The Lutheran North Crusaders picked the perfect way to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of their last state championship in football in 1999.
The Crusaders went out and won another state title; and they did it in dominant fashion with a 49-0 victory over Ava in the Class 2 state championship game last Saturday in Columbia.
By winning the school’s sixth state championship in football, head coach Carl Reed’s current Lutheran North team made history by becoming the first team to win a championship with an undefeated record. The Crusaders finished the season with a perfect 14-0 record.
Lutheran North took control of the game from the outset as running back Jalen Head scores on touchdown runs of 28 and 42 yards to stake his team to a 14-0 lead.
Sophomore quarterback Brian Brown kept things rolling in the second quarter as he scored on a one-yard touchdown run and threw scoring passes to Jerrell Carter and Cameron Griffin. Brown finished the game with 171 yards passing and two touchdowns.
As good as the Lutheran North offense was – it was the defense that was overwhelming against Ava, which was also undefeated entering the Show-Me Bowl. The Crusaders held Ava to just 66 total yards and three first downs – in a state championship game.
Senior linebacker Antonio Doyle had seven tackles and two sacks while fellow defensive standouts Travion Ford and Itavyion Brown also had six tackles each.
