HILLSBORO – The Prospectors mined for turnovers and a state title Saturday night.

The Grant Union football team beat Gold Beach 28-14 to take home the Oregon School Activities Association 3A state championship. It is the first Pro state title since Grant Union beat Taft in 1943.

Grant Union coach Monty Nash said the title goes straight to the kids.

“It’s absolutely great,” Nash said. “It’s just like we’ve been talking about all season. I’m fortunate to be with this group of kids.”

Turnovers were the key to the game. Gold Beach had four fumbles and lost three, while Grant Union had one which they recovered. Grant Union quarterback Austin Ranft also had no interceptions and threw for 188 yards. Gold Beach quarterback Jeffery Knox, who only played on a special OSAA exemption, threw for 94 yards and an interception.

“Turnovers kills us,” Gold Beach coach Kevin Swift said. “All season we avoided it, and I told them all week it could hurt us. I mean it’s a compliment to Grant Union as much of a slight to us that it happened. They got in there.”

The Pros got in a hold deep after a long drive by the Panthers,=2 0but Grant Union responded in under three minutes. Ranft hit Dustin Lippert with a 34-yard pass for a touchdown with a little more than nine minutes to play in the first half. The Pros never looked back.

Grant Union averaged a touchdown every eight minutes during the next quarter and a half. The offensive onslaught pushed the Pros ahead 28-7 by the start of the fourth quarter. Gold Beach picked up a touchdown midway into the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late as Grant Union ran the clock out on a few rushing plays.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score

—————– — — — — —–

Grant Union……… 0 14 14 0 – 28

Gold Beach………. 0 7 0 7 – 14

Scoring Summary:

2nd 11:58 GOBE – Travis Moore 1 yd run (Todd Martin kick)

12 plays, 76 yards, TOP 5:26, GRUN 0 – GOBE 7

09:19 GRUN – Dustin Lippert 34 yd pass from Austin Ranft (Kyle Weymouth kick)

& nbsp; 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:35, GRUN 7 – GOBE 7

06:20 GRUN – Austin Ranft 1 yd run (Kyle Weymouth kick)

4 plays, 42 yards, TOP 1:29, GRUN 14 – GOBE 7

3rd 09:36 GRUN – Dalton Moore 27 yd pass from Austin Ranft (Kyle Weymouth kick)

8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:24, GRUN 21 – GOBE 7

02:17 GRUN – Dustin Lippert 11 yd pass from Austin Ranft (Kyle Weymouth kick)

13 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:59, GRUN 28 – GOBE 7

4th 07:22 GOBE – Travis Moore 3 yd run (Todd Martin kick)

9 plays, 88 yards, TOP 4:24, GRUN 28 – GOBE 14