McIntosh has been one of the surprise teams in Class 5A this season. The Chiefs are entering the state playoffs for the first time since 2017 and one of the few times in school history.
Senior QB Tate Morris has undoubtedly played a massive role in their resurgence into the postseason. Morris has 2871 passing yards and 940 yards through 10 games, and perhaps his best play of the season came last week.
“It feels very special to be in the playoffs, as we are the 3rd team in the history of our school to ever do it. If we win this Saturday at Chamblee, we could be the first team to ever win a playoff game at McIntosh,” Morris said.
Junior receiver Nick Glozier also added, “McIntosh hasn’t made the playoffs in quite a few years so it’s really exciting to be a part of that team and as a team, we want to start to set an expectation that we’re a program that can consistently make the playoffs.”
Last week, the Chiefs cemented themselves as a #3 seed against Harris County. McIntosh was down late but driving to midfield. The chips were down, it was 4th down and 18 yards to go. The Chiefs needed a big play from their star QB Morris, and soon after dropping back he began to scramble all over the pocket dipping and dodging around tacklers. Morris eventually found junior receiver Nick Glozier around the first down marker. Morris heaved the ball downfield, Glozier leaped up and high-pointed the pass with the defender all over his back. He then dragged the defense for an additional 10 yards after contact, setting up McIntosh on the other side of the field and converting the crucial 4th down.
Both athletes talked about the play and what they saw in the moment leading up.
“The game started off slow on the offensive side of the ball, but we kicked it in gear and got the offense moving up and down the field. Our defense held up very well, especially in the second half, and gave us the chance to make a huge 4th downplay to extend the game-winning drive,” Morris said
Glozier then talked about the incredible extended play, “On the fourth down play Tate did an exceptional job extending the play with his feet while still keeping his eyes down field and I tried to keep myself available as he was scrambling to make a play to get the first down.”
This season has been great for McIntosh comparatively speaking. After just winning a few games the last few seasons combined, they have won 5 and finished top 3 in their region. This year’s fall team is setting the tone for future teams to come, and both Morris and Glozier are proud of that.
“It’s been a pretty good season, we finished 5-5 losing a few really close games but we made the playoffs and we’re looking to make a good run,” Glozier said.
Morris is confident but also felt they let a few games get away. “Our season has been pretty good so far. We have lost a couple of close games that we think we should have won but we have also closed out a couple of close games,” he said.
Chamblee is a huge matchup this Saturday for McIntosh. Their high-powered offense should go head-to-head with the Bulldogs, and it should be a quality matchup between the two emerging 5A programs.
On the recruiting front, both athletes are seeing interest continue to be slow. For Morris, he is a 2023 recruit, with excellent production on the year with nearly 4k all-purpose yards, but this is Morris’ first year at QB. Colleges have been slow to realize the type of season the senior has put together, but we believe that will change.
For Glozier, he is a junior who is vying for targets among a talented skill player base. The 2024 prospect has 24 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns. There is still plenty of time for the junior’s recruitment to materialize.
What doesn’t have a lot of time from now? How about tomorrow’s game against Chamblee, where you will most likely find Morris connecting to his junior safety valve at receiver again.
For more recruiting news be sure to follow @RecruitGeorgia on Twitter to hear the latest on athletes all across the state.