The Morgan Academy Junior Varsity team is one step away from being part of Friday Night Lights.

Rick Williams is the head coach of the Senators’ JV team that’s made up of seventh through ninth graders.  Williams enters his third year as the JV coach after seven seasons as Pee Wee coach.

The JV squad is off to a 2-0 start after beating  Pike Liberal Arts 34-0 and Edgewood 46-23.

Freshman players are Rhyne Williams, Clay Beers, T.B. Clements, Allen Lightfoot, Cole Wilson, Jackson Griffin, Stephen Feister, Rishi Patel, Perrin Utsey, John Ingram, Allen Creech and Casen Huff.

The freshmen dress out for the Senators’ games on Friday night.

Eighth-grade players are Moss Jones, Walter Gilmore, Milton Hand, Davis Fuller, Sam Garner and Spivey Massey.

Whit Bowline, Ben Duran, Chase Brown, Jack Johnson, John King, Jake Sams and Barron Frazer are the seventh-grade players.

“I like coaching JV,” Williams said. “The most challenging thing about Junior High is the ninth graders are mature and the seventh graders are new. This team has a good group of ninth graders.”

Williams cited the play of quarterback T.B. Clements, running back/wide receiver Rhyne Williams and running back/wide receiver Allen Ingram. Clements is the son of Senators baseball coach Stephen Clements. Rhyne Williams is Williams’ son.

“We have to stay healthy, we only have 22 players,” Williams said. “Clements, Rhyne and Ingram are very talented.”

The Senators JV assistant coaches are Reid McMilion, Travis Wilson, James Roberts and Bryan Jones.