(Columbia) -- The dominant rushing attack that shined for North Andrew all season handed the Cardinals their seventh state title in program history.
The Cardinals (14-0) concluded their adversity-filled season with a 54-24 win over Bishop LeBlond in the 8-Player state title game Thursday night.
For North Andrew, it was a storybook ending to an emotional season that featured bumps, bruises and a personal tragedy at the start of the season.
"For us, the emotional start to the season had an opportunity to set us back," Coach Dwyane Williams said. "But it did the exact opposite. We rallied together."
North Andrew pounded the rock 62 times for 452 yards and scored on seven of their nine offensive possessions.
While the skill players usually get the spotlight, Thursday's MSHSAA red carpet was reserved for two of the beasts that paved the way -- Jacob Chittum and Aiden Miller.
"It was great," Miller said. "I enjoy blocking. It's my favorite thing. Especially when you have guys behind you and next to you that you can trust."
The senior combo ended their careers as state champions after a heart-breaking loss to Southwest Livingston in the state championship game two years ago.
""I'm so glad to see everything we've done pay off." Miller said. "We're finally here. We finally won. It helped having that experience going into this game."
Braxon Linville and Hayden Ecker ran behind Chittum and Miller on Thursday night.
Linville posted a career night with 251 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.
"Our offense is based upon running the football," Williams said. "His decisions in our option game were fantastic. We call him a sophomore, but he's a junior. He watches more film than anybody. He knows more about what we do than I do sometimes. It showed on the field."
Ecker completed his dominant season with 184 yards and three touchdowns on 32 totes. Thursday's win was a bittersweet ending to Ecker's football season. The standout running back suffered a family tragedy at the start of the year.
After Thursday's title, Ecker and Coach Williams shared an emotional embrace.
"Hayden's a fantastic football player," Coach Williams said. "But a lot of the time, we were carrying him. We wanted to be the place he could escape to."
The first-half was a shootout, with North Andrew leading 16-8 after one quarter.
The two squads traded touchdowns through the second quarter, growing North Andrew's lead to 30-24. The turning point came in the final seconds of the half, when Linville scurried past LeBlond defenders and into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown run as time expired.
"It was huge for us," Williams said. "He read it quickly and did what Braxon does. For us to take that momentum into the half was a great switch for us."
Bishop LeBlond's high-powered offense didn't score in the second half. Quarterback Landon Gardner finished the game with 216 passing yards, two passing scores and a rushing score. Williams credits his team's defensive adjustments for holding the star signal-caller scoreless in the second half.
"We made some adjustments up front," Williams said. "And we settled down. That was the biggest part. We were trying to win the game on the first play. Once we settled down, we played the defense we played all through these playoffs."
Click below to view the full press conference with Miller, Chittum and Coach Williams.
