The Upper Peninsula representative Trojans rolled to a 42-20 victory over the Lower Peninsula’s Morrice at the Superior Dome in Marquette for their second state title in the eight-player sport, the other coming in 2017.

Overall, Forest Park also has won five state titles when you add in a trio of 11-player championships dating back to the first year the playoffs were held in 1975.

Forest Park head coach Brian Fabbri was at a loss for words at first trying to describe the moment.

“There are none right now, it’s, it’s tough, there’s so many emotions right now,” he started out saying. “It, I don’t think it has sunk in yet, but I think in a couple minutes here it will, and just enjoyed the ride, it was a blast.”

Forest Park’s Nik Stephens escapes to find daylight down the sideline in the fourth quarter and went on to score the final touchdown in the Trojans’ 42-20 victory in the MHSAA Division 2 eight-player football state title game played against Morrice at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

Later he was able to come up with a summary of his emotions.

“Our motto all year has been ‘Find a way,’ and that’s what we tried to do and we found a way,” he said. “We ran the ball good. We got it, we took our plays when we had the opportunities to take them, and we just played a complete football game. It was fun.”

The victory capped off a dominant 12-1 season for the Trojans, who controlled the game from the outset and never looked back.

Forest Park wasted no time establishing its dominance. On its opening possession, running back Grayson Sundell powered the Trojans downfield, capping the scoring drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. Dietrich Rasner kicked the extra point, giving the Trojans a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Morrice’s troubles began immediately, as a fumble on its first possession gave the Trojans excellent field position. Although the Orioles’ defense forced a 4th-and-long, Trent Kannich broke free for a crucial first down, extending the drive to the Morrice 23-yard line.

The Orioles struggled to generate any offense in the first half. Quarterback Wyatt Cartier was under constant pressure, while turnovers stalled multiple drives. Meanwhile, the Trojans capitalized on every opportunity.

Early in the second quarter, Dax Huuki broke through the Orioles’ defense for a spectacular 42-yard TD run, extending Forest Park’s lead to 14-0. Another Morrice fumble set up Huuki’s second TD of the quarter as he dashed around the edge from 10 yards out to make it 21-0 with less than five minutes remaining before halftime.

Even then, the Trojans weren’t done. With seconds left in the second quarter, Kevin Giuliani bulldozed his way through multiple tacklers to set up 1st-and-goal. Huuki punched it in for his third touchdown of the half, and Rasner’s extra point made it 28-0 at halftime.

Morrice came out swinging to open the second half. Cartier led the Orioles on an inspired drive, highlighted by a 32-yard run from Joel Fisher that set up a 5-yard TD run. However, the 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score 28-6.

The Trojans quickly responded. Kannich continued to dominate on the ground, dragging defenders on a bruising 20-yard run that set up Nik Stephens for a 5-yard touchdown rush. Rasner’s extra point extended the Trojans’ lead to 35-6 late in the third.

But the Orioles refused to quit, with Cartier scoring his second touchdown early in the fourth. On the ensuing kickoff, Fisher recovered the ball and electrified the crowd with a stunning return for a touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 35-20. However, the Trojans quickly extinguished any hopes of a comeback.

Stephens broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run, and Rasner’s consistent kicking of extra points made it 42-20. Morrice mounted one final drive deep into Trojan territory, but its red-zone effort came up short as time expired.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551, or by email at csierra@nmu.edu.