Vigor runs away with Class 4A state football title

Scoring 40 unanswered points to finish the game, the Vigor Wolves claimed a 52-14 victory Friday afternoon to win the AHSAA Class 4A state football championship. The Wolves, whop finish the season 14-1, dominated the entire second half on their way to winning the crown.

This is what head coach John McKenzie predicted for his team even before the season began. He had two dates on the calendar circled for his team — Aug. 21 and Dec. 3. The Aug. 21 date was the season-opener against arch rival Blount, which the Wolves won 22-13. And Dec. 3, the date of the Class 4A state championship game. They made that date and won it too.

The teams went back and forth Friday, with Oneonta taking a 14-12 lead with 2:35 left in the first half. Vigor reclaimed the lead with 55 seconds remaining in the half to lead 18-14 at intermission.

The Wolves’ defense shut out Oneonta in the second half with the Vigor offense caught fire.

Vigor quarterback Anthony Mix Jr., who completed 14 of 21 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns and also carried the ball six times for another 28 yards, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

This is the first Vigor state title since 2008 when the Wolves won the Class 5A crown under head coach Kerry Stevenson. In 1987 and 1988 they won the Class 6A title under head coach Harold Clark. In 2018 they reached the state title game in Class 5A, losing to Clay-Chalkville 43-42.

Oneonta opened the scoring with a 17-yard pass from Braden Moore to Wil Robertson late in the first period. The point-after kick gave the Redskins a 7-0 advantage. Vigor responded with a Jacori Barnes 17-yard run at the 7:56 mark of the second quarter, but the point-after kick failed, leaving Oneonta in front 7-6.

Before the first half ended Vigor’s Jermaine Coleman would score on a 17-yard run (the two-point try failed) and Oneonta came back with a 50-yard pass play from Moore to Jexton Johnson, who ran through one would-be tackler and drug another the final three yards into the end zone. The point-after kick made it 14-12 Redskins.

Vigor wasn’t finished. The wolves added another touchdown when Jermaine Coleman scored on a 5-yard run with 55 seconds remaining in the half. Again the two-point try failed and the Wolves led 18-14 at intermission.

The second half was dominated by Vigor on both sides of the ball. Caleb Coleman caught a 40-yard TD pass from Anthony Mix Jr. with 2:58 left in the third period, then at the 1:00 mark of the period Mix tossed a 51-yard scoring pass to Abraham Daniels, making the score 31-14.

In the fourth quarter, Jacori Barnes scored on a 21-yard run and Michael Towner returned an interception 19 yards to increase the Wolves’ lead to 45-14 with less than nine minutes to play. With 32 seconds left in the game the Wolves scored again, this time on a dipsy-do, double-reverse pass play that produced a 36-yard TD play, with Mix finding Daniels wide open in the end zone. The PAT was good and it was over at 52-14.

Oneonta fell to 13-2 with the loss.