Team Effort Leads to Convincing West Win Over Pius XI, 55-30

When a team scores six touchdowns in any football game – they should come out on top. But that didn’t happen for Pius XI High School on Saturday night in Wauwatosa.

The Tosa West Trojans defeated the Popes in a Woodland Conference game, 55-30. A steady and sometimes scorching offensive ground game continued to power the Trojans – now 4-0 in the Woodland Conference, while Pius dropped to 2-2.

For the fourth time in as many games this season, Tosa West’s Mickey Morgan got things started with a long scoring run – this one almost 60 yards on the Trojan’s first offensive series to put the Trojan’s up 7-0.

In the first set of downs for Pius, quarterback Connor Senger took off down the left sideline for a 50-yard run. Showing great hustle on the play, Develyn Ferguson caught Senger from behind and stopped him at the 2-yard line – but Pius scored on their next play to make the score 7-6.

The Trojan’s next drive combined sterling runs by Morgan and Jameson Brock, and the Trojans scored when Brock caught a 5-yard scoring strike from Jared Morzinski.

Pius answered when Senger took off on a 48-yard TD run, and the score was 14-12.

The next offensive series by the Trojans included a great 30-yard run by Greg Lewis through the heart of the Pope’s defense. After Morzinski ran for 5 yards to the 2, Morgan ran wide to the right on fourth down and scored easily for a 21-12 lead.

On their next series Pius answered right back on a nice 25-yard strike by Senger to Darius Nance, and the score was 21-18.

Before the end of the half, two unanswered scores by the Trojans put some distance between these two explosive football teams. A great Morgan run of 30 yards set up a 35-yard scoring run by sophomore Demaris Purifoy.

Stopping Senger and the Popes was a challenge all night – but the Trojan defense finally had success with tackles behind the line of scrimmage by Jon Doolen and Elijah Banyard-Johnson. Khaled Salem, Andre Santiago and Greg Lewis made impressive stops on the ground.

Sam Clough had a drive-stopping sack and contributed to several defensive gems. Eric Chapman and Mickey Morgan knocked down key passes to slow the Popes.

In the final fireworks of the first half for the Trojans, Morzinski lofted a long pass to Ferguson, who hauled it in for a 60-yard score – and the half ended with the score 35-18. 

Pius quarterback Senger could be slowed but not stopped – and he cut the Trojan’s lead to 35-24 on the first play of the second half, scoring on the ground from 75 yards out.

The Trojan’s started their first series with a fumble, and later threw an interception – leaving the door open for a much closer game. But the Trojan defense held, and speedy Tosa junior Jameson Brock answered with touchdown runs of 4 yards and 30 yards, to make the score 48-24.

Senger threw for the Pope’s final score on a short crossing pattern.

For the Trojans, fullback Greg Lewis ended all scoring when two of his twisting and churning runs up the middle combined for 50 yards and paydirt. Ending the final Pius threat of the night was the Trojan’s Eric Chapman with a game-ending interception, and the final score was 55-30.  

The Trojans are 4-0 and playing very good football. Their next game is against the Pewaukee Pirates, also with a record of 4-0. This clash will take place at the Wauwatosa West Trojan’s home field at 7 p.m. Friday.