Springfield senior Bryce Schondelmyer threw a touchdown pass to senior Daylen Bradley and junior Jayvin Norman rushed for a touchdown as the Wildcats finished the season 13-2.
St. Edward (15-1) won its sixth state championship since 2010. The Wildcats fell to the Eagles 23-13 in last season’s state final.
Eagles junior Marvin Bell rushed for 170 yards and two scores, while junior Casey Bullock rushed for 101 yards as St. Edward gained 398 yards of total offense, including 296 on the ground.
“(St. Edward) did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides,” said Springfield coach Maurice Douglass.
After the Wildcats defense held St. Edward on fourth down on its opening possession, Norman scored on a 1-yard run to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.
St. Edward grabbed the momentum from that point forward, tying the score on a 24-yard pass from Bullock to junior Kyan Mason.
The Eagles took the lead on a 3-yard run by Bullock with about 10:28 remaining in the second quarter. After forcing Springfield to punt, St. Edward drove the ball 87 yards, scoring on a 1-yard run by Bell with 1:06 remaining to take a 21-7 halftime lead.
After stopping St. Edward on fourth down for the second time in the game, the Wildcats drove 70 yards in 18 plays, scoring on a 17-yard pass from Schondelmyer to Bradley with 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Eagles took a 28-14 lead on a 1-yard run by Bell with 8:06 remaining.
Springfield drove to the Eagles 28 on its next possession, but Schondelmyer’s pass to Anthony Brown on fourth down came up one yard short with about four minutes remaining. The Eagles then ran out the clock.
Schondelmyer went 21-for-30 for 206 yards and a touchdown, while senior Anthony Brown caught eight passes for 83 yards and Bradley caught six passes for 42 yards and a TD.
Springfield has advanced to four straight state semifinals and became the first team in Clark County history to advance to back-to-back state championship games.
Springfield’s senior class ended their careers as the all-time winningest class in program history, going 46-8 over the last four years.
“I’m so thankful to be able to coach these guys and I’m looking forward to what God has in store for them at the next level,” Douglass said.
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