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LEWISTON — One play at a time.

That has been the mantra for the Greely football team in the postseason, and it served the Rangers well in the Class C state championship game against Leavitt on Saturday.

It didn’t matter whether the Rangers lost 20 yards on a bad snap, fumbled on their first play of the second half, or found themselves going it for fourth down on their own 14-yard line; the important thing was how the Rangers responded on the next snap.

Top-seeded Greely (11-0) responded to each challenge, scoring on all six offensive drives and forcing two takeaways and a turnover on downs on the way to a 41-6 win over No. 2 Leavitt (8-3).

“We knew we were going to lose plays in this game, ” Greely junior running back Noah Allen said. “Leavitt is a great team. We just knew that we had to win more plays if we wanted to win the game, and that just comes from attitude and effort. We had to leave everything we had out there.”

The Rangers, playing in their third straight state final, are the first team in state history to win an eight-man championship and 11-man championship in consecutive seasons. Greely beat Mt. Ararat, 50-28, to win the eight-man Large School title last season.

This is the first 11-man title in program history.

“Electric. It’s great to come out here and win another one,” Greely junior quarterback Luke Piper said. “Back-to-back is crazy. Just showing everybody what Greely football is, and just coming out here and competing, it just feels great to put all the puzzle pieces together. … It all clicked today.”

Allen finished with 164 scrimmage yards (132 rushing yards, 32 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) on 19 touches. Piper completed 10 of his 14 passes for 172 yards and two scores, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Allen on fourth-and-long. Piper also intercepted a pass.

Similar to its 28-26 win over Leavitt in early September, Greely started the Class C title game quickly. Piper’s 53-yard pass to Ben Kyles (3 receptions, 71 yards) on the second play of the game set up a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sean Justice (66 total yards) two plays later.

A high snap on the Rangers’ next drive set up third-and-30, but the offense didn’t panic. Piper rolled out to his left, released a throw that he said “probably wasn’t the best” decision, but the pass found Jackson Justice between two Leavitt defenders for a 31-yard gain on the sideline. Piper finished the drive by scoring on a 6-yard keeper to give Greely a 14-0 lead with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.

“For them, it’s just playing football,” Greely coach Caleb King said. “I mean, that’s when everybody’s best is when we’re not overthinking it. We’re out there just playing the game, executing on the scheme that we need to, but not making the moment bigger than it needs
to be.”

Senior slotback Mason Henderson (five carries, 44 yards; 4 receptions, 47 yards) accounted for both of Leavitt’s first downs on the next series, including a 34-yard broken tackle jet sweep for the Hornets’ only score. Jackson Justice blocked the extra point.

Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run extended Greely’s lead to 21-6 lead shortly before halftime, and Jackson Justice’s 10-yard run — three plays after his third-quarter fumble — made it 28-6.

“Forget about the last play and move forward. You can’t harp on it,” Jackson Justice said.

Sophomore quarterback Landon Marquis (7 of 13 passing, 91 yards) helped the Hornets drive to the Greely 5, but pressure in the backfield from Jackson Coull allowed Jackson Justice to break up Marquis’ fourth-down pass at the goal line.

The Rangers took over possession and converted two fourth-down plays during the series, including Allen’s 25-yard TD reception. The junior back scored a 13-yard rushing touchdown on Greely’s final drive of the game.

“We couldn’t get off field on third and fourth down,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “Their quarterback is good, and he makes plays. They had some tough runs. (Allen) and (Sean Justice) are tough, and we just couldn’t get off the field on third and fourth, so they dominated time possession and did a nice job there.”