Everyone will remember the Hail Mary pass at the end of the game, but Winner football coach Dan Aaker hopes people will first remember the 47 minutes and 56 seconds before the play.

“It’s kind of euphoric, I guess,” Aaker said about winning the state Class 11B football championship. “A lot of people will remember the last play. Both teams were looking forward to overtime, then all of a sudden, you get one big play, a little luck involved, and all of a sudden, it is over.

“It will be on highlights for a long time. But I hope it doesn’t get lost in one play.”

Winner earned a 12-6 win over Tri-Valley in the title game on Thursday, courtesy of its defense and some last-second heroics. The game was primarily a defensive showdown between the two undefeated teams. They played to a scoreless tie at the half, and each team only mustered six points until the final minute. Both teams were exhausted as Winner held Tri-Valley to a season low in points and rushing yards.

With four seconds left in the game, both teams were content to take the game into overtime with a 6-6 score. Aaker said no one could script what happened next.

Seeing that Tri-Valley was not going to take a timeout, Aaker thought, “What the heck; maybe we’ll throw it deep.”

So he dialed up the play, and the rest was in slow motion.

First, Aaker wondered if his quarterback, Ted Wonnenberg, could throw the ball that far. Wonnenberg promptly answered that question and threw it to inside the Tri-Valley 10-yard line. The plan was to throw to 6-foot-5 Zach Horstman.

“I’ll take my chances with Zach going up with anybody,” Aaker said.

But Horstman did not catch it. The ball was tipped back into the hands of Jayd Knodell, who ran

5 yards for the winning score.

Aaker’s first reaction was to look for a penalty flag. Not seeing one, the reality of what just happened began to sink in.

“I ran down with the rest of the team,” Aaker said. “I thought, ‘Holy cow, did that just happen?’ For whatever reason, things were in the cards that night. To see kids dog pile at the end of it, what a way to end a 12-0 season.”

In a way, the game is just starting to sink in for the coach. After all, the moment was in stark contrast to what happened to the team last year, when Winner lost in the state title game.

However, this year, Aaker said, his team would not let that happen. They were mentally prepared.

“It means a lot,” Aaker said. “It’s rewarding to see our kids in that situation. Seeing your kids grow as young adults. They’ve taken the mental step.”

Before the game, Aaker told his team that whatever happened in the game, he wanted his players to make the game memorable.

Then, Aaker brought up the memory of the last time Winner won the state title. He showed the game ball from the 1989 championship team, 20 years to the day since the Warriors’ win. Before the team took the field, each player touched the ball.

The Winner football tradition was also on display when the team arrived back home Friday.

“It’s such a football town, with such tradition, so many ties to the football program,” Aaker said, adding that he has many messages waiting for him from excited townspeople. “It’s one of those things you try to enjoy for as long as you can."