A sea of maroon and gold completely silent. Less than five minutes into the game and even before the first tackle was made, the Dodgers were down 6-0 to the Bulldogs of Rutherford. A wild cat offense had lead to a double reverse hail mary bomb to a wide open receiver. If that pass had been a sign for what was to come, the Dodgers would be in big trouble. But the final outcome proved that play to be an anomaly. The undefeated Bulldogs didn’t get another chance to score and were held to a final stat line of negative rushing yards. Though many could have hid in the shadows of MetLife and the primetime spotlight, no one member fluttered. Live announcing, up to date stats, instant replay, and even heights and weights made the game feel like a real NFL Sunday for the players. But once the Dodgers came to grips with the field and its atmosphere, it was business as usual. A powerful running game and a defense that couldn’t be stopped proved to overwhelm the Bulldogs.

       The lopsided state championship victory started with Luppino rumbling into the end-zone for a 7 yard score with only 39 seconds left in the half. Though the score-board only showed a 1 point lead, the tides had turned. Jojo Mobley proved to be a huge spark all year long and didn’t fail to deliver at MetLife when he went dabbing into the end-zone with a pick 6. From that moment on the Dodgers had control. Each tackle in the back field put the Bulldogs closer to the bus and the Dodgers closer to hoisting the trophy. Another two touchdowns by Pj Mulcahy sent Dodgers dog piling on the 50. If security guards hadn’t kicked them off the field, the football team would still be taking pictures. The team was on cloud nine as they were lead back into town with what seemed like every police and fire vehicle. Store owners and fans lined Main Street as they screamed and chanted. This state championship is Madison’s 4th is the last 6 years. Spoken from the mouth of coach Kubik “the title is coming back home”.