Hegwood's hat trick helps Dogs down Dougherty

Korbin Hegwood powered Morgan County to an 8-1 win over Dougherty last week in a first-round playoff tilt.

The sophomore striker scored three of eight goals, helping the Dogs advance to the second round.

“Korbin played really well,” Morgan County coach Aaron Paul said after the game. “I’m proud of him.”

Morgan County junior keeper Blake Downs was also stellar in the match, recording three saves in the opening-round win. The Dogs also got solid play from Teddy Young, Julian Tenorio, and a few others.

Dougherty never had a chance as Morgan County came out firing on all cylinders. The Dogs controlled the tempo all night on the pitch, and the Trojans’ defense couldn’t stop their offensive attack.

“It was a good springboard into practice and our prep for this week's second-round game,” Paul said.

Top-seed Morgan County scored seven goals in the first half, taking a huge lead into the locker room. The Dogs played their reserves in the second half, letting their starters rest for the second round.

“We played well and were able to get a lot of young guys in for quality reps at the end of the game,” Paul explained, adding that he feels his squad is ready for its second-round matchup this week.

Morgan County improved to 9-6-1 overall with the win. The Dogs move on to the second round where they lost last season to No. 2 seed Peach County (10-7), which is their next opponent this week.

Peach County defeated Morgan County 2-1 last year in Madison, so the Dogs are looking for revenge. This week’s practices have been full of watching film on the Trojans and getting ready for them.

Paul hopes his team can keep it together against Peach County this season. The Dogs are hoping to return to the quarterfinal round of the Class AAA state playoffs for the first time in several years.

“One of our goals this season was to get back to the Elite Eight,” Paul said earlier this year. “We’re young, but I think we have a really talented team. We’ve also played a tough schedule, too.”