Dayton’s Kole Stuck (44) runs with the ball in the first half of the Amity vs. Dayton West Valley League championship football game at Dayton High School on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016.
DAYTON — The Pirates didn’t want to share.
Dayton High School’s football team came into Friday’s West Valley League finale against rival Amity having already clinched a share of the league title – the team’s first since 2013 – and left with sole possession of the league title with a 56-27 win.
“It means everything,” said Dayton senior lineman Cody Stahl. “This is all I’ve been working for all year.”
A Dayton (6-0 West Valley, 9-0 overall) team that came into Friday’s game No. 1 in the OSAA’s power rankings next plays an opponent to be determined in the Nov. 4 first round of the Class 3A state playoffs.
Amity (4-2 West Valley, 6-2 overall) is in the state playoffs for the first time since 2009.
But it was Amity that shocked Dayton early by taking a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run by Will Keen and a 51-yard touchdown pass from Clint Hatch to Tyler Berrier.
Then Dayton opened up their offense.
Kole Stuck ran for a four-yard touchdown – his first of three in the game – Tristan Fergus threw three touchdown passes, including two to Oscar Rosas, and the Pirates scored 51 unanswered points.
“It’s a very ecstatic feeling,” Rosas said. “We’ve worked very hard for six months, since the beginning of the summer and spring ball. To come out league champs and not a three way tie feels great. Coaching staff, everybody pushes us hard.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler