The Newark Yellow Jackets displayed uncommon poise and flawlessly executed an inspired game plan to pull off one of the biggest upsets in state title game history, knocking off unbeaten, top-ranked St. Mark's in a 28-21 double overtime classic.

With the victory, the Yellow Jackets claimed their sixth title in the past seven seasons and moved past archrival William Penn on the list of all time championships by capturing their state record ninth title.

St. Mark's had administered a thorough 33-6 beating on Newark back on Halloween night, making Saturday's result all the more surprising.

From the outset, Newark played with great confidence despite being a huge underdog and they immediately jumped into a groove in the first quarter. Head coach Butch Simpson and his staff pulled a couple of surprises from their bag of tricks. Offensively, they ran their offense from the shotgun, using it on 23 plays in the first half alone.

The move paid off as mobile quarterback Steve Spiese ran the option to great effect, freezing the Spartan defensive ends and making pitches to Sam Cotton for big gains. Super Sam ran for 111 yards in the first half, more than doubling his output from the first meeting. Spiese also rolled out and fired darts to Jon Lanouette, while using a variety of belly fakes to set up some nice runs of his own.

On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Mike Brogan moved his awesome All-State linebacker, Lanouette, inside to nose-tackle, a position from which he terrorized the St. Mark's offense in a way they hadn't encountered all season.

Play after play, the athletic Lanouette came flying off the ball, crashing recklessly into the Spartan backfield. Along with him came defensive linemen Kimphus Daniels, Jon Senkus, Sean McLaughlin and linebacker Andrew Crumlish. Each took turns hitting the previously untouchable St. Mark's quarterback, Joe Wright.

Non-existent in the first meeting between these teams, the front seven applied a fierce pass-rush, keeping Wright on the run all night long. The senior found himself starring in a nightmare, constantly fleeing Lanouette's bull rushes through the middle of the line, and throwing off balance and off his back foot while enduring a physical beating.

For his part, Wright gave a heroic effort, throwing for 242 yards and rallying the Spartans from a 14-0 deficit to force overtime with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mark Lemon with 0:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Newark began the game with great field position courtesy of a 50-yard return by Eddie Sugalski on the opening kickoff. Sugalski found a seam up the middle, hurdled a mass of players at the thirty-yard line and crossed into Spartan territory before Tim Smith pushed him out of bounds at the forty-yard line.

Going almost exclusively from the shotgun, it took the offense just six plays to find the end zone. Following a series of short runs by Cotton and Spiese, Newark found themselves facing third-and-12 from the 26.

Spiese took the snap, rolled to his right, pump-faked towards Cotton on a screen pass, and then fired a bullet down the right sideline for Sugalski. Sugalski leapt up and made the catch before falling onto his back in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. Jen Baird's extra point made the score 7-0 less than three minutes into the game.

Each team would move the ball inside the other's territory before the end of the opening quarter but were unable to score. First, the Spartans drove to the Newark 33 before a dropped third-down pass and a delay of game penalty forced them to punt. Newark responded by driving 56-yards to the St. Mark's 24 yard line before Cotton coughed up a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Phil Aviola at the 19.

For the second time in three possessions, the Spartans were forced to go three-and-out. Following a 38-yard punt by Smith, the Yellow Jackets marched 56 yards for another touchdown.

The key plays were a 23-yard run by Cotton and a 32-yard pass from Spiese to Lanouette from the shotgun. Cotton squeezed across the goal line from a yard out on third-and-goal to give the Jackets a stunning 13-0 lead with 8:57 left in the first half. Baird's extra point stretched the lead to 14.

St. Mark's, aided by a crucial roughing the kicker penalty by Lanouette on Spartan punter Tim Smith, finally got their offense rolling by driving 97 yards for a touchdown. After beginning the game just 1-for-8 for 18 yards, Wright connected on his next two attempts for 62 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown pass to Heydt.

Heydt was well covered by Cotton, but he managed to reach up and tip the ball to himself before making a juggling catch and crossing the goal line, cutting the deficit to 14-6 with 4:05 left before halftime. Smith's extra point made the score 14-7 and the Spartans were back in the game.

Newark nearly added to their lead before the half, driving to the Spartans 18-yard line before senior defensive back John Pearl intercepted Spiese's pass, killing the threat with 47 seconds remaining.

Newark had dominated the first 24 minutes, out-gaining the Spartans by 244 yards to 115. They had completely stifled the Spartan offense save for one great catch by Heydt. Wright led the State in completion percentage (61%) during the regular season but he struggled in the first half, completing just 3-of-12 passes for 80 yards.

The score remained 14-7 as the teams exchanged punts on the first four possessions of the second half and the Spartans took over with the ball at their own 31-yard line with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.

With their season on the line, the Spartans needed a hero and Wright stepped to the fore, completing 11-of -18 passes for 144 yards in the next nine minutes.

Wright got things started when he rolled to his right and threw back across his body to Lemon for 14 yards. Following a sack by Lanouette, Wright connected with receiver Matt Byrne for 17 yards across the middle and the Spartans had a first down at the Newark 43-yard line.

However, the drive stalled when a procedure penalty against the Spartans turned fourth-and-three into fourth-and-eight, and then Smith was buried by Crumlish and Daniels as he attempted to carry the ball up the middle on a fake-punt with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter.

The Spartan defense forced the Yellow Jackets to go three-and-out and following the punt they took over with the ball at their own 39-yard line with 4:53 left in regulation.

On third-and-10, Wright rolled out and threw a wobbly pass under heavy pressure that was caught by Andrew McKeefery for a 33-yard gain to the Newark 28.

Wright converted another third down with a 12-yard pass to Smith down to the 11-yard line.

Two plays later, it was third-and-eight from the nine. Wright dropped back and rifled a pass across the middle, but Cotton read the play, stepped in front of the receiver, picked off the pass at the goal line and took off running for a 30-yard return.

With just over two minutes remaining, the Yellow Jackets had a chance to run out the clock by picking up a couple of first downs, but the Spartan defense stuffed Cotton on three straight runs, used up their final two timeouts, and forced a punt. Spiese's 34-yard kick was downed at the Spartan 46-yard line with 1:37 left to play.

Wright is one of the coolest customers you'll ever see and with the state championship on the line and no timeouts at his disposal he proved it by playing his best football of the night on the Spartans' final possession of regulation.

On first down, Wright threw a touch pass down the right sideline to Lemon. The tight end made a great catch as the ball came over his shoulder, dragging his toes along the sideline, and falling out of bounds for a 20-yard pickup. On the next play, Wright connected with Smith for a nine-yard gain before hooking up with Lemon across the middle for 11-yards and a first down at the Newark 14-yard line.

You could have cut the tension with a knife as Wright rolled out under heavy pressure and intentionally threw the ball out of the back of the end zone with 49 seconds left on the clock.

The crowd was making its presence felt, positively roaring and stomping their feet on Baynard's metal bleachers as the teams lined up on second down.

Wright took the snap, dropped back, and spotted Lemon cutting underneath the coverage from the right side. Lemon made the catch inside the ten and stumbled in the mud, lowering his head and crashing across the goal line for a 14-yard touchdown with 42 seconds remaining.

On the subsequent extra point attempt by Smith, the Yellow Jackets jumped offside and the ball was moved half the distance to the goal line, raising the possibility of the Spartans going for two-points and the win, but they chose to play for overtime and the move paid off when Smith made the kick, tying the game at 14-14.

The Spartans had dodged a bullet and the window of opportunity was about to swing wide open. Cotton fielded the ensuing kickoff at his own 25 and headed up the middle to the 35 before running into a wall of Spartans. The ball came flying out and bounced on the turf where Aviola pounced on it at the Newark 40-yard line with 0:34 left.

Suddenly, it appeared that the Spartans, with a dependable kicker in Smith, might have a chance to pull off a remarkable comeback.

Crumlish would have none of it, breaking into the backfield to sack Wright for an 11-yard loss on first down. The Spartans hurried to the line and Wright spiked the ball, stopping the clock with 13 seconds remaining. Regulation ended when a short pass to Heydt went for just six yards and the teams headed for a riveting overtime finale.

The overtime format is just like the one used for college football except the teams start their possessions from the ten-yard line rather than the twenty-five.

St. Mark's went on offense first and scored quickly as Blocker carried for eight, and then two yards, crossing the goal line for a 20-14 lead. The pressure shifted to Smith and he calmly delivered a clutch extra-point, stretching the Spartans' first lead of the game to seven.

The Yellow Jackets took the field as the crowd again came to their feet with the realization that they were witnessing a classic.

On first down, Cotton carried for two yards before being brought down by defensive tackle Nick Gland. From the shotgun, Spiese carried to the right for five yards, setting up third-and-goal from the three. Cotton carried for two yards before being stopped by linebacker Shane Malkin and cornerback John Pearl at the one-yard line.

On fourth down, Spiese turned in the play of the game.

Spiese took the snap and bolted off on a bootleg to the right. As he turned the corner he encountered the 6-foot-3 Pearl. Spiese took a flying leap, flipping over Pearl, who had crouched down to make the tackle, and crashed onto his back in the end zone for a spectacular death-defying touchdown.

Now it was Baird's turn to face the pressure. Baird didn't seem bothered as she drilled the kick, tying the game at 21-21 and sending it to a second overtime session.

This time Newark went on offense first and they went from the shotgun on every play. Spiese ran an option to the right before pitching to Cotton who was stopped for no gain by Aviola. On second down, Spiese carried the ball for three yards. On the next play, a pass across the middle for Lanouette was thrown too low and bounced on the turf before it reached the big tight end. Spiese called a timeout to discuss strategy with the coaches.

They chose to forsake a 24-yard field goal attempt and go for it on fourth-and-seven. With the title on the line, Spiese lined up in the shotgun, took the snap and dropped back, surveying the field. He spotted Lanouette cutting across the middle from the right side and let loose with a perfect spiral.

The massive tight end was mismatched on the smaller Smith and he used his body to shield him off as he made his third touchdown catch of the playoffs, giving his team a 27-21 lead. Baird, with ice water in her veins, drilled the extra point for a seven-point lead.

Once again it was the Spartans turn to stare down the pressure. A small number of fans had headed for the exits following Cotton's interception late in the fourth quarter and those who left will probably claim for the rest of their lives that they had stayed for the dramatic climax.

On first down, Wright handed the ball to Blocker, but the big fullback was stopped cold by Lanouette at the line of scrimmage. On second down, Wright's pass for Smith fell incomplete.

On third down, Wright dropped back to pass but was forced to scramble by several onrushing Yellow Jackets. He rolled towards the left sideline, dodged a couple of defenders and rolled back across the field to his right before throwing back across his body, to the left side.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Wright released the pass, the ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity. Defensive end Kimphus Daniels, standing at the goal line, reached up and snared the ball in his hands, running out to the five-yard line before dropping to the ground and ending the game.

Just like that, it was over.

At one end of the field the Yellow Jackets rejoiced, jumping up and down in a sea of black and gold as their fans rushed down from the bleachers and joined them in a wild celebration. They had captured their sixth title in seven years and surely the most surprising in that span.

"Back on August thirteenth we had players who didn't even know how to get into a proper stance," Simpson said. "And a few of those players played significant roles in this game."

At the other end, the bodies of the heartbroken Spartan defenders lay strewn across the chewed up field. Their perfect season had ended in heartbreaking defeat. For the third time in the past five seasons, and for the second straight year, the Spartans had advanced to the title game only to suffer a crushing defeat.

Perhaps it's a curse, perhaps not. For the second time in the past five championship games they played the Red Sox to Newark's Yankees, falling just short of winning their first football title since 1978.

For Simpson, it represented an amazing ninth title. The 'Jackets achieved this one with some inspired performances in their two playoff games against Caesar Rodney and St. Mark's.

In the two games, workhorse running back Cotton carried the ball 74 times for 444 yards and three touchdowns. Lanouette led all playoff performers with 234 yards receiving and played brilliant defense, capping his career with one sack and three tackles for loss against the Spartans. Spiese had given the team a massive lift after switching from receiver to quarterback late in the season and his mobility allowed the Newark offense to blossom and become more multi-dimensional.

Daniels, playing his first year of organized football, was a major factor in the title game, notching two tackles for loss and intercepting Wright's final pass to seal the victory. 5-foot-6, 152-pound linebacker Andrew Crumlish registered two crucial sacks, including one that killed St. Mark's best chance to win in regulation.

For St. Mark's, it was a heartbreaking ending for one of the school's greatest teams. One unnamed former Spartan player said of the 2003 unit, "They will be a team by which all others will be measured at St. Mark's."

For Newark and coach Simpson it was another rung on the ladder of greatness in our small state. It's a ladder on which they sit alone at the top, refusing to yield, even when the odds are stacked against them.

STATS

RUSHING

Newark: [5] Cotton 35-147 (TD), [3] Spiese 10-16 (TD), [82] Lanouette 1-5

SMH: [2] Blocker 9-46 (TD), [8] Heydt 8-27, [28] Smith 3-5, [12] Wright 7-minus 1

PASSING

Newark: [3] Spiese 7-14-1, 140 yards (2 TD)

SMH: [12] Wright 16-36-2, 242 yards (2 TD)

RECEIVING

Newark: [82] Lanouette 4-91 (TD), [8] Sugalski 1-26 (TD), [20] McKone 1-17, [13] Perkins 1-6

SMH: [8] Heydt 5-81 (TD), [28] Smith 5-52, [15] Lemon 4-59 (TD), [4] McKeefery 1-33, [21] Byrne 1-17

TOTAL OFFENSE

Newark: 60-308

SMH: 63-319

SCORING SUMMARY

1st QUARTER

N-Sugalski 26-yard pass from Spiese (Baird kick) 7-0 Newark 9:08

2nd QUARTER

N-Cotton 1-yard run (Baird kick) 14-0 Newark 8:57

SM-Heydt 52-yard pass from Wright (Smith kick) 14-7 Newark 4:05

4th QUARTER

SM-Lemon 14-yard pass from Wright (Smith kick) 14-14 tie 0:42

1st OVERTIME

SM-Blocker 2-yard run (Smith kick) 21-14 St. Mark's

N-Spiese 1-yard run (Baird kick) 21-21 tie

2nd OVERTIME

N-Lanouette 7-yard pass from Spiese (Baird kick) 28-21 Newark