football

West Orange-Stark Stymies Sweetwater for 2nd Straight Title

2016 Schedule/Results: Class: 6A | 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A Six Man
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Jeremiah Shaw and Jack Dallas scored on short runs and West Orange-Stark rode a dominant defense to a second straight state title, beating Sweetwater 24-6 for the Class 4A Division II championship Friday.

Shaw's 2-yard run and Chad Davis' point-after kick in the final minute of the first half put West Orange-Stark ahead to stay at 7-6 after Luke James returned a fumble 96 yards for a touchdown to give Sweetwater an early lead.

West Orange-Stark (16-0) didn't allow an offensive point and finished the season with an 811-66 scoring advantage, allowing an average of 4.1 points per game. West Orange-Stark outscored its six playoff opponents 290-39.

Jack Dallas scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter after Teshaun Teel recovered a fumble at the Sweetwater 34. Justin Brown later returned an interception 31 yards to help West Orange-Stark cruise to its third state championship and first since back-to-back titles in 1986-87.

West Orange-Stark, which had eight shutouts on the season, held Sweetwater (13-2) to 148 yards total offense with nine first downs.

Jay'len Matthews set up Shaw's touchdown with a twisting 40-yard catch from Keion Hancock. Shaw led West Orange-Stark with 89 yards on 13 carries.

James gave Sweetwater the lead when he up a dropped snap, broke one tackle and raced down the right sideline. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Chris Thompson had 39 yards rushing to lead Sweetwater, making its first trip to the finals since winning its only title in 1985. Thompson was 9 of 20 passing for 67 yards with Brown's interception.

Jack Dallas was 14 of 22 for 98 yards and was intercepted in the back of the end zone by Kobe Clark on the first play of the fourth quarter, when West Orange-Stark's lead was just 10-6.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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