Bowie State sophomore quarterback Amir Johnson tossed three touchdown passes and racked up nearly 350 passing yards but the Bulldogs still fell to the Winston-Salem State University Rams, 43-33, in the Central Interscholastic Athletic Association(CIAA) championship game on Nov. 12 in Salem, Va.
The loss marked the second straight year Winston-Salem defeated Bowie State (7-4 overall) in the CIAA title game. The Rams (9-2 overall) have now won four of the last six CIAA championships and claimed 12 CIAA titles in school history.
Led by Johnson, the 2016 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, the Bulldogs thought it was finally their year to take home the title. But the Rams’ defense had other plans. Johnson was intercepted on Bowie State’s first possession of the game, and Winston-Salem quickly turned the Bulldogs turnover into a 7-0 lead with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Rams quarterback Rod Tinsley. Winston-Salem extended their lead to 14-0 in the first quarter after a long 42-yard touchdown run from running back Justus Pickett.
The Bulldogs responded with back-to-back touchdowns, including a 39-yard touchdown pass from Johnson, to tie the score at 14-14 early in the second quarter. But Winston-Salem answered with two straight touchdowns of their own to take a 28-14 lead into halftime.
The Rams extended their lead to 37-21 by the end of the third quarter. Bowie State found the end zone several more times late in the game but it made no difference on the outcome.
Johnson completed 27 of 46 pass attempts for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted four times. Sophomore running back Robert Chesson had 107 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Tinsley led Winston-Salem with 11 of 25 passes completed for 194 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions; Rams running back Kerrian Moore had a game-high 177 rushing yards on 22 carries.
