Morris led Aces to perfect regular season
Nov. 23—Going undefeated in high school football during the regular season is a monumental accomplishment for any program, and for Owensboro Catholic it's even more special considering the strength of its schedule outside its Class 2-A District.
The seasoned Aces pulled that off this fall — going a perfect 10-0 — and that made Jason Morris a rock-solid choice as the 2023 Messenger-Inquirer Coach of the Year.
"It's hard to go undefeated," Morris said. "It's especially hard for a 2-A program to do so playing many larger programs over the course of the season. It's a grind, but our players and coaches were focused and determined throughout, and that's what got us there.
"Coaching football is something I enjoy doing — putting our team in the best possible position to win the game, week in and week out," he said. "It's tough, and winning's not easy — that's why we celebrate all wins. Fortunately, we've had a lot of them to celebrate this season."
Morris was quick to credit the school administration, his staff and the Aces' senior class, which started the 2021 season 0-5 before rallying for seven straight victories to achieve a winning season — something Morris has accomplished in each of his six seasons at the Aces helm.
"This is a senior group that's very special," Morris said. "They have grown so much over the past three seasons. Their toughness and their focus have pushed the program forward. They are a group that knew if they put the work in, good things would happen, and that's exactly what's taken place."
Morris, 41, a former star athlete at Hancock County High School, spent two seasons as an assistant at Catholic under John Edge before taking over as head coach in 2018.
"I liked the challenge of taking over for coach Edge here," Morris said, "and the culture has been outstanding the whole time. My idea was to keep the winning tradition going and even grow the program, get the young kids back in the stands, really come together as a community — we get it done together at Owensboro Catholic."
This season, the Aces really had it together.
Catholic rolled through its overmatched district with lopsided wins over Todd County Central, Edmonson County and Fort Camobell, and posted seven impressive non-district victories over Apollo, Daviess County, Greenwood, Owensboro, Henderson County, Crittenden County and North Hardin.
Led by a host of stars — including junior quarterback Brady Atwell, multifaceted senior Tutt Carrico and junior linebacker Vince Carrico — the Aces outscored their opposition by a whopping margin of 469-115.
The Aces excelled both on and off the field.
"We haven't had a single ineligible player for behavior or academics the entire season, freshmen through seniors," Morris said, "and this is something we stress — don't be that guy who is the distraction."
Morris, who is also the school's athletic director, believes he's precisely where he's supposed to be.
"God puts us in places for a reason, and for a lot of different reasons I feel I'm the perfect fit for Owensboro Catholic," Morris said. "I'm convinced that God wants me to be here doing exactly what I'm doing — I love it."
