2-7-14 Morrison, Nally sign with NorthwestHounds choose to stay home to play

Maryville all-staters Morrison, Nally pick Northwest on signing day

By JASON LAWRENCE

Sports editor

Sometimes the pull of home is too much to disregard and that was the case as National Football Signing Day approached for a pair of Maryville all-state performers.

Safety Trent Nally, the Class 3 Defensive Player of the Year, and offensive lineman Jackson Morrison, a three-time all-state honoree, made their decisions official Wednesday when they signed their Letters of Intent to stay home and play for Northwest for the next five years.

Were excited because the general fan doesnt realize how good they are and look at them like Maryville kids. Thats not the case. Those two kids are really good players who were being courted by bigger schools and I commend them for the way they went through the process, Northwest head coach Adam Dorrel said. They just kept coming back to, Everything I want to get done in my college career, I can get done at Northwest Missouri State. I think it certainly helps us that those kids not only grew up here in Maryville, they grew up coming to football games. Moms and dads would bring them out. They probably have some good memories of this place and want to make some of their own.

The process went a little different for the two standouts who helped Maryville to back-to-back Class 3 state championships.

Nally verbally committed to the Bearcats early in the process, getting his commitment out of the way before he senior season at Maryville.

It started out in May and I talked to coach Dorrel and it was nothing heavy, Nally said. Two or three weeks went by and our season started in August the first two weeks of August and I (verbally committed) then. I took my visit January 18-19 and that kind of reasserted my decision .... I knew I wanted to be at Northwest.

The family atmosphere that is often referenced and was even the Cats creed this season, making its way onto the back of the Northwest players as they captured the programs fourth Division II national title.

The family environment that all the players have and the coaches share with their players was huge and I got to witness that every year because I obviously live here, Nally said. Ive been around and Ive seen things and Ive heard things and it really is true, it really is a true family environment. They obviously win, which is also huge. The game day atmosphere was huge. How the community supports them, win or lose, was huge. Those were some of the big things that made me choose them.

Morrisons process was a little more drug out, with the lineman engaging in talks with Big 12 schools, FCS schools as well as the hometown team.

At the beginning of my junior year, I was still talking to schools like Missouri and stuff like that, but it got down to those FCS schools and I took all my visits, Morrison said. I felt like I had to take all those visits to make the best decision I could and my visit to Northwest just felt right.

Really when I went on my visit it was pretty natural walking around and being around the guys. Obviously, its close to home and it just felt like a place where I wanted to be.

Morrison said he looked up to the Northwest players going to games as a little kid and is now looking forward to having kids looking up to him and dealing with the high expectations that come with playing collegiate football at a place with a championship pedigree like Northwest.

As a little kid, I did go to all the games and I looked up to those guys, Morrison said. Im looking forward to being one of those guys that the little kids can look up now and want to go be Bearcats.

Its fun to win and at Maryville, we like to win. The expectations at Northwest are high, and I wouldnt want to have it any other way.

Although both Morrison and Nally racked up the individual accolades during their illustrious high school careers, Maryville head football coach Matt Webb said they are really good teammates as illustrated by Morrisons play with such a dominant unit that helped pave the way for 4,692 yards rushing and 56 touchdowns and Nally playing quarterback to benefit the team.

Jackson is a member of an offensive line thats been very dominant and hes the first one to tell you that just because he makes a big block, its all five of those guys working together. Hes an unselfish offensive lineman, Webb said. For Trent to be able to unselfishly play quarterback this year he was excited to play defensive back. Youre looking at the Class 3 Defensive Player this year. Trent is a defensive back at the college level, hes a defensive player. He may grow into an outside linebacker or something, but for him to unselfishly play quarterback this year because I asked him as a head coach to do it for our team to make our team the best it could be, I think speaks volumes for what type of person he is.

At the end of the day, Webb said every coach wants to see their players move on to the next level.

I think anybody would tell you that any coach wants their players to go on to the college experience and be in a good place, around good people and good coaches and be in good programs that are solid, Webb said. Just the sense and feeling that theyll be taken care of. I cant tell you the comfort level I personally have with Northwest Missouri State and the Bearcats and what they do out there and the type of program they run. Certainly, its been very well respected for years. They do things the right way.

Selfishly, though, hes happy they are staying home.

Im just very proud to say that weve got a couple more Spoofhounds out there (at Northwest) and Im selfishly happy that Ill be able to watch them play a little more often right here in our hometown, Webb said.

Now, Northwest has four of the cornerstones of the last two Maryville state championships with Nally and Morrison to go along with quarterback Jonathan Baker and defensive lineman Caleb Mather, who redshirted this past season at Northwest, as is customary of first-year players.

These guys were both voted on by our team as our team captains this past year, Webb said. These are my two captains and theyre going on to play college ball together with two guys that were leaders on our team two years ago, in Jonathan Baker and Caleb Mather. All four of those guys have something unique, but these two specifically, I think, have a drive and a sense of wanting to be the best. Theyre very driven young men athletically. Theyre very critical of themselves. They critique themselves, they work hard and theyre very humble. Theyre very good teammates.

Both Nally and Morrison are prepared to go in and help the Cats in any way they can. Dorrel said Morrison could play center or at either guard spot while Nally could play either safety position or even possibly switch down to play the rover linebacker position.

I have a lot of room to improve, Nally said. I have a lot of weight that I need to put on and I know I will. It really doesnt matter to me. Im out there to help them wherever they need me, whether its rover, safety, special teams, Ill do it. Im more than willing.

Ill go in and help the team however I can, Morrison said. As a freshman, youre expected to go in and work hard and earn the respect of the older guys, so thats what Im planning to do.

Adding two more Spoofhounds to the Bearcats roster also bodes well for the high school football program.

I think it gives those guys down at the high school some drive, Morrison said. Coach Webb does a great job there at the high school and hes going to give all of those players the best opportunity he can to go on and play at the next level.

Neither can wait to step inside Bearcat Stadium and onto Mel Tjeerdsma Field to hopefully add to their collection of rings right in their own backyard.