Gunter continues stranglehold on division, routs Poth in state championship game
.jpeg "Gunter defeated Poth in the Class 3A D2 state title game Thursday Dec. 15, 2022 at AT&T Stadium.")
Gunter entered the season as the No. 1 team in the Class 3A Division 2 state rankings.
On Thursday, the Tigers showed exactly why.
Gunter dominated Poth from start to finish as the Tigers defeated the Pirates 42-7 in the 3A D2 championship at AT&T Stadium. It’s the third state title in program history.
All three state titles have come since 2016.
The Tigers have reached the title game five times in the past seven seasons, all in 3A D2.
They have posted a 105-6 record during that span.
“Unbelievably proud. We started the year saying we had a chance to have a really good team. These guys played through the whole season, going to the state championship game last year and they had it in their mind that they were going to get back,” Gunter coach Jake Fieszel said. “We knew what it took. Lot of work and dedication, and sacrifice and I’m just extremely proud.”
Gunter (16-0) scored in all four quarters.
After both teams started the game with punts before the Tigers marched 12 plays and 67 yards to grab a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Ashton Bennett capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run up the middle of the Poth D.
The teams traded three straight punts and Gunter had a turnover on downs, but on the Tigers’ next possession, Bennett would add a second TD run, from 11 yards, to up the Gunter lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
Bennett finished with 87 yards rushing and the two scores, and was voted state title game offensive MVP.
Then Gunter had the first takeaway.
On Poth’s ensuing drive, Colin Peacock intercepted a pass at the Gunter 9. The long field didn’t worry the Tigers as another long drive from Gunter resulted in a third touchdown just before halftime.
The Tigers orchestrated a 12-play, 91-yard drive to go up 21-0 with 55 seconds left before intermission. Ethan Sloan was the beneficiary when he crossed the goal line on a 7-yard touchdown run.
Gunter led 21-0 at the break.
“We played well in all three phases no question about it,” Fieszel said. “We were ready to go for four quarters. We controlled the game by halftime.”
In the third quarter, it was Ivy Hellman’s turn.
Poth opened the half with another punt, the Pirates had six on the night and Gunter would capitalize.
Hellman scored on a 21-yard touchdown run to extend the Gunter lead to 28-0 with 5:32 left in the period. Then exactly four minutes later, Hellman scored from the 11 to cap a 3-play, 47-yard drive that made it 35-0.
“We challenged the kids in the third quarter,” Fieszel said. “Those first six minutes were critical. Make a stop on D and the offense goes down, we could really control it and that’s what they did.”
Hellman also shined on D with an interception at the Gunter 40 in the fourth quarter.
Again, the Tigers turned it into points on a 14-yard TD run from Kane Bolt to give Gunter a 42-0 lead with 3:54 left in the game.
Poth (14-2), in its first state title game since 1968, avoided the shutout when Zane Raabe hit Gabriel Silansky for a 30-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left on the clock.
The Tigers lost to Franklin 49-35 last season.
They won titles over Omaha Pewitt in 2019 and Boling in 2016.
“These seniors won state as freshmen, they saw what it takes. Huge accomplishment for these guys. Every year is different,” Fieszel said. “I’m not a big believer of revenge, but there is a fire in their belly and they put in the work.”
Gunter out-gained Poth 460-243 with 297-133 coming on the ground.
Sloan rushed for 62 yards followed by Hellman (58) and Walker Overman (52). Overman completed 11 of 16 attempts for 129 yards. Peacock was defensive MVP with 4 1/2 tackles and his interception.
Brooks Griggs-Bell had a team-high five tackles for Gunter.
Silansky led Poth with eight tackles. Raabe led the offense with 110 yards passing and 52 yards rushing. The Pirates came into the game with 695 points in 15 games and averaged 46.3 points per game.
This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 6:44 PM.
