St. John's (Delphos, Ohio) set a state football tournament record with a resounding 77-6 rout of Shadyside (Ohio) in the Division VI title game. The previous record of 76 points was shared by St. John's and Columbus Academy (Gahanna, Ohio).
The unbeaten Blue Jays (15-0), who forced seven turnovers, were led by Evan Burgei, who scored a Division VI title-game record four touchdowns, and Jordan Leininger, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for two others.
Ty Bergfeld paced the opportunistic defense by intercepting three passes.
Shadyside coach Mark Holenka did not protest the wide victory margin, which produced St. John's sixth state championship.
He told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "They could have had 103. They were like a freight train. We got beat by a bigger, faster, stronger team."
The potent Blue Jays outscored five playoff opponents by a whopping 297-61.
* Ohio's Division II title game went to another 15-0 team,
Maple Heights, which defeated Trotwood-Madison, 45-33, behind its magical quarterback,
Shaquille Washington.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior completed 11 of 19 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 174 yards and a Division II record-tying four touchdowns.
Though the Mustangs trailed by early margins of 13-0 and 26-7, Washington would not let them lose. The University of Cincinnati recruit carried the ball on the Mustangs' final 19 plays and scored their last three touchdowns on runs of four, two and nine yards.
