Valdosta State captures Division II title
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Cayden Cochran ran in two scores and also had one through the air as Valdosta State took a 35-7 win over Winston-Salem State in the Division II football championship game.
Cochran passed for 109 yards on 18-of-26 attempts and added 14 yards on eight carries for the Blazers (12-2), who won their third championship and first since 2007. Cedric O'Neal added 140 yards on 24 carries with a score in the win.
Kameron Smith passed for 269 yards and a score, but was picked off two times and completed just 16 of his 37 attempts for the Rams (14-1), who were playing in the championship for the first time in school history.
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Valdosta State took the lead right off the bat, as Landen Thayer returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a score and a 7-0 lead 12 seconds into the contest.
Winston-Salem got into Valdosta State territory on the ensuing possession, thanks to a 36-yard catch from Jameze Massey, but a 4th-and-9 at the 37 failed and the Blazers got the ball back.
On the eighth play of the drive, O'Neal took the ball into the end zone from 24 yards out for a 14-0 lead with 10:16 to play in the first.
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Each of the Rams' next two touches resulted in turnovers, but the Blazers were unable to take advantage.
After Winston-Salem again failed on a fourth down try, this time a 4th-and-6 at the Valdosta State 33, the Blazers added to their advantage.
On the 13th play of the 72-yard drive, Cochran punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out for a 21-0 lead with 5:40 left in the half.
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Their second possession of the third quarter saw the Rams finally get on the board. On the eighth play from the Valdosta State 29, Smith and Massey got together on a 29-yard score to make it a 21-7 game with 9:25 to play in the third.
The Blazers, though, put the game away a bit later with a long drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters. The 17-play, 80-yard march took up 7 1/2 minutes of the clock with Cochran hitting Quin Roberson for a 17-yard score and a 28-7 lead just under two minutes into the final frame.
Cochran's second score of the game on the ground from a yard out came with 3 1/2 minutes to play to put the emphasis on the rout.