Mortimer Jordan senior Spencer Brown (28) runs through defenders on Friday night in a 60-36 home win over Hayden. 

KIMBERLY—Last season finished in historic fashion for the Mortimer Jordan football program, but the eighth-ranked Blue Devils did something on Friday night that it didn’t accomplish a year ago. With a 60-36 home win over Hayden (7-2, 5-1), head coach Dusty Goode and his team secured the Class 5A, Region 6 championship.

According to Goode, this is the third time a Mortimer Jordan football team has finished as region champions.

“This was one of our goals going into [the season] and we got it, so now we’ve got to move on and look forward to finishing the regular season next week before hosting the first round here,” said Goode.

To accomplish his goal, Goode went to his standout running back over and over and over again in the high-scoring affair. Senior Spencer Brown, a UAB pledge, took the ball 40 times for 328 rushing yards and six touchdowns for Mortimer Jordan. When asked if he was tired following the championship-clinching win: “No, I could carry it 40 more times,” said Brown as he walked off Jimmie Trotter Field.

“I just wanted to score for my team so we could get this win.”

As much offense as both teams displayed, perhaps, the play of the evening came from the Blue Devils’ defense in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Mortimer Jordan (7-2, 6-0) denied Hayden running back Levi Snider on an inside give, turning the Wildcats over on downs and setting the scene for a back-breaking drive.

Quarterback Douglas Moore and the Blue Devils marched 97 yards in three plays to put the game out of reach at 52-36 with 8:04 remaining in the final frame. Brown started the drive with a 60-yard run down the right side before Moore connected with Trey Peters on a 27-yard toss. Brown, as he routinely did on Friday night, finished with a physical 10-yard run up the middle.

“That was huge,” said Goode, who felt good about the defensive call on that decisive play. “We got a big play and then the offense got out there and they did their thing.”

After their thing was done, the hosts stiffened for a third consecutive turnover on downs, leading to Brown’s sixth and final touchdown of the night. He added the 2-point conversion to finalize things at 60-36.

Hayden certainly didn’t go quietly, though.

The Wildcats looked doomed at the half, trailing 36-22. But, a gutsy onside kick sparked a rally that evened the score at 36-all with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter.

Running back Leonard Johnson did much of the damage for Hayden, as he finished with 224 yards rushing and two touchdowns. However, Johnson and the Wildcats just couldn’t knock Mortimer Jordan out, as they closed on a 24-0 run.

As a team, the Blue Devils ran for 349 yards while Hayden finished with 300. The region champions rolled up 512 total yards of offense on 20 first downs. Moore threw for 163 yards, 111 of which went to Trey Peters, who pulled in a 12-yard touchdown reception late in the first half. He later ran in a reverse from 11 yards out.

Mortimer Jordan visits Fayette County next week. Hayden hosts Lincoln before the opening round of the state playoffs.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.