3A FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Late Scores Put Morse by Orange Glen

When Archie Amerson walked off the field last night, someone asked him if he knew where he was.

“I know where I’m going, “ he said.

Morse is going to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium in search of its third section 3-A football title in five years. It is the fifth time in six years the Tigers (13-0) have reached the finals, and almost anything Poway offers will seem easier than Saturday’s 12-0 victory over Orange Glen (9-4) at Mesa College.

Amerson, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound tailback/defensive back, spent most of the night running into the teeth of the Patriot defense, walking wobbly back to the sidelines, then coming back for more.

Although he didn’t score, he broke the Patriots’ backs, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He rushed 24 times for 137 yards and had a couple of key gains--of eight and 18 yards--to give the Tigers a pair of first downs in long yardage situations in Morse’s two fourth-quarter scoring drives.

His teammate, Conan Smith, was no slouch, either. He rushed 24 times for 120 yards, including a 22-yard scoring run with 3:27 left in the game that gave Morse a 12-0 lead. It was set up by Amerson’s five-yard gain on third and three.

Morse quarterback Ray Barnes scored the game’s first touchdown, with 10:45 left in the game. It capped a 10-play, 57-yard drive in which the Tigers ran directly at Orange Glen. That was one of the adjustments they made at halftime. Morse changed its blocking assignments to offset the play of linebacker Jose Ruelas, and decided to run straight ahead.

Morse gained 109 yards in the first half, 153 in the second. Orange Glen gained 105 yards rushing, 104 passing. Joaquin Randall rushed 19 times for 92 yards.

Orange Glen had the best scoring opportunities through the first three periods.

“We just didn’t make the plays,” Orange Glen Coach Rob Gilster said. “It’s as simple as that.”

There was a dropped interception that could have gone for a touchdown. But that wasn’t it alone. Trying for one more play in the final 10 seconds of the first half before attempting a field goal, Jason Mahaffey didn’t get out of bounds on a sideline pattern. The half ran out with the ball at the 17-yard line.

But if that was big, consider the first drive of the second half. Orange Glen took it from its 22 to the nine. Two plays later, the Patriots were at the five. Then there was a delay penalty. Then an incomplete pass. And then Amerson came to the rescue on Aaron Blake’s 27-yard field goal attempt.

Amerson, still wobbly from getting planted by Randall, lined up offside. Blake hit the field goal but the whistle had been blown. Blake took a shot at a 23-yarder--and missed.

“The missed field goal was big,” Morse Coach John Shacklett said, “but not scoring the TD was even bigger.”