Super 7 records not enough for Pats in title game loss

AUBURN – Colt Smith took the opening play from scrimmage 65 yards for a touchdown and Mars Hill scarcely looked back in a 53-26 Class 1A state championship win over Linden Thursday.

Smith, the eventual 1A Most Valuable Player, accounted for five total touchdowns in the Panthers’ romp as the Patriots struggled to control the line of scrimmage throughout.

“Their two interior guys on the defensive line were kind of handling our two guards, which was kind of hard for us in being able to establish the line of scrimmage. It was basically the same thing on the defensive side as well,” Linden Head Coach Demetrice Jackson said. “When they were on offense and we were on defense, they were kind of getting in our defensive linemen’s chest and pushing them back into the linebackers’ laps.”

“They’ve got talent and they’re a real good team but we believe in toughness and being physical and hard working. Those things will get the job done,” Mars Hill Head Coach Darrell Higgins, whose program is in its fifth season, said. “I don’t think a lot of people thought we were going to beat them, so we kind of liked that and the fact that no matter what we’ve done, we’ve still got to prove something. So we just went out there and did it.”

After a scoring run from Justus McDaniel capped a 92-yard drive and moved the lead to 19-0, Linden got off the deck. Graderius Brown hit Joshua Williams on a scoring strike from two yards out to punctuate a 57-yard march and narrow the deficit to 19-6. The drive came after Linden had three drives stall in the red zone including two that saw the Patriots have the ball first-and-goal to go.

Mars Hill drove 68 yards on the final series of the opening half and capped it on a Peyton Higgins touchdown run with six seconds until intermission.

Things got little better for Linden early in the third quarter as Joseph Hansen stepped in front of a Patriot pass and took it the distance for a pick-six and a 32-6 lead.

Linden found the bulk of its offensive success in the remaining minutes as Brown hit Kevin Green for touchdown passes of 10, 85 and eight yards.

“We worked hard. We came up a little short but God wanted it that way so we’re just going to take it,” a dejected Brown said.

“We wanted to win. Simple,” Green added.

The trio combined to set seven individual Class 1A state championship game records as well as one Super 7 record in the losing effort. Brown set the record for passing yards (292), pass attempts (44), completions (22) and touchdown passes (4). Green set the record for receptions (13), receiving yards (207) and touchdown catches (3). The 85-yard touchdown play was also the longest scoring play of any kind in all classifications in Super 7 history. The previous 1A long was 75 while the previous overall long was 80.

Mars Hill had 492 yards of total offense on 55 plays while Linden had 405 yards on 77 snaps. Linden set 1A state championship game team records for passing yards (292), pass attempts (44), completions (22) and offensive plays (77). Mars Hill set 1A title game records for first downs (22) and total yards (492). The teams combined for 897 yards of offense, another 1A championship game record.

Smith tied three 1A title game records in his own right with points scored (30), touchdowns (5) and tackles (17).

Linden (13-1) is 20-5 in two seasons under Jackson. The team ended its season with a loss to Maplesville in the first round of the playoffs in 2017 but rebounded to beat the Red Devils twice in 2018.

“I’m extremely proud of them. The kids bought into what we wanted to do from last year until now,” Jackson said. “We got put out in the first round last year by Maplesville. The kids came to after that game and told me, ‘Coach, we want to make it to the dance and we want to win it.’ Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results as far as winning but they accomplished making it to the big game.”