Brooke High quarterback Cotey Wallace entered Saturday's Class AAA state championship game looking to put the icing on a Kennedy Award-caliber season.

By the time he walked off the field at Wheeling Island Stadium, Wallace appeared as if he were looking for his teeth.

South Charleston's defense chased and pounded Wallace all game long in its 28-7 win, which secured the Black Eagles' second consecutive state football championship. Wallace ran the ball 25 times for 76 yards, and completed 10-of-16 passes for 88 yards and two interceptions.

Wallace had established himself as a Kennedy candidate with more than 3,000 total yards through 13 games. His Saturday total (164) was less than half of his average.

"We both knew, Wayne and I, what our responsibilities were coming in to the game," South Charleston senior nose tackle Blake Brooks said, referring to the effort put forth by SC's defensive front spearheaded by himself and senior defensive tackle Wayne Wurster.

"Wayne took care of his responsibilities real well, and all I had to do was blow that center up," Brooks said. "That let the linebackers do what they had to do, and make plays."

Once junior receiver Perry Henry had staked SC to a 21-7 lead with three highlight-reel touchdowns, the Black Eagle defense committed more to defending against the pass, dropping linebackers into coverage and relying on a four-man rush. The tactic allowed Wallace extra time to throw, but no one to throw to.

"They locked down on their receivers pretty well," Brooks said of the South Charleston  secondary. "I thought a few times we put a pretty good pass rush on him, and he had to scramble out of the pocket. I guess that kind of messed with him a little bit because he couldn't get the ball off."

The indignity did not stop when Brooke had the ball. Wallace was the recipient of crushing blocks on two of South Charleston's touchdowns. Wurster kept Wallace from getting to Henry during the cornerback's game-opening score, which came on a 44-yard interception return.

"That interception at the beginning set the tempo for the game," said Wurster, who finished with a game-high 11 tackles. "We had to score first. I think we did scare them a little bit. Usually they throw balls up there for their receivers to go get, and we didn't see that the whole game."

The Black Eagles' last score, a 46-yard run by quarterback Tyler Harris, was keyed by a blow leveled on Wallace by SC senior receiver Tevin Spurlock.

"They were just a bigger, much faster team," Wallace said. "They just out-matched us on the line, receivers, d-backs, everywhere."

Brooke Coach Tom Bruney said the Bruins made an extra effort to break big plays in the second half, but the opportunities were few and far between.

"When we came out in the second half we tried those things," Bruney said. "They were there. We just couldn't make the play. We just didn't get it done."

Brooke finished with 214 total yards on 57 plays, an average of 3.75 yards per play.

"That was just a great effort by our defense," South Charleston Coach John Messinger said. "Two weeks in a row now we've had some great defensive football played out there. That's really what carried us last week (in a 28-25 win against Bridgeport in the playoff semifinals) and today."

Harris agreed.

"That's probably the best defensive game we played all year," Harris said. "We showed a lot of heart. Coach Mess told us in practice they were going to score, but we have to show a lot of pride in the red zone, and I think that's what we did."