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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The Ellis football team approached every game like it was attending a buffet supper.
The Jaguars went 8-0 with an aggregate score of 276-8. The scores leading up to the Tri-County Conference championship game were 28-0, 30-0, 38-0, 48-0, 38-0, 36-8 and 36-0.
In the title game against visiting Mooresville on Oct. 8, they finally met some resistance. It was 0-0 after the first quarter and 6-0 at halftime. But in the end, things were no different. Ellis won going away, 22-0.
Seldom have we seen a team this ferocious, this laughably dominant.
“We’ve won six championships in 18 years,” assistant coach Mike Morgan said after Ellis’ third perfect season in four years. “Four of those we went into the last game knowing we had it wrapped up. The one in 2011 was the last time we actually got to play someone in a championship game. All four of us coaches have played and coached in some big games. We emphasized all week how special it is to have that opportunity, and the kids responded. A lot of these kids have been with Roger (Blalock) and Joe (Burchette) for a while and they play hard for them. They also bought into coach (Larry) Williams’ system and it worked out great.”
The only points in the first half came on a Bowman Blakley run.
“Mooresville had nine people in the box, and they sent people through B gap and off-tackle,” Morgan said. “It slowed us down.”
The Jaguars had to make some adjustments at halftime. One of their stalwarts, Cam James, was playing with a sprained ankle and couldn’t help his team at running back. So the offense leaned on Blakley, who played hero while scoring two of the three TDs. Mason Driver, who moved from QB to running back, had the other TD.
“Bowman and Cam have been a great 1-2 punch at running back,” Morgan said. “Unfortunately, Cam hurt his ankle last week and couldn’t really put his foot in the ground and cut. He only had one carry in the first half. He moved to H-back and we started motioning him as a lead blocker. Ben Bost went to QB and Mason Driver moved to our other back. That gave them problems. Bowman just absolutely took over on offense.”
Blakley’s clutch running was made possible by Joseph Burchette, Brody Newman, Henry Migliarese, Vincent Clements, Graham Weaver and Cody Zwanzig.
“Our line stepped up in the second half,” Morgan said. “Coach Williams runs a scheme were the line pulls and traps on most plays. I think this gives linemen, particularly at this age, the mentality that I’m not just going to block you, I’m going to attack you. Our line has done that every game. Other than Brody, they aren’t that imposing looking, but they are one of the best units we’ve had here.
“Another thing that made us efficient on offense that gets overlooked is that we only mishandled one QB-center exchange the entire season. That’s so important at this level. Driver and Burchette did a great job with that, and it’s the first link in being good offensively.”
Talking only offense doesn’t properly tell the story. The defense played at the peak of its powers with the team’s legacy on the line.
“Henry and Wyatt Giff set the edge and hit the QB all day,” Morgan said. “Henry has a great motor and has really been a leader on defense.
“Bowman not only carried us on offense, he shadowed No. 4, their biggest threat, the whole game.
“What Cam couldn’t do on offense, he more than made up for it on defense. He just absolutely punished people a couple of times.”
Graham Wood and Wade Hefner had interceptions. A sick Colby Mason was less than full strength, but the d-line didn’t skip a beat when Mason had to come out.
“Hats off to Wade – he’s been kind of the unsung hero on both sides of the ball,” Morgan said. “We missed Colby. He’s an interior lineman and he’s been a big part of this thing. He had strep and could only go about 50 percent. Cody and Vincent did a great job filling in.”
Both of Mooresville’s losses were to Ellis, including 38-0 on Sept. 17. This marked the Jaguars’ fifth perfect season. They went 8-0 in 2011, 2014 and 2021 and 7-0 in 2022.
“I was lucky to be at Oak Grove with great parents and great kids,” Williams, the first-year Ellis head coach, said. “I left Oak Grove and came to Ellis to teach math. I went one year without coaching and really missed it. I feel fortunate to be able to get back into it at another place with great kids, great parents, great colleagues and a supportive administration.”