What We Learned...

1. Irish Eyes are smiling: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary improved to 5-1 in state championship games and won their first football title since 1988 with a 42-21 win over Bellevue in the D-III final. Only eight teams in Ohio history have more state championships than SVSM.

2. Hello Newman:  Junior RB/LB Newman Williams made his presence felt in the D-III final. Williams came into the game with three TDs in 14 games, but put two on the board against Bellevue. Williams scored on a fake punt and on a 5-yard run. Williams, who entered the game as SVSM’s leading tackler (111 stops), didn’t disappoint on that side of the ball either. He had 5.5 tackles, 1.5 TFL and an interception.

3. Santoro inks name in record book: Despite the fact his team fell in the D-III final, Bellevue QB Jalen Santoro tied a D-III finals record with three TD passes. He joins a group that includes three others: Steubenville’s Zach Collaros (2006), West Branch’s Jeff Moris (1994) and Mentor lake Catholic’s Pete Jelovic (1991 & 1992). Santoro ended the game 15-of-25 for 184 yards and ran for 53 on 32 carries.

4. Campbell is mmm good: Akron SVSM junior RB Parris Campbell Jr. tied a D-III finals record with three rushing TDs. He carried the ball 14 times for 165 yards. Campbell is a 15-year-old junior.

5. 60-Something: Coldwater’s senior class played in its fourth straight D-V state final and in its 60th game since 2009 on Saturday. Unlike the previous three finals, though, Coldwater won this one – beating Kirtland 10-9 in the first state final rematch since 2001 (Marion Local vas Mogadore).

6. No where to run: Kirtland entered the D-V final with a devastating running attack led by senior RB Damon Washington (who had rushed for 32 TDs this season). Coldwater manned up. The Cavs held Kirtland to 199 total yards, including 174 rushing. Washington managed just 39 yards on 11 carries. The Hornets lone TD came on a pass set up in part by a botched Coldwater punt. It was just the second time in 78 games (dating back to the start of the 2007 season) that Kirtland failed to score double-digits. The Cavs end the season having allowed 91 total points, including just 35 in the first half. Coldwater surrendered two rushing TDs in 15 games.

7. MAC-to-MAC: Coldwater’s win coupled with Marion Local’s D-VI title yesterday means this is the fourth time the Midwest Athletic Conference has won two state football titles in the same season. The MAC won two titles in each 2005, 2006 and 2007.

8. MAC 101: Coldwater’s state championship is the 101st won by the Midwest Athletic Conference. The MAC started in 1973 and that’s the only year the conference did not win at least one state championship. Since 1974, the MAC has averaged 2.6 state titles per year. This year they’ve already surpassed that. In addition to its football titles (Coldwater and Marion Local), Marion Local also won a state title in volleyball (D-IV) last month.

9. Moeller gets a great anniversary gift: The Crusaders celebrated "50 Years of Moeller Football" this season and capped it off with the program’s eighth state title. Moeller beat Toledo Whitmer 20-12 in the D-I final. It’s the Crusaders first state title in 27 years (since 1985) and moves them into a three-way tie (with Youngstown Mooney and Newark Catholic) for most state titles in history (St. Ignatius has 11). Senior QB Spencer Icavone completed 15-of-19 passes for 161 yards and a TD and ran for 63 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Northwestern-bound RB Keith Watkins added 68 yards on 22 carries and 76 yards and a TD on eight receptions.

10. 50-50: Whitmer was trying to become the second Three Rivers Athletic Conference school to win a state title this weekend. Toledo Central Catholic won the D-II title Friday. Had Whitmer won, it would have meant that four of the six state titles this weekend would have gone to two conferences. The MAC won the D-V and VI titles.

FINAL SCORES

DIVISION I
Moeller 20, Whitmer 12

DIVISION III
Akron SVSM 42, Bellevue 21

DIVISION V
Coldwater 10, Kirtland 9

PHOTO GALLERY (by Gary Housteau)

Akron SVSM junior LB Dante Booker had a game-high nine tackles and a TFL in the D-III final.

Akron SVSM junior RB Parris Campbell Jr. tied a D-III finals record with three rughing TDs. He had 165 yards on 14 carries.

Akron SVSM junior RB/LB Newman Williams had two TDs (including one on a fake punt) and had 5.5 tackles, 1.5 TFL and an interception in the D-III final.

Bellevue senior QB Jalen Santoro tied a D-III finals record with three TD passes. He threw for 184 yards and ran for 53.

Coldwater senior QB Austin Bruns completed 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards and a TD and rushed 23 times for 97 yards in the D-V final.

Kitland senior QB Scott Eilerman threw for 25 yards and ran for 38 in the D-V final.

Coldwater sophomore Brody Hoying threw a pass, ran three times for seven yards, caught three passes for 35 yards and came up with the game winning interception in the D-V final.

Kirtland senior RB Damon Washington ran for 39 yards on 11 carries in the D-V final.

Senior QB Spencer Icavone completed 15-of-19 passes for 161 yards and a TD and rushed for 63 yards and a TD on 11 carries in the D-I final.

Whitmer senior WR/DB Nate Holley had eight catches for 135 yards and a TD and registered eight tackles in the D-I final.

Whitmer senior QB Nick Holleycompleted 12-of-20 passes for 196 yards and two TDs and ran for 92 yards on 23 carries in the D-I final.

Moeller senior RB Keith Watkins ran for 68 yards on 22 carries and caught eight passes for 76 yards and a TD in the D-I final.