Special to the OBSERVER
SYRACUSE - Randolph won its third football state title in school history with a 28-7 win over Tuckahoe in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D championship game on Friday afternoon at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Jared Pitchford ran for a touchdown with 3:06 remaining for the final score.
Jordan Dowiasz capped a 90-yard drive for Randolph with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals a 21-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Tuckahoe's Nick Reisman scored on a 4-yard run with 10:08 left in the second quarter as the Section 1 champs made the score 14-7 after the Tigers (8-3-1) took over in Randolph (11-2) territory after a Cardinals' fumble.
Dowiasz took an option pitch from Mitchell Maycock and raced 43 yards on Randolph's third possession as the Cardinals took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter
Maycock, who hit Nathan Beaver with a 28-yard pass earlier on the drive, added the 2-point conversion.
Chris Doubek ran 39 yards on the first play of Randolph's second drive as the Cardinals (10-2) took an early 6-0 lead.
The Cardinals were making their third trip to the title game - they won in 2005 and 2009 - after starting the season 1-2.
Tuckahoe has won two state championships in its history - 2006 and 2010 - but this season has been a roller-coaster ride. The Tigers opened with four straight wins, including an impressive victory against last year's Class C state champion Dobbs Ferry, only to tie with winless Haldane and lose two straight games after that.
Since then, however, the Tigers had run off four straight wins, including last week's 14-12 victory over Rensselaer in the state east semifinal. During that span, they outscored their opponents, 128-36.
The Cardinals have played magnificent football for more than two months, during which they've allowed just 73 points during their 10-game winning streak.
