12/06 - 3:00 PM Football Final Complete Box Score »

COLUMBUS, Ohio – St. Edward started the football season considered by some to be the best team in the country. The Eagles end it as the best Division I team in Ohio.

The Eagles got another big performance from their defense to beat Huber Heights Wayne on Saturday in the Division I state championship game, 31-21, in front of 10,917 fans at Ohio Stadium.

The game was a rematch of the 2010 final, when the Eagles won the first football state title in school history.

"It's special. It's really special for these kids," coach Rick Finotti said in a postgame interview on SportsTime Ohio. "These seniors were in eighth grade when we (last) won it. Just to be able to put their mark on it is pretty special."

The Eagles started this season ranked No. 1 in national rankings, as well as the cleveland.com preseason Top 25. A two-game losing skid changed those honors, but the Eagles ran the table from Week 6 through Saturday’s title game.

The Warriors pulled within 24-21 when defensive lineman Robert Landers returned a Cole Gest fumble 13 yards for a touchdown with 8:50 to play.

But the Eagles responded with a Brett Kean 5-yard touchdown pass to Mike O’Malley with 5:44 left. An Antonio Butler fumble recovery in the final four minutes helped seal the win.

Big plays dominated the first half, including a 78-yard touchdown run by Gest, a 90-yard kickoff return by Wayne’s Ahmad Wagner and a 62-yard run by Wayne’s Greg Schroeder.

St. Edward led 17-14 at halftime. The teams erupted for three touchdowns in just 27 seconds late in the first quarter, including Gest’s electric touchdown run, and Wagner’s equally electric kickoff return.

The Eagles tacked on a John Patrick Walton field goal to take the lead in the second quarter, and were in position to add to that after reaching the Wayne 15-yard line. But three negative plays – including a sack – and a false start penalty led to a missed 46-yard field goal attempt.

Wayne’s offense was kept under wraps after the first quarter. The Warriors had just 20 yards of offense in the second quarter, and 44 in the third. They reached the Eagles' 26- and 23-yard lines during that span, but turned the ball over on downs after a Troy Dipre sack, and stopped by an O’Malley interception.

What it means

St. Edward improves to 2-3 in football state championship games, and 2-0 vs. Wayne when the title is on the line.

It’s the second state title for Eagles coach Rick Finotti in his six seasons at St. Edward. The Eagles have also made five straight playoff appearances and played in three state semifinals during that time.

St. Edward also became the third school in OHSAA history to win state titles in football and boys basketball in the same calendar year.

Wayne is now a three-time state runner-up, having previously lost in the 2010 and 1999 state finals.

Plays that shaped the game

* Leading 7-0, the Eagles started a drive at the Wayne 19 after an Adam Thompson blocked punt, but Kean was intercepted by Mike Warden at the 5-yard line to end the drive.

* Schroeder broke loose for a 62-yard run in the first quarter, reaching the Eagles 25 and setting up the Warriors' first touchdown.

* Gest returned momentum to the Eagles with a 78-yard touchdown run with 2:07 left in the first quarter. It gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead.

* Wagner then stole the momentum right back with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown 11 seconds after Gest’s score.

* The Eagles had first-and-goal at the Wayne 4, but a false start and a hold pushed them back to the 23. The drive ended with a 27-yard Walton field goal.

* The Warriors tried to convert fourth-and-2 at the St. Edward 26 in the second quarter, but Dipre sacked D’Mitrik Trice for an 11-yard loss.

* Junior wide receiver Carl Jones caught a 17-yard pass from Kean on third-and-9, taking the ball to the Wayne 4 and setting up a fourth quarter touchdown. It was Jones’ seventh catch of the season.

* Warden got his helmet on the ball to knock it loose from Gest, and Wayne's Robert Landers returned it 13 yards for the score to make it a three-point game early in the fourth quarter.

Other key stats

395 - Total yards of offense for St. Edward.

239 - Total yards of offense for Wayne.

164 - Yards passing for Kean (17 of 31).

158 - Yards rushing for Gest on 26 carries.

132 - Yards passing for Trice (13 of 29).

93 - Yards rushing for Schroeder on 10 carries.

64 - Yards on five catches for David Dowell.

61 - Yards rushing for Andrew Dowell on 16 carries.

55 - Yards on five catches for Wagner.

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