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Center Grove wins 6A title with 28-16 win over Penn

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Titus McCoy ran for 193 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Center Grove to a 28-16 victory over Penn in the 6A title game on Saturday.

McCoy sealed the Trojans’ second title in school history with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:41 left, all while setting several individual 6A records and tying another.

“It’s the perfect ending to the perfect season,” Trojans coach Eric Moore said right after the game.

The top-ranked Trojans (14-0) jumped out to a 14-0 lead after asserting their dominant running game early. McCoy needed just a few plays to put his imprint on the game: His 38-yard touchdown run with just 2:09 off the clock put Center Grove up 7-0, and he ran three times for 73 yards on the Trojans’ opening drive.

McCoy set individual 6A championship game records for most touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, individual points, rushing attempts and rushing yards. He also tied for longest touchdown run.

Senior quarterback Joey Siderewicz’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Triston Clark put the Trojans up two scores seven seconds into the second quarter. That’s when Penn and quarterback Camden Bohn found their offensive rhythm, keeping Center Grove’s offense off the field and allowing Penn to chip away at the deficit.

The third-ranked Kingsmen (12-2) pulled within 14-10 on their first drive of the second half, after a nearly 7-minute drive. Center Grove pushed the lead to 21-10 on its first second-half possession before Penn countered with another 6-minute drive to pull within 21-16. Penn went for two and failed.

The Kingsmen were so stingy with the ball that McCoy’s game-sealing touchdown was only the second possession of the second half for the Trojans. Going 8-of-12 on third down certainly helped Penn’s bid for a comeback.

“Our offense kept battling,” Penn coach Cory Yeoman said. “I knew they were going to keep battling. I knew that was going to be the situation, and they had a heck of a run.”

Bohn finished 12-for-18 with 139 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 77 yards. Receiver John Ohlson had six catches for 75 yards for Penn. Four of his six catches were on third down and resulted in first downs.

Penn kept it close – close enough to keep Center Grove from celebrating too soon. But for the 2015 Trojans, being on top of Indiana’s largest football class is just fine, no matter how they had to earn it.

“As a senior, to me and to this community it means a lot,” senior defensive tackle Jovan Swann said. “A perfect season. Champs. This is a dream come true.”