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ARLINGTON - In what could only be describe as curious playcalling in the second quarter, Gunter went back in the second half to what worked extremely well in the first quarter and used a suffocating defense to cruise to a 43-22 win in the 3A Division II State Championship in from of 15,233.
In the first quarter, Gunter (15-1) went heavy with the ground game and made its way to the endzone with ease to build a 14-0 lead and upped it to 22-8 with just under 9 minutes remaining until halftime.
As Gunter got the ball back and was looking to add to its lead, it began to air it out, resulting in a 75-yard interception return by Kadrien Johnson to make it 22-14. After the teams traded possessions, Gunter again went to the air and was again intercepted, setting up a late second quarter score and 2-point conversion to make it 22-22 at the half.
Obviously adjustments were made as Gunter went back to the ground game in the second half, led by quarterback Clayton Reed and running backs Peyton Lowe and Bryson Rigsby, who combined for 306 rushing yards and five scores. Lowe put the only points on the board in the third quarter and would add another in the fourth to put the game away.
Gunter's defense completely stifled the Pewitt offense in the second half, limiting it to just 48 yards after giving up 50 alone in the second quarter.