DETROIT -- St. Francis senior linebacker Max Bullough had about wrapped interviews after his squad's Division 7 state football championship win when someone asked what advice he'd leave for his younger brother, Riley, a sophomore quarterback.
"Get another one," Bullough said. "Three in a row"
The Gladiators made the repeat look easy, wrapping up a 14-0 season with a convincing 42-8 win over Hudson at Ford Field in which St. Francis never had to punt.
"This feels even better than last year," senior safety Matt Zakrzewski said.
Just how dominant were the top-ranked Gladiators?
As in a semifinal win over Ravenna, St. Francis enjoyed a five-touchdown lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Gladiators never trailed this season, although Ishpeming took St. Francis to overtime in the regional final.
Coach Greg Vaughan said that dramatic win made his team even stronger the final two weeks.
"We always talk about being a better football team every single day and that we're going to have some bumps along the way," he said. "Ishpeming was a great team. They really challenged us and made us think about how we were doing things. These last two weeks we came out and fought hard.
"We had a mentality shift after that game. We said we've got to get back to basics. We've got to think about getting four yards, not 20. To do that, we've got to win each down."
The Gladiators, who scored on all four of their first-half possessions, did that and more on Saturday, rushing for 255 yards on 41 attempts -- a 6.2 average -- and passing for an additional 85 yards.
Ben Swan led the attack with 117 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He had scoring runs of 3 and 69 yards on the Gladiators' first two possessions.
On his 69-yard sprint, Swan broke the line, cut to the outside and outraced Hudson defenders to the end zone.
"He's really fast," Bullough said. "When he gets around a corner I kind of know he's going to score because he's been doing it all year."
Swan and fullback Joe Kerridge -- the team's top two ground gainers this season -- were injured on the third drive, but that didn't slow the Gladiators. Riley Bullough went to the air, firing touchdown passes of 35 yards to Ian Sheldon and 31 yards to his brother Max to close out the half.
"Obviously, if we can run, we're going to run it," Vaughan said. "We're going to come at you. But if we need to, we can definitely pass it. When we need to do it, we can do it."
Riley Bullough, who was at his best on the big stage, finished 3 of 3 for 85 yards. He also rushed for 31 yards.
"Riley progressed all year," Max Bullough said. "He had a lot to learn coming in, but he did a great job. He showed poise and leadership."
St. Francis went up 35-0 late in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Ben Schell. Swan returned in the second half and scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard scamper with under a minute to play in the third quarter.
Hudson avoided a shutout when Drew Milligan tallied on a 1-yard run with 5 minutes left in the game.
Hudson (13-1), which also lost to St. Francis in the 2003 finals, gained 245 yards on the ground, but was hindered by poor field position. The Tigers started their first half drives at their 11, 20, 20, 21 and 19.
"We did that last week as well, but we were able to overcome it," Hudson coach Chris Luma said. "But with their defense being so tough we weren't able to do what we do best and that's run the ball. We did move the ball on occasion. We just couldn't sustain those long drives like we're used to doing. We're usually able to put drives together and grind it out three to four yards at a time. But it didn't happen."
Milligan led the Tigers with 122 yards on 19 carries. Hudson had just four yards passing and missed on a couple throws to open receivers because of heavy pressure from the St. Francis front.
Max Bullough and Matt Zakrzewski led the defense with 11 and 9 tackles, respectively. Bullough also had an interception that led to a score and the touchdown catch.
"That's probably the last time I'll get a touchdown reception," said the 17-year-old, recruited by Michigan State as a linebacker.
Schell and John Zakrzewski were in on six tackles.
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