TUSCALOOSA – Senior running back Ostin McPherson pounded out 155 yards rushing on 27 carries Thursday night and scored two touchdowns to spark St. Paul’s Episcopal to a 41-26 victory over Mortimer Jordan to claim the Saints’ second consecutive Class 5A state football championship.
     McPherson scored the game’s first touchdown on a 5-yard run in the opening period and closed out Saints night with a 2-yard TD run in the fourth period to earn Class 5A Championship Game MVP for the second time. He was named MVP last year as St. Paul’s won the 5A crown at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
      The win at Bryant-Denny gave the Mobile school a championship at each of the venues that have been hosts of the AHSAA’s Super 6 and now Super 7 football championship series. The Saints won its first state title at Legion Field in 2007.
     The 2015 AHSAA Super 7 state championships will conclude Friday with state finals for Classes 2A, 4A and 6A. Defending 4A champ Leeds (12-2) faces Fayette County (10-4) at 11 a.m., followed by defending 2A champion Fyffe (13-1) vs. Elba (13-1) in a rematch from 2014 at 3 p.m., and defending Class 6A state champ Clay-Chalkville (14-0) vs. Spanish Fort (14-0) at 7 p.m.
     Coach Steve Mask’s Saints (13-2) gained 278 yards on the ground on 50 attempts and limited Mortimer Jordan (13-2) to just 65 yards rushing. Coach Dusty Goode’s Blue Devils did gain 211 yards passing as Duncan Hodges completed 30-of-36 passes for one touchdown.
     B.J. Edmonds scored twice in the second quarter – on a 1-yard run and on a 36-yard interception return from his free safety position. He led the Saints with nine tackles. Quarterback Miller Mosley, who rushed for 81 yards on 10 carries, scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter added the final TD on a 1-yard sneak in the third period.
     Andrew Wing and Noah Michael had eight tackles each, and Tamaurice Smith also had an interception for St. Paul’s.
    Spencer Brown scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards for the Blue Devils. Hodges sneaked in from the 1 for another score and completed a 13-yard pass to Jacob Dean for the final score with 26 seconds remaining in the game.
   Colby Moon, who had nine tackles on defense, also led Mortimer Jordan with 43 yards on 10 carries. Dean caught 10 passes for 123 yards and Walker McCleney had four kickoff returns for 79 yards. Nick Mann also had eight tackles and Preston Wilson had six stops and an interception. Conner Bruce also picked off one pass.