INDIANAPOLIS — The Lutheran Saints earned their third straight IHSAA Class A championship Friday afternoon by taking down the Adams Central Jets 35-28.
Friday's matchup pinned the Saints and the Jets against each other in the state title game for the third-straight time. Both teams entered the game having had respective undefeated seasons.
Adams Central scored first on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Jack Hamilton. Following the Jets' opening score, Lutheran exploded with a 67-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jackson Willis to DeVaun Jones.
After forcing a punt on Adams Central's next possession, Willis again found Ward for a 15-yard touchdown to put Lutheran up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Braydon Hall scored Lutheran's third straight score at the start of the second quarter to give Lutheran a 21-7 lead. After three unanswered scores from Lutheran, Adams Central finally found the end zone again with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jack Hamilton to Trevor Currie.
Willis again found Ward with roughly four minutes remaining in the second quarter to give Lutheran a 28-14 lead at halftime.
Adams Central was staring a third straight loss to Lutheran at Lucas Oil Stadium as the game went into halftime. The team's defense stepped up in the third quarter, only allowing one score in the entire second half while the offense managed to pull forward with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Hamilton to Currie.
However, the Jets just could not find the end zone enough in the final quarter. A late-game interception ruined what could have been a game-changing touchdown for Adams Central.
The Jets scored just once in the final quarter, with less than a minute to go no less, on a 30-yard bomb from quarterback Hamilton to Ryan Tester.
"It's a dream come true," said Lutheran senior running back Braydon Hall. "I couldn't imagine doing it with anybody else. These are my brothers."
Lutheran finishes the season with a perfect 13-0 record while Adams Central finishes 14-1 after a valiant effort in the Class A title game.