VERMILLION – It was an instant classic that came down to the final minute.

Avon outlasted Faulkton 32-30 for the Class 9B football championship at the DakotaDome on Thursday morning.

Despite the loss, Faulkton coach Shayne Geditz said the game could not have been much better.

“It was a great football game. That’s what you ask for is 48 minutes of great football,” Geditz said. “Our guys played their best today. We say you never quit, play to the end, and you give it everything you got. They did. We just came up a play short.”

The Trojans opened the scoring with a Layne Cotton 32-yard pass to Charlie Deiter, putting Faulkton up 8-0 after a Cotton two-point conversion run. Avon answered on the opening play of the second quarter on a Paxton Bierema 14-yard run, capping a 14 play, 64-yard drive.

Late in the first half, Avon began a drive at their own five-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Avon running back Aziah Meyer, who finished as the Joe Robbie MVP and Most Outstanding Back, scampered 91 yards for a touchdown, giving Avon a 16-8 lead.

Avon coach Justin Lukkes said it took time to figure out the right plays to run against the Trojans.

“We just had to find out what plays were going to work and what defense they were running,” Lukkes said. “Especially with that 90-some yard run Aziah had. I guess we found a hole in the defense, and we knew nobody was catching him once he got to that second level of the defense, so that was fun to watch.”

However, Faulkton answered with a 73-yard touchdown run by Garrett Cramer, tying the score at 16 at halftime. Cramer said he enjoyed running away from defenders during the run.

“It was great,” Cramer said. “I found a hole, thanks to the linemen, and I just got going. When I get going down the field and I see someone chasing me I go faster than usual. It was good.”

Lukkes noted that every time it looked as if Avon was building a lead, Faulkton would answer back, making it tough for the Pirates to put the game away.

“Every time I had breathing room or I thought we were doing the right things, they’d just come right back and tighten it up and tie it up,” Lukkes said. “Then I was like, boy, it’s going to come down to two-point conversions, who’s going to score more of those, or who’s going have the ball last. I’m glad it came out in our favor.”

Avon opened the second half with a 13-yard touchdown run by Landon Mudder, giving the Pirates a 24-16 lead. But once again, Faulkton answered with a four play, 48 yard-drive, capped off by a 37-yard pass from Cotton to Deiter. However, the two-point conversion attempt was no good, and the Trojans continued to trail, 24-22.

“(Avon) just made a play,” Geditz said in regards to the missed two-point conversion.

Avon built on its lead early in the fourth quarter when Bierema added a 3-yard touchdown run, extending the Pirates lead to 32-22.

The Trojans, down two possessions, went to work and found paydirt when Cotton connected with Cramer on a 66-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Pirates lead down to two.

Cramer, who had to be moved to wide receiver due to some injuries during the game, knew he needed to make a play for his team.

“I wasn’t used to being out there, but we just needed it, so I just did my job ,” Cramer said. “It was a fade route and I just ran it and, thanks to our quarterback, great arm, got it.”

Geditz was glad to see players like Cramer make plays when they needed them.

“We had guys make plays,” Geditz said. “We never quit when we were down 10. We gave ourselves a chance to win the football game and that’s all you can ask.”

Later, down 32-30 with 5:01 left in the game, Deiter recovered an Avon fumble at the Faulkton 38-yard line, setting up an opportunity for a game-winning drive.

Geditz was pleased with how the defense created the big play when it was needed.

“It gave us a chance at the end to win the game when we were down 32-30, we created a turnover,” Geditz said. “So our defense did its job.”

The Trojans then proceeded to methodically drive down the field, converting big plays when they needed them. Faulkton drove the ball inside the Avon 20-yard line, before the drive began to stall. After a delay of game penalty backed Faulkton up on fourth down, the Trojans lined up for one final play.

Cotton scrambled around in the backfield, avoiding two potential Avon sacks, before firing a pass across the field to Cramer, who caught the pass with no defenders around. Cramer proceeded to stroll into the end zone, appearing to give the Trojans the lead. However, an ineligible man downfield penalty negated the touchdown, forcing Faulkton to once again set up a fourth-down play.

“We just had two guys on the line of scrimmage over here and we had a couple of guys out there that don’t always play there,” Geditz said, describing the sequence of events. “I should have had us more prepared at the end for that situation and I didn’t, so that’s on me.”

After the penalty, Cotton threw one last pass toward the end zone, but Avon broke up the pass, sealing the Pirates’ state title.

With the win, Avon collected its sixth state championship, and Lukkes said it is a great feeling to bring another title to the community.

“They’re excited,” Lukkes said. “They’re all standing around here. It’ll be good to bring it back.”

Although the outcome was not what he had hoped for, Cramer was proud to wear the black and gold one last time in the DakotaDome.

“It’s been our dream,” Cramer said. “All the seniors, we’ve wanted to be here. Last time we were here was 2014 and we wanted to come back and wanted to make a difference, but couldn’t get there. We’re happy we got here. We’re happy we got to the Dome.”

Despite a tough end, Geditz was proud of what the team accomplished this season.

“It hurts to lose that way. It stings,” Geditz said. “But our kids played hard, and anytime you end up here and you’re a state runner-up, it’s going burn for a while. But you got to look back on it and just be proud of everything they accomplished. They had a great year. They played hard. They gave everything I’ve ever asked of them. They’re a great group of kids with great seniors that we’re going to miss. Just proud of the effort they put out today.”

Faulkton (10-2) 8 8 6 8 – 30

Avon (10-2) 0 16 8 8 – 32

First Quarter

F – Layne Cotton 32 pass to Charlie Deiter (Cotton run), 6:32.

Second Quarter

A – Paxton Bierema 14 run (Aziah Meyer run), 11:55.

A – Meyer 91 run (Bierema pass to Tyler Tjeerdsma), 2:16.

F – Garrett Cramer 73 run (Cotton run), 1:01.

Third Quarter

A – Landon Mudder 14 run (Bierema pass to Trace Pelton), 9:49.

F – Cotton 37 pass to Deiter, 7:06.

Fourth Quarter

A – Bierema 3 run (Tjeerdsma run), 9:27.

F – Cotton 66 pass to Cramer (Cotton run), 5:48

OFFENSE: Faulkton, rushing 32-171 (Garrett Cramer 9-85, Tristan Baloun 7-40, Layne Cotton 16-33), passing 9-19-2 for 196 (Cotton 9-19-2 for 196); receiving (Charlie Deiter 3-80, Cramer 2-78, Drake Mueller 2-28), first downs 12; Avon, rushing 50-314 (Aziah Meyer 24-177, Landon Mudder 9-66, Paxton Bierema 6-33); passing 1-4-1 for 24 (Bierema 1-3-1 for 24); receiving (Landon Thury 1-24), first downs 14.

DEFENSE: Faulkton, Cotton 10 tackles, interception, Deiter 10 tackles, fumble recovery, Lincoln Dikoff 9 tackles, Tristan Baloun 8 tackles, Gus Kopecky fumble recovery; Avon, Al’Shamon Gunter 10 tackles, Meyer 9 tackles, Bierema 7 tackles, interception, Thury interception.