Photo Credit: David Smith/Special to PrepsKC 
Redemption.
The one single word was the rally cry for the Adrian Blackhawk football team this season.
On Saturday evening at Faurot Field, the Blackhawks got their redemption, defeating Penney 34-13 in the Missouri Class 1 title game.
Adrian, who won its second football title in school history, scored the last 27 points of the game, including outsourcing the Hornets 20-0 in the second half.
The redemption comes for the Blackhawks who suffered a 42-0 loss in the title game two seasons ago, a team that was made up of many of the same players who now lead this senior class.
“It’s a dream come true for these boys,” Adrian head coach Matt Davis said. “What a great day. What a great day for the Blackhawks and all the fans. I’ll never forget this day as long as I live. It’s a testament to all the hard work and dedication these boys have put in.”
Early on it looked like the two teams were in for an epic championship.
Penney took the early lead in the game when it marched down the field on the opening drive, going 80 yards over 12 plays, scoring on a one-yard run by Jack Cooley.
Adrian, 13-1, was forced to punt on its first drive then forced the Hornets, 9-5, to do the same.
On the Hornets punt, the punt was bobbled which Penney recovered. The potential turnover was negated however with a block below the waist.
Adrian leveled the score, 7-7 when Andrew Kendrick scored from 15 yards out.
The two teams would trade touchdowns by Penney quarterback Titus McBee and Kendrick again. Adrian took advantage of a missed point after and led 14-13.
Both teams then saw a potential scoring threat thwarted before the half.
Adrian receiver Mason Rusow fumbled deep inside Blackhawk territory on a play that looked to be set up for a score.
Rusow however on the ensuing possession would draw an offensive pass interference in the end zone, keeping the lead with the Blackhawks going into the half.
“I knew that I didn't have the best first half and I’ve been trying to get it out of my mind,” Rusow said. “I’ve been trying to work on it all year. I don't have that next play mentality and I’ve been working on that. The coaches were coming up to all of us saying that it’s OK, that the first half was in the past and we had the second half. I feel like in the second half we really calmed down and played Blackhawk style football.”
On the opening drive of the second half the Blackhawks marched down the field, highlighted by a 40-yard pass from Colton Miller to Elijah Hubbard on a third and 17 to the Penney 5.
Two plays later, Brock Ford would score on a three-yard run.
Penney would find no success on the following drive, running five plays for minus three yards before punting.
The Hornets, who had 172 yards of total offense in the first half, were held to just 82 yards in the second half. Much of that reason came from a defensive adjustment Adrian made going from a five-man front to a four-man defensive front.
“I think it was getting in the way,” Davis said of the original defense. “But we also did not have enough people pursuing the ball. Having another linebacker in there to chase after the ball was a big thing for us.”
Adrian would quickly get on the board again.
This time it was Rusow’s turn for redemption. On the Hornet’s punt, Rusow returned the ball 38 yards to the Penney 26.
After an impressive fourth-down reception from Kobe Enos, Rusow hauled in a five-yard touchdown on the second fourth-down conversion of the drive.
“They are a good football team,” Penney coach Alex Lloyd said. “Unfortunately for us, they kind of did what we had been doing to teams most of the postseason. Batte, battle, battle in the first half and unfortunately they are a good football team that was able to pull away from us in the second half.”
The Blackhawks closed out the scoring on a 73-yard touchdown run for Miller, who led all Adrian rushers with 112 yards on eight carries. Penney was led by McBee who had 128 yards on 30 attempts.
For the Blackhawks, Saturday marked the first time in school history that a group of seniors has made a state championship twice in their tenure.
The weight of that was not lost on Miller or the other senior captains.
“We were told every year that seniors' job is to leave the program better than we found it and I feel like we’ve done that job,” he said.
Penney returns a bevy of talent next season, but Lloyd said Saturday night was about celebrating the accomplishments of this senior class, the first to be with Lloyd all four years.
“It’s a disappointing loss,” he said. “ We wanted to win a state championship. That’s what every team wants to do, but there’s something special about Penney and we wanted to bring another one back there. We’re disappointed we came up short but proud of one of the only six teams in Hamilton history to play for a championship.”
