Mart uses dominant second half to out-slug Hamlin

Mart High School coach Kevin Hoffman never shies away from sharing the formula that enabled his team to win its third straight 2A, Division II state championship Thursday.

“I’ve always believed that you need to run the ball, stop the run and force turnovers,” he said following his team’s 25-20 win over Hamlin. “It’s not a secret.”

The Panthers accomplished all three of Hoffman’s goals. Roddrell Freeman’s 168 yards and three touchdowns paced the rushing attack. The defense allowed just 34 rushing yards after halftime and forced four turnovers. Klyderrion Campbell’s third-quarter interception return gave Mart a 25-14 lead, and Freeman recovered a fumble to stymie one of Hamlin’s few second-half chances.

“The turnovers really cost us,” Hamlin coach Russell Lucas said. “The fumble near the goal line [with 5:42 remaining] especially. If we had scored there, we could have stayed in our game plan and maybe managed the end a little differently.”

In its first title game appearance, Hamlin put the two-time defending champions on their heels. Jevon Williams rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter.

But once Mart’s defense tightened up, the game changed. Mart closed the holes that Williams exploited in the first quarter. Hamlin’s leading rusher gained just 20 yards after his opening burst, and Mart’s pass rush limited the Pied Pipers’ passing game.

“That’s what they do,” Lucas said. “We really didn’t have time to develop anything with our downfield passing.”

While Williams struggled to get free, Freeman kept bulling his way through Hamlin’s defensive front. A 59-yard touchdown in the first quarter got him off and running, and his 6-yard touchdown just 59 seconds before halftime put Mart ahead.

Campbell’s interception proved key after halftime. He recognized the play Hamlin wanted to run, waited for Braydin Warner to loft the ball toward Austin Lozano and made his move.

“We knew that was coming and I just had to bait him into throwing the ball,” Campbell said. “He did and I made the play and ran it in.”

Warner connected with Lozano for a late touchdown to pull within 25-20, but Mart recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock, winning its eighth state championship and third in a row. Hoffman praised the team’s senior leaders after the game.

“This senior class really separated themselves from every other group,” he said. “They are the first group to win three titles in a row. They set themselves apart.”

Freeman, the offensive MVP as a junior, wants one more as a senior in 2020.

“I said it when I was in second grade that I wanted to win four state titles when I was in high school,” he said. “I’ve got three of them.”

- Jay Plotkin

VIDEO RECAP

BOX SCORE

Hamlin       14        0          0          6 - 20

Mart            6          12        7          0 - 25

Scoring

1st quarter

Hamlin-Jevon Williams 10 run (Braydin Warner kick)

Mart-Roddrell Freeman 59 run (kick blocked)

Hamlin- Williams 69 run (Warner kick)

2nd quarter

Mart-Freeman 14 run (run failed)

Mart-Freeman 6 run (run failed)

3rd quarter

Mart-Klyderion Campbell 33 interception return (Ayden Lane kick)

4th quarter

Hamlin-Austin Ochoa 7 pass from Braydin Warner (pass failed)

Team Stats        Ham     Mart

1st downs          19        15

Rushes-Yards    29-170  46-308

Passing Yards    209      55

Passing 19-31-2 4-8-0

Fum-Lost          4-2       0-0      

Pen-Yard          5-30     6-40

Punts-avg         2-37.0  4-25.5

Individual leaders

Hamlin

Rushing: Jevon Williams 17-135, 2 TD; Braydin Warner 6-15; AJ Ramirez 3-11

Passing: Warner 19-31-2-209, TD

Receiving: Ramirez 6-94; Austin Brown 4-58; Austin Lozano 4-25, TD

Mart

Rushing: Roddrell Freeman 21-168, 3 TDs; Kyler Martin 15-85; Klyderion Campbell 4-60

Passing: Martin 4-8-0-55

Receiving: De’Traevion Medlock 2-29; DaMarion Medlock 2-26