11-20-2009
It had the makings of a movie. A young Declo football team falling to Parma in overtime of the 2008 2A state championship game, and then returning to the title game to exact revenge from the very same Panther team in 2009.
On Friday night at Holt Arena, everything was going according to script. Until the fourth quarter that is. Down 21-6 at one point in the third quarter, the Hornets fought their way back into the contest by way of a 64 yard McCoy Stoker touchdown reception and a one yard Jeremy Jenkins run. With the Panther lead cut to one, Declo had all the momentum.
Parma was forced to punt with just over eight minutes left in the game, and that is where the momentum shifted. The long punt took a couple of bounces before careening off the foot of a Hornet blocker, and the Panthers came up with the loose ball on the Declo 14 yard line. Parma found the end zone on the very next play by way of a Tyler Ford rush, and the rest was history, as the Panthers went onto win 35-20 to take the 2A state championship.
For the second year in a row, the Hornets take home the second place trophy.