No. 1 Avon would hang on to defeat No. 2 Faulkton Area 32-30 in the 9B championship game on Thursday, the first state title for the Pirates since 2013.
Junior RB Aziah Meyer was named Joe Robbie MVP with 177 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
The Pirates ran the ball 50 times for 299 yards, including 66 yards from Landon Mudder and two rushing touchdowns from QB Paxton Bierema.
Faulkton took an early 8-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a 32-yard touchdown pass from QB Layne Cotton to Charlie Deiter.
Avon would score back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter, a 14-yard score from Bierema and a 91-yard touchdown run from Meyer.
Faulkton tied the game at 16 heading into the half on a 73-yard touchdown run from Garrett Cramer. Cramer led Faulkton with 85 rushing yards on just nine carries.
Avon took the lead for good at 24-16 just over two minutes into the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown from Mudder.
The difference in the game was a failed two point conversion by Faulkton after a second Cotton to Deiter connection from 37-yards out with 7:06 left in the third quarter. Avon was a perfect 4-for-4 on two point conversions, while Faulkton was 3-for-4.
Bierema capped off a 14-play, 74 yard Avon drive with a three yard touchdown to push the lead to 10 at 32-22.
Faulkton would make one more push with Cotton’s third touchdown pass of the day, this time to Cramer from 66 yards out to cut the Avon lead down to 32-30.
After forcing an Avon fumble, Faulkton failed to convert a 4th-and-18 from the Avon 27 with just over a minute to go.
It’s the sixth state football title for Avon and the third in 9B. Both teams finish the season 10-2.