Dawson Martin鈥檚 pick six at the end of the game wasn鈥檛 needed. But it was yet another play that had a raucous Radford crowd on its feet, championship hopes realized.
The senior lineman鈥檚 interception in the end zone was the last of many electric plays the Bobcats made Saturday afternoon, part of one final exhaustive effort to complete a perfect season and bring home their first state title since 1972.
And that鈥檚 what they did, shaking off an opening kickoff fumble and scoring touchdowns on five straight drives to knock off powerhouse Riverheads 39-21 in the Class 2 state championship, ending the Gladiators鈥 streak of seven straight titles (all coming in Class 1).
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take a little bit to sink in, but I鈥檓 so proud of the kids,鈥 Radford coach Michael Crist said. 鈥淭he community was behind us, the city of Radford wanted these guys to win, the 鈥71-72 team wanted these guys to win, coach [Norman] Lineburg wanted these guys to win. I鈥檝e always said, coach built this program and it鈥檚 been my duty to try and continue and carry on the traditions that he put in place.鈥
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Radford coach Michael Crist holds the Class 2 state championship trophy over his head after his Bobcats defeated Riverheads 39-21.
Landen Clark gave one last Herculean effort in his final game in a Bobcats uniform. The senior quarterback completed 15 of 21 passes for 252 yards, surpassing 200 yards in the first half, and threw four touchdowns without an interception. He also ran the ball 14 times, collecting 112 yards and another score, giving him five total touchdowns in his swan song.
鈥淭he feeling is unreal,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淎s hard as these guys worked this year, just to see that hard work pay off, we finally brought this city some hardware. As many doubters as there are out there, we still accomplished this thing, and I can鈥檛 thank our community enough.鈥
Max Kanipe was Clark鈥檚 favorite target yet again. The senior receiver racked up 218 yards, including 179 in the first half, on nine receptions and hauled in two touchdowns. Running back JD Grubb also caught a touchdown, and Martin鈥檚 defensive touchdown rounded out the scoring for Radford (15-0), which finished 11 for 11 on third down.
鈥淐oming in it was just another game. Looking to go 1-0 like we have 14 other times this season,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淲e came in, executed, ran our tempo, took it one play at a time and ended up with a 15-0 ring, baby.鈥
Radford quarterback Landen Clark dives for a touchdown during Saturday鈥檚 Class 2 state final against Riverheads.
Cayden Cook-Cash, a 219-pound power running back with a scholarship offer from the University of Virginia, carried the ball 33 times for Riverheads (13-2), which only threw the ball three times. Cook-Cash finished with 195 yards and three touchdowns.
Crist picked up his maiden championship in his third season as head coach of the Bobcats, following in the footsteps of his father, Dave Crist, who won his first of two state titles with Blacksburg in his third season as well.
鈥淚鈥檓 a coach because of my dad,鈥 Crist said. 鈥淵ou grow up, you want to be like him. What a role model I had, so obviously this is special for a lot of different reasons. Most importantly for these kids, it鈥檚 about them, but on a personal level it certainly is special.鈥
Radford wide receiver Sincere Taylor is tackled by a legion of Gladiators during the first half of the Class 2 state final on Saturday.
After Radford fumbled away the opening kickoff, it took Riverheads just five plays to strike first, getting on the board with a 4-yard run by Cook-Cash.
The Bobcats were unfazed, answering with a game-tying touchdown drive. They converted a pair of third downs, including a third-and-11 completion from Clark to Kanipe, before the duo hooked up again on a 29-yard strike in the end zone.
鈥淚 think it was just more of a wakeup call, like 鈥榳elcome to the big stage,鈥欌 Clark said of the fumble. 鈥淥bviously Riverheads has been here, their resume says a lot, so I think it was just a wakeup call more than anything, and I think that鈥檚 what we need to get us going.鈥
The Gladiators responded with a lengthy 12-play drive but ultimately came away with nothing as Cook-Cash was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 from the opposing 15-yard line. Taking over on downs, Clark found Kanipe again for a 52-yard completion on third-and-7 before tossing a screen pass to Luke Woodard, who bounded upfield for a 10-yard touchdown. The point-after kick was shanked, however, making it a six-point game.
Riverheads put together another long drive and this time scored on the 13th play on a 4-yard burst by Cook-Cash to take the lead back with a successful PAT. In response, Clark started to gain ground with his feet, tallying 34 rushing yards on Radford鈥檚 next drive and capping it off with a 9-yard touchdown run on a QB keeper, diving for the pylon and the score.
The Bobcats went for two following the touchdown but Clark鈥檚 throw into the end zone fell incomplete, giving them a 19-14 lead with 2:32 to play in the half.
The Gladiators started to move the ball again, looking to pull ahead once more before intermission, but Jonathan Talbott fumbled the ball near midfield and the Bobcats jumped on it. On the first play following the fumble, Clark took a shot downfield with a deep throw to Kanipe, who hauled in the catch and was tackled into the end zone for a late touchdown that put Radford up 25-14 (two-point try failed), with 29 seconds left before the break.
鈥淥nce we got into halftime you could just feel the confidence in our kids,鈥 Crist said.
Riverheads cut its deficit to four with a 2-yard touchdown from Cook-Cash, capping off a 12-play, 77-yard drive to open the second half, but the Radford offense was just as efficient, putting together a 13-play, 78-yard drive that included a pair of third-and-7 conversions on 15- and 17-yard runs, respectively, by Clark. On third-and-goal from the 7, Clark shuffled around the pocket for a good five seconds before finding a wide-open Grubb, who caught the pass from his knees, for a touchdown.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he does. He makes so many plays, he鈥檚 unbelievable. He deserves that credit,鈥 Crist said of Clark. 鈥淗e did solidify himself as a legend, and he deserves it. As good as he is physically, it鈥檚 the fact that he wills us to win. He will will us to win. He is the toughest cat on the field.鈥
After another fourth-and-1 stop by the Bobcats defense early in the fourth quarter, holding Cook-Cash to no gain from their own 37, the offense ran a time-consuming 14-play, 58-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. With 1:39 remaining, Grubb fumbled on first-and-goal from the 5, and the Gladiators took over, needing two scores in a hurry.
Forced to air it out, quarterback Levi Dunlap threw two incompletions before Cook-Cash tried his hand at a pass and hit Martin, who was already in the end zone for the 0-yard pick six.
鈥淭he game was already sealed but that just put it on ice,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淭he game was over at that point. No chance of coming back.鈥
Radford鈥檚 first state championship since 1972 is also its first undefeated season since that year. The Bobcats last reached the title game in 2009, losing to Essex.
You can bet the Bobcats will be met with a warm reception back home.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be crazy,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been talking about it all week, they鈥檝e been talking about it all year. We made history, and I鈥檓 just proud of these guys.鈥
Radford lineman Dawson Martin celebrates his end-zone interception, sealing the Bobcats' 15-0 season with a 39-21 win over Riverheads in the Class 2 state championship game on Saturday at Salem Stadium. It is Radford's first state championship win since 1972.
