LINCOLN - To win a state championship is one thing. To do it with an unbeaten record is whip cream on pumpkin pie.
    The O'Neill St. Mary's football team never tasted defeat this year, capping a remarkable season with a 22-8 victory over Lindsay Holy Family in the Class D2 state title game Thursday and finishing with a 13-0 record.
    "A lot of these guys have been on the varsity for three years," St. Mary's coach Tony Allen said. "It just seemed like whenever we needed a big play or a first down, or a big stop, they always came through. I'm very proud and very happy for these boys."
    Allen, a 1994 graduate of Lincoln Pious X High School, got a post game dunking from his team as the final seconds ticked off the Memorial Stadium clock."
    "Actually, this was the warmest I've been all day," Allen said laughing as water dripped off his noggin. "It's just a great feeling and a lot of relief. I feel really good. It will be a nice ride home."
    St. Mary's didn't cruise through Holy Family like it did most of its opponents during the regular season, but a persistent defense, which helped cause six bulldog turnovers Thursday, helped swing things the Cardinals way.
    "All year, every time we've had a turnover, our defense would step up and get us the ball back," Allen said. "They always answered to take momentum away."
    Holy Family sputtered for only 131 yards rushing and 48 passing.
    St. Mary's Ryan Hickey led all cardinal rushers with 88 yards. That included a tackle breaking 31-yard touchdown run to put St. Mary's up 14-8 in the third quarter.
    "We didn't have just three superstars, everybody on the team came to play," Hickey said. "We all have about equal talent and it was a great team effort."
    Part of the problem, according to Holy Family coach Rusty Rautenbach, was the Bulldogs' tackling.
    "St. Mary's has big, physical running backs, especially Hickey, he's a load," Rautenbach said. "There were three or four times we hit him at the waist and he just ran us over. We knew that was going to be a problem coming in."
    Dan Haggerty, the Cardinals' starting safety, was confident the Cardinals could shut down the Bulldogs' offense.
    "We put in a new defense this year and it kind of lets the defensive backs roam around and watch everybody run across in front of you," Haggerty said. "Then you just find the ball and run to it.
    The Cardinals, after a season ending loss in the playoffs to Sargent, pointed to this day for a whole year.
    "It's been my dream ever since I was in high school," Haggerty said. "Our coaches were on the 1984 state championship team, so we always wanted to be like them. Half our team wasn't even born in '84, so this makes it even more special."
    The Cardinals can now take a victorious sigh and reap the benefits of winning the big kahuna.
    "This is great for the community of O'Neill and our school," Allen said. "It means a lot. We had some people from the 1984 team up to watch the game. The community has been buzzing. There are signs all over town as you're driving down the street. It's been a fun three months."