Sulphur Springs outlasts Dayton in offensive slugfest to claim the Texas 4-A Division II State Championship
No sooner than the thousands of fans who came to see the 4-A Division II championship game had settled into their seats, the Alamodome scoreboard was being put to the test. Sulphur Springs and Dayton traded blows from the start as each team found the end zone early and often but it was Sulphur Springs that was finally able to wear down the Broncos for a 69-49 win and their first ever state title.
Both quarterbacks, Dayton's Cody Green and Sulphur Spring's Tyrik Rollison, showed why they are two of the most highly regarded quarterbacks in the state as they racked up impressive numbers in the air and on the ground.
Green rushed for 94 yards and passed for 329 yards on 23 of 34 attempts with six touchdowns. Rollison topped that with 126 yards on the ground and 398 in the air as he accounted for seven touchdowns on the day.
Dayton stuck first and took a 7-0 lead when A.J. Dugat hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cody Green.
Sulphur Springs came right back with a touchdown of their own to tie the game up but it was their defense that came up with the big play in the early going. Facing a fourth-and-2 at midfield Dayton went for it and came up short when the Sulphur Springs defense dropped Green in the backfield for a loss.
They then took advantage of the great field position when Rollison hit Jace Jackson with a 23-yard touchdown pass just a few plays later.
And the fireworks continued. Before the first half was done a total of 77 points were scored and Sulphur Spring found themselves on top going into half time by a score of 42-35.
Dayton was able to recover a fumble as the second half got underway and that gave Green yet another opportunity to take to the air and he did just that when he found Cameron LaCour for a 50-yard touchdown strike. The extra point attempt was no good and Sulphur Springs clung to a 42-41 lead.
Sulphur Springs then took their turn at lighting up the scoreboard once again and that is just what they did as Rashad Hall found himself on the receiving end of a Rollison touchdown pass as the Wildcats extended their lead to 49-41.
Then Sulphur Springs took a chance to further seize the momentum with an onside kick and came up with the ball as Dayton was unable to field the kick. The Wildcats took full advantage as they went on to score yet again and leave the tiring Broncos with a deficit they simply could not overcome.
Before it was all said and done 118 points had been scored with Sulphur Springs coming out on top by a final score of 69-49. "What a shootout, what a ball game," said Sulphur Spring head coach Greg Owens. "This is the first state championship for Sulphur Springs and it has just been phenomenal."
1 2 3 4
Sulphur Springs 21 21 14 13
Dayton 21 14 6 8
