Senior quarterback Jared Hollins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to deliver unbeaten Mary Montgomery the Class 7A, Region 1 title, it’s first region championship in 38 years, with a resounding 34-7 victory over Daphne at Jubilee Stadium Friday night.

The South Alabama commit was locked in from the opening snap, as the fourth-ranked Vikings (9-0, 6-0) scored on every possession of the first half to take a 27-0 lead to the locker room.

“First, I thank God for this opportunity. The plan coming in was no turnovers, and be efficient (with) 80 percent in the pass game,” said the lanky 6-foot-4, 190-pound Hollins.

“I don’t know if got 80 percent and we did have a turnover, but we did come out and start fast. We stayed focused and kept our foot on the gas all game.”

Hollins was an efficient 10-of-14 (71 percent) for 211 yards, with touchdown tosses of 56 yards to wide receiver Jaylin Culver and 5 and 17-yard strikes to James Bolton.

He added a 28-yard scoring run and a two-point conversion toss to Shamar Elston.

Vikings coach Zach Golson was resolute in describing the machine-like play of his team and his quarterback.

“We really just thought about let’s go play our best ball tonight,” said Golson, who in just his second year in Semmes has delivered the school an elusive region title.

“We knew it was a championship-type game. We controlled our destiny to a region championship and we just kind of challenged our kids to … after a big win last week against Baker … refocus yourselves because you’ve got a chance to go win a championship.

“They did a great job in preparation all week and tonight we just told them to go have fun … you’ve prepared the right way, you’ve done the right things, so let’s just go enjoy it.

And Hollins?

“He was off the chart this week (in practice), man,” said Golson. “His focus has been so sharp all year, and I think he’ll be the first to tell you that we’re just going to take this one week at a time.”

The Trojans (4-4, 3-2 in region) never got anything going until late, as the Vikings defense forced punts on their first three possessions and answered with scoring drives of their own each time.

They finally got on the board with about 10 minutes left to play on Jamar Malone’s 28-yard screen pass to Nick Clark and Nathan Vareia’s point-after kick.

Mary Montgomery’s Jayvian Hawthorne ran in from 3 yards out late in the third period, and Aaron Mccraney knocked home a pair of PATs to cap the Viking’s scoring

Play of the Game: Actually, MGM’s first two drives of the night lasted only 3 and 5 plays before lighting up the scoreboard.

On their third drive, they converted a 4th-and-1 at the Daphne 29 before cashing that one in, too.

The Trojans looked deflated, as they quickly fell behind 20-0 and had no answer for what the Vikings were throwing at them.

It was, for all intents and purposes, the ball game.

By The Numbers: 2 – Number of consecutive wins over Daphne for Mary Montgomery after losing their first 7 matchups of this series; 4 – number of Daphne first downs in the opening half; 40 – Number of penalty yards assessed against the Vikings, including a pair of 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Game ball: Hollins.

They Said It: “They have a great team. But the biggest thing was our kids coming in and fighting and continuing to work. That’s all I can ask of them. Tonight, they had the better team and they did a great job coming out and competing the way they did.” — Daphne coach Kenny King

Next week: The Vikings host 6A Robertsdale to cap the regular season, while Daphne hosts Baldwin County rival Foley.