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Pickens Academy’s 30-point second quarter was the difference in its 36-32 victory over Morgan Academy on Thursday.

Morgan Academy’s eighth straight loss overshadowed a stellar performance from Senators quarterback Caden Tellier, who ran for five touchdowns and accounted for over 300 yards in total offense, 152 yards rushing, and 149 yards passing.

The Senators (1-9) took a 6-0 first-quarter lead on Tellier’s 1-yard TD run.

But Pickens Academy’s 30-point explosion in the second quarter allowed the Pirates to build a 30-6 lead and hold off the Senators.

Peyton Snipes’ TD runs of 3- and 52 yards, coupled with his two-point conversion runs put the Pirates up 16-6. Foster Peyton added a 42-yard TD run and Lane Johnson scored from 28 yards out, coupled with Snipes’ pair of two-point conversion runs that gave the Pirates a 30-6 advantage.

“The second quarter came back to haunt us,” Senators coach Danny Raines said. “We had a tough time tackling their quarterback. He was more like a running back.”

Tellier’s 28-yard TD scamper trimmed the deficit to 30-12 at halftime.

Pickens Academy (2-8) scored its final touchdown in the fourth quarter when Snipes hit Johnson for a 28-yard TD for a 36-12 lead.

But the Senators closed the game with 20 straight points, courtesy of Tellier’s scoring runs of 33-, 76- and 2-yards, plus a two-point conversion run for the final margin of victory.

The Pirates recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock after the Senators’ last TD.

Raines praised the Senators for not giving up in the contest and always battling throughout a challenging season.

“We have a young team and I appreciate them coming to work every day,” Raines said. “We had a tough schedule.”