© J. Scott Park | MLive.com/J. Scott Park | MLive.com/mlive.com/TNS Muskegon's Robert Gee Jr.

DETROIT – River Rouge waited this long to win a football state championship – the Panthers may as well celebrate it the right way.

River Rouge captured its first football title, overcoming an early deficit and controlling Muskegon the rest of the way en route to a 30-7 triumph in the Division 3 finals Saturday night at Ford Field.

© Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com/mlive.com/TNS Muskegon athletic director Keith Guy, middle left, hugs his stepson Muskegon's Cameron Martinez (13) as they walk through the tunnel after the Big Reds lost 30-7 to River Rouge in the MHSAA Division 3 football championship game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.

Watch the video above to see 10th-year Panthers coach Corey Parker present the championship trophy to his players. Also see Big Reds offensive line coach Matt Bolles embrace Parker, who is an acquaintance, as both are former Eastern Michigan University football players.

© Jake May/Jake May | MLive.com/mlive.com/TNS A pair of River Rouge defenders take down Muskegon's Japrie Henderson (4) in the third quarter during the Division 3 state football championship game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 at Ford Field in Detroit. River Rouge defeated Muskegon 30-7.

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© J. Scott Park | MLive.com/J. Scott Park | MLive.com/mlive.com/TNS River Rouge's Mareyohn Hrabowski