ORLANDO -- The Gulliver Prep football team overcame many obstacles on and off the field to reach the Class 2A state championship game.

The one it could not overcome was Jacksonville Bolles.

Bolles added another state championship to its résumé at Gulliver's expense Saturday night with a 49-20 rout in front of a crowd of 1,916 at the Citrus Bowl.

''This was a great season, but that's a great team,'' Gulliver running back Darian Mallary said. ``I don't think we realized how good [Bolles] really was.''

It didn't take long for Gulliver (11-2) to find out. Bolles (14-0), which won its state-record ninth state championship, overmatched Gulliver.

The Raiders gave up the most points ever by a Miami-Dade team in the state finals. It was also the largest margin of defeat for a Dade team, and the first loss by a Dade team at state since 2001.

Gulliver gave up 401 yards of total offense, which included 252 rushing yards.

Gulliver could not sustain any rhythm and turned the ball over three times. The Raiders had scored 32 or more points 11 times this season. Junior quarterback Michael Strauss completed 17-of-30 passes for 169 yards, but did not have a touchdown pass and threw two interceptions. The effort was enough for Strauss to become only the second Dade quarterback ever to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season, finishing with 3,113.

The Raiders did not enter the game afraid of Bolles' mystique, however.

On the game's first play, running back Darian Mallary lined up at quarterback. He dropped back to pass and threw a perfect pass to Conner Vernon, who broke open over the middle. But the Raiders' and Dade's leading receiver this season, made an uncharacteristic mistake when he dropped the ball.

Gulliver punted four plays later, and Bolles began its onslaught by scoring on three consecutive drives to open up a 21-0 lead with 11:40 left in the second quarter.

Gulliver linebacker Artice Kellum gave the Raiders a faint hope of getting back in the game later in the second quarter when he intercepted a pass from Chandler Carr and raced to the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown return.

But on the ensuing drive, Bolles drove 61 yards on four plays and capped the series when Carr found Jay Herndon open for a 38-yard TD.

''I felt like the interception would boost our confidence,'' Kellum said. ``But we couldn't capitalize.''

The Raiders entered the Citrus Bowl with their best team since 2000 when the late Sean Taylor led them to their only state title. Despite the lopsided result, several Gulliver players said they were happy they overcame several factors that could have derailed their trip.

Last year's season started tragically when 15-year-old junior Ralei Sealey drowned on a weekend out with his teammates. A week after the season ended, Taylor, who had come back and spoken to the team a year prior, was shot and killed in his home.

''We thought about all of that before the game and we cried before we went out there,'' Mallary said. ``But I'm just proud because we never gave up.''

• Class 2B championship -- Pahokee 21, Ocala Trinity Catholic 17: Dennis Hall caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from DeJoshua Johnson with 55 seconds left to lead Pahokee past Ocala Trinity Catholic.

The title is Pahokee's third in a row and sixth overall.

Hall's touchdown at the Florida Citrus Bowl capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive that began with 3:38 left after a 39-yard kickoff return from Vincent Smith.

Trinity Catholic (12-2) had just gone ahead on a 17-yard touchdown toss from Rob Henry to Rafael Ciafardini at the 3:47 mark. The Celtics had one last shot, but a Henry pass attempt fell incomplete at the Pahokee 4 as time expired.

Smith led all players with 128 rushing yards on 22 carries. He scored once. Johnson was 11 of 19 for 143 yards and one touchdown. He added a touchdown run of 1 yard.

Henry accounted for 208 yards passing and two scores by going 13 for 29. He also had 44 rushing yards.

The Blue Devils, who finished the season 12-1, also earned state championships in 1989 (Class 2A), 2003 (2B), 2004 (2B), 2006 (2B) and 2007 (2B).

Miami Herald Wire Services contributed to this report.

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