chambers threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robins Bonner. The extra point attempt was no good and the Knights extended their lead to 15-7.

With multiple penalties, the Senators were backed up on their own 5-yard line and were forced to punt.

Chambers again ran a quarterback draw for 38 yards and a touchdown with 5:22 left in the second quarter. Trey Finson made the extra point and the Knights held the lead at 22-14.

With 2:51 left in the first half, Morgan’s Harrison Adams threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Miller Spivey, and with JR Wood’s extra point, the Senators were closing in at 22-14.

But the Knights were quick to answer when Chambers threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Bonner with 2:35 left in the first half. Finson added another extra point to bring the score to 29-14, and that was the last time Tuscaloosa would cross the end zone.

“We just didn’t score. We kept getting backed up,” said Tuscaloosa head coach Robert Johnson. “We’ve just got to make our plays when they’re handed to us.”

The third quarter was nearly scoreless until Adams threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kemmer. Wood added an extra point and the Senators were back within reach of the game with a score of 29-21.

“I thought Woodham Kemmer had a lot of hard runs and Miller Spivey had some big catches, Harrison Adams is a great leader for us on offense and made some great plays late in the game that made a difference… It wasn’t one player, it was everybody,” Wingo said.

Tuscaloosa ran for what it thought was going to be a 60-yard touchdown, but a holding penalty was called against the Knights.

With 7:39 left in the game, Morgan’s Jackson Henderson caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Adams, who then ran the ball in for a two-point conversion. The game was tied 29-29.

On Morgan’s next possession, Adams pitched the ball to Henderson who ran it in for a 2-yard touchdown. Wood’s extra point was good, making the score 36-29 Senators.

Morgan sealed the game with a forced fumble and a recovery with 1:07 left.

“Hats off to Morgan, they came out and they kicked our tail. We played as hard as we could, but some things just didn’t go our way and so we got beat,” Johnson said. “We’re hurting right now, but we’ll get back up and we’ll be fine.”

Morgan Academy (2-3) takes on Autauga Academy at home next week while Tuscaloosa Academy (4-1) will travel to rival Bessemer Academy.