WINSTON-SALEM, -- The Harding University High School Rams won their first football state championship in 64 years on Saturday night.
Harding defeated Scotland County, 30-22 in the 4A title game at Wake Forest to complete an improbable run to glory.
The Rams were 1-10 just two years ago and had not won a state title since 1953.
"Everybody on the outside starting believing in us down the stretch," said head coach Sam Griner. "But what's in our room every day, we knew it from the start. We love each other. We're a family."
Harding answered two Scotland touchdowns in the first half with scores from Quavaris Crouch, the No. 1 junior RB in the country.
"We won it all," said Crouch. "That's what we all wanted. We completed it."
Crouch finished with 141 yards on 23 carries.
Alejandro Guevara's 39-yard field goal with seconds to play in the first half gave the Rams a 17-14 lead.
Two second-half interceptions by Trayvon Corbett and Marquise Nelson kept the Scotland attack at bay.
Then quarterback Braheam Murphy put the icing on the cake, keeping the ball for a 95-yard touchdown run -- a play he called himself.
"It's a great feeling," said Murphy. "We worked from last January to right now, we put in work every single day. Everything paid off."