Top-ranked Bishop Chatard High School team won the Class 3A football state title with a 7-0 victory over No. 2 Norwell on Saturday at the RCA Dome. Senior tailback Joe Holland scored the game's only touchdown on a 20-yard, fourth-down run in the third quarter, and the defense shut out the state's third-ranked offense (averaging 44.7 points per game).

Coach Vince Lorenzano spoke with reporters after his team won the program's state-record-tying eighth title:

Question: Did the team take any motivation from last year's state title game (a 7-0 loss to NorthWood)?

Answer: Last year's game means nothing. This was two great teams fighting it out (Saturday). It was two teams that were both high-powered and high-ranked, and both gave it their all. There are no losers. There's nothing but champions on the field. It was who was going to flinch first . . . but no one flinched. We were lucky enough to come out on top.

Q: You had some success moving the ball early but couldn't quite get over the hump; what did you say at halftime (that led to the third-quarter score)?

A: Nothing really. I yelled a little bit. I had to do a better job of play calling. The kids came together and got it done.

Q: Joe (Holland) gets a lot of attention but Kyle (Dietrick) made a big catch and an interception, Tyler (Kleinschmidt) had a huge run, the defense played great, talk about the effort of the entire program.

A: We came in a little shorthanded. (Linebacker) Mike Dum has a sprained ankle. Kyle has got a bum knee, we had to get rid of our leading receiver so we were down a little here and there but it really isn't about who's not here, it's about who is here. It's about the kids who put the effort in and those guys rose to the occasion and played their tails off.

Q: Joe Holland is known for the explosive runs but talk about his ability to grind it out (with 97 yards on 27 carries in the title game).

A: We knew it was going to be a tough game. (Norwell) is really fast defensively. They were shutting everybody down all year (so) it wasn't like we were surprised by that. You're winning by an average of (36.3) points in the conference they play in, you know it's going to be a pretty rough go. We knew we could move the ball some. The big thing was to take care of the football, play physical and try to control the line of scrimmage.

Q: Your team trailed for only 3:24 all year (at the end of the team's only loss, 20-14, to Class 4A champion Cathedral), what's that say for this program?

A: I think it's a tribute to our staff. Our staff works as hard as anybody I know. It's a lot of volunteer guys. It's rough on you. You've got to spend a lot of time working and they do it.

Q: This was the eighth state title for the program, tying the state record (shared by Sheridan and Roncalli), what's that mean to you?

A: I think it means it's the program itself that gets it done. It's all about the kids. It's all about the effort the kids put in the program.