HERSHEY - Brad Dawson already was No. 1 - it's his jersey number - but now so are the rest of his Thomas Jefferson teammates. The Jaguars have plenty to boast about after their first trip to the state championship game.

Dawson rushed for a score, threw two TD passes and returned an interception for a touchdown, and Dan Giegerich rushed for four touchdowns to lead the Jaguars to a 56-20 victory over defending champion Manheim Central for its first PIAA Class AAA title Friday night.

"This is one of the best showcases in TJ football history," Dawson said.

Was it ever.

Making its first appearance in a championship game, Jefferson (14-2) set a title-game record with six interceptions, had a fumble recovery, a game-changing goal-line stand and a 21-point fourth quarter to turn it into a rout.

Manheim Central (13-2) played without leading rusher and its best defender, Jeremiha Hunter (1,022 yards) after he broke his arm in the semifinal. With Hunter out, the pressure fell on quarterback Tyler Reifsnyder to make plays.

"We missed him, but make no excuses, they were the better team," said Manheim Central coach Mike Williams. "We missed him a lot on defense. You saw No. 1 (Dawson). He was the best athlete on the field."

"I wanted to prove everything I could on offense and defense," Dawson said. "It's amazing how we beat 'em pretty good."

Make it three straight Class A titles for Southern Columbia.Dan Latorre ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns, and the Tigers capped a perfect season with a lopsided, rain-soaked victory over Rochester to win the PIAA Class A championship Friday. Southern Columbia joined Central Bucks West (AAAA) and Berwick (AAA) as the only schools to win three consecutive PIAA titles."This one's 10 times better," said Latorre, a senior quarterback. "This year was my year and for all the other seniors."Henry Hynoski rushed for 132 yards and the Tigers had 432 yards of total offense.Southern Columbia (15-0) beat the Rams in the title game for the second time in three years. Southern played its 10th championship game in 11 years and its fifth one against Rochester. It also won the championship in 1994.The Tigers went wild, yanking on their state championship hats and dashing on the drenched turf toward the trophy. "This is ours, guys!" one yelled out among the crowd. "I just want to touch it!" screamed another.They mobbed together for a team photo chanting "Three-peat!" and held up a banner that read "Angels on the Goalposts" with the numbers of former players Eric Barnes and Tarik Leghlid, who drowned last summer.Rochester (12-4) snapped a seven-game winning streak. The Rams have won three PIAA Class A title games.With a heavy, steady rain falling, Southern Columbia did what it does best in relying on the running game. The Tigers - who rushed for 770 yards over Pius X in a quarterfinal game - ran 49 times for 398 yards against Rochester.It was the first Class A shutout since Rochester beat Southern Columbia 16-0 in 2001.The Rams couldn't do much of anything, though it seemed general ineptness was as much a factor as the weather. Cory Schleyer threw three interceptions and the Rams lost a fumble."We were overmatched," said Rochester coach Gene Matsook. "There are some times you have to give the other team credit. We weren't the big engine that roared; we were the little engine that could."