KIMBERLY—In a game that was bumped ahead 24 hours, due to the threat of inclement weather on Friday, ninth-ranked Mortimer Jordan did its part in an effort to clutch its fourth straight region championship, thumping Moody 41-0 in Jimmie Trotter Stadium.

The second part of the equation also went in favor of Big Blue, as No. 4 Central-Clay County knocked off Center Point 19-12 to slide the Vols into the runner-up slot in Class 5A, Region 5 behind Mortimer Jordan. Both teams finished league play at 6-1, however the Blue Devils won the head-to-head contest in Week 6, 34-28, awarding them a fourth consecutive region title under head coach Dusty Goode.

In front of its home crowd, the Mortimer Jordan defense pitched its first shutout of the season, quarterback Kourtlan Marsh scored five touchdowns and the Blue Devils (8-2, 5-1 Class 5A, Region 5) beat their visitors into a fourth-quarter hot clock on Thursday night.

Moody (3-6, 2-5 Class 5A, Region 5) finished the contest with 101 yards of offense, compared to Marsh’s 270 yards. The senior went 13 of 17 through the air for 153 yards and three scores. He found Grant Ezekiel running all alone for a 62-yard touchdown on the third snap of the game.

Marsh later took advantage of a Boo Prisoc interception deep inside Moody territory with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Harrison O’Brien off a play-action fake for a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter.

“We thought they were in man coverage right there and when you’ve got someone that has to come up and take the play-fake, it’s awful hard on a defensive back, so Kourtlan and Harrison and the offensive line had a great play-fake there and it was a pretty play,” said Goode of his team’s fifth score of the evening.

His third and final touchdown pass came on the second play of the fourth quarter. He floated the ball into the end zone where sophomore DJ Parks ran it down for an 11-yard strike that finished the scoring at 41-0.

Despite the lopsided score, Goode saw several things to work on next week in preparation of the playoffs.

“I’m proud of the guys for winning but there were a whole lot of mistakes; we didn’t block very well up front and we didn’t do the things we wanted to do, but we took advantage of some things,” said Goode following the game.

Many of those advantages were seen in the early going, as the homestanding Blue Devils found the end zone with their first five possessions of the night. When Marsh wasn’t scoring with his right arm, he was getting there with his legs, popping off a 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and adding a 35-yard dash midway through the second. He totaled 117 yards rushing in the regular season finale. Senior running back Keondrick Hankins accepted 14 carries for 58 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown early in the second frame.

Mortimer Jordan will sit next week out before hosting Region 6’s No. 4-seed Boaz in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 8.

“We are improving and now we have a week off; hopefully we can get some rest and get some folks healthy and just have a chance at it,” said Goode.