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ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS

ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS
Calendar
Champs
44
Winner St. Xavier STX 10-2
3
Pickerington Central PC 11-1
Winner
St. Xavier STX
10-2
44
Final
3
Pickerington Central PC
11-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
STX St. Xavier 30 14 0 0 44
PC Pickerington Central 0 3 0 0 3

Game Recap: Football |

Bombers Dominate in State Title Win, 44-3

Fourth Football State Championship

OBETZ, Ohio -- Head coach Steve Specht added another championship chapter to St. Xavier's rich history with a 44-3 victory over Pickerington Central to claim the 2020 OHSAA Division I State championship. Jalen Patterson caught an Ohio championship game-record four touchdown passes to lead St. Xavier.
 
"We executed," St. X coach Steve Specht said. "I think you have to look at the execution of the kids and boy they were spot on tonight. What a night for the Bombers."
 
St. Xavier's win over Pickerington Central is a Division I state championship record for largest margin of victory (41 points), according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association records.
 
Specht said he didn't expect the Bombers would score 44 points on Friday night against the nationally-ranked Tigers.
 
"Pickerington Central is a very talented group of kids," Specht said. "They are incredibly well coached by Jay Sharrett. Did we think this is going to happen? We never think this is going to happen. But we had a great week of practice. I really liked our plan offensively."

The Bombers led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter Friday night and set a Division I state championship record for most points in a quarter.
Patterson scored four receiving touchdowns in the first quarter – all from Brogan McCaughey.

"A great night," Specht said. "I will tell you it helps when you have that guy wearing No. 2 (Liam Clifford) flanking you taking a lot of that heat away from you. Jalen's had a great year. All year long it's just people aren't talking about him because Liam is so exceptional. Jalen is a great player in his own right.  He will go on somewhere at the next level and have a great career."

Patterson finished the game with five receptions for 105 yards. McCaughey was 25 of 39 passing for 291 yards. St. X had 354 yards of offense.

McCaughey tied the Division I state final record with four passing touchdowns. He also scored on a 1-yard touchdown quarterback sneak in the second quarter.

After holding the Tigers on the first possession, the Bombers needed only five plays to go 20 yards before Patterson caught his first touchdown pass of the night and an early 7-0 lead 1:59 into the game.

Following a 48-yard punt by Max Klare that was downed at the Tigers two yard line, Grant Lyons sacked Wallace in the end zone for a safety that made it a 9-0 lead.

The Bombers defense was also very strong, limiting Pickerington Central to just 76 yards of total offense.

Linebacker Grant Lyons notched six tackles including three sacks and two forced fumbles. His sack of Pickerington Central quarterback Garner Wallace in the end zone forced a safety in the first quarter that made it a 9-0 lead.

Brennan Bareswilt recorded five tackles and forced a fumble for the Bombers.  Senior captains Matthew Devine and Gabe DuBois finished with four tackles each.  The third defensive captain, Giovanni Albanese registered two tackles and a fumble recovery.  Sam Buerkle added another quarterback sack.

Three plays later, McCaughey scrambled and found Patterson again with a 35-yard touchdown pass and catch and the route was underway.

Another short Tigers drive set up another quick Bombers score.  The Bombers needed only four plays to go 59 yards before Patterson's 8-yard TD catch made it 23-0 following Mason
Rohmiller's PAT.

The fourth McCaughey to Patterson touchdown connection from 10 yards out made it 30-0 with 11:03 into the night. 

Pickerington Central's lone points came on a 27-yard field goal 44 seconds into the second quarter. 
 
St. Xavier responded with McCaughey's plunge to extend the lead to 37-3 after the point-after.
 
Gabe DuBois' 58-yard punt return for touchdown with 4:39 to play in the first half set the score.
 
The fourth state title in program history, it St. Xavier also won state championships in 2005, 2007 and 2016.  It was the seventh state final appearance in program history.

Offense, defense and special teams each shined from the outset, as the Bombers shocked the Tigers early and often to take a 44-3 lead at halftime.  Taking a running clock into the second half, the Long Blue Line did not allow an opening in the second half.

St. Xavier finishes the season 10-2.  Pickerington Central, the 2019 Division I state champion, entered the night ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 1 in Ohio by the Associated Press and ends the year 11-1.

Specht added, "I've said it before but this year has been so different because you had to focus so hard on the task at hand and clear, get rid of all the craziness," said Specht, who is 4-0 in state championship games as a head coach. "Clear the mechanism as we like to say and focus on the day at hand."
 
Making their 12th consecutive OHSAA Division I playoff appearance, the Bombers finish their State title run on an eight-game winning streak.

 
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