HIGH SCHOOLS : Challenge for Morse Is to Ground the Offense of Unbeaten Orange Glen

Like any good drama, the San Diego Section 3-A football championship game tonight at 8 between Orange Glen (12-0) and Morse (10-2) is full of conflicts.

The key matchups:

Morse’s defensive line vs. Orange Glen quarterback Cree Morris--Morse has yet to see a passing attack as sophisticated as Orange Glen’s, so the Morse line must put pressure on Morris. “I’d assume a lot of (the outcome) will depend on how well we get to the quarterback,” Morse coach John Shacklett said.

Orange Glen Coach Dave Lay, working his last game at Orange Glen before becoming an assistant coach at San Diego State, agreed: “The Morse nose guard (Junior Salas, 5-feet 6-inches, 160 pounds) scares me. He’s really quick. You put a guy like that on a center, and he can really cause damage to your running and passing games.”

Dan Lynds (6-1, 220) is the center who will be responsible for keeping Salas out of the Orange Glen backfield.

Orange Glen’s offense vs. Morse defensive end Ty Morrison--Depending on what scheme Orange Glen is in, different players will be responsible for blocking Morrison (6-4, 221), co-defensive player of the year in the City Eastern League. It could be the fullback, tight end, guard or tackle.

“We’ll mix it up--we don’t want to get one guy all bloody,” Lay said with a laugh. “We might as well have a bunch of guys all bloody.”

Orange Glen receivers vs. Morse secondary--Orange Glen’s Jake Nyberg is the best receiver in the county, Glen Reyes one of the fastest. As Orange Glen runs its dives and fakes and draws in attempt to free up Nyberg and Reyes, the Morse defenders will have to think quickly.

“Orange Glen’s offense is built on putting pressure on the defense and getting people out of position,” Shacklett said. “We have to stay disciplined when they pressure our secondary.”

Morse offensive line vs. Orange Glen defensive line--Morse likes to take advantage of a big offensive line, led by Michael Ivory (6-1, 240), and blast straight ahead.

“We’ve got to keep them from wedge-blocking,” Lay said. “They do that, and their fullback gets 8 or 9 yards consistently. We’ve got to find a way to stop that.”

The players vs. nature--Put a high school team in a mammoth stadium and nature takes its course. The players can become jittery, attention spans decrease.

Morse is in the same position it was in a year ago, when it lost the 3-A championship to Point Loma, 16-14, in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Orange Glen has never played in the stadium. Will that hurt the Patriots?

“You just don’t know,” Lay said. “But this team has done pretty well in adverse situations--on the road, in the rain and with kids hurt. This team is pretty good at not having excuses.”

Will Morse have an advantage?

“Probably not,” Shacklett said. Then, after a minute’s thought, he came up with one anyway: “The biggest advantage we’ll have is that we know where the bathrooms are.”