Abu Sama scores six touchdowns as Southeast Polk stuns Valley, 49-14, in Class 5A state football championship

CEDAR FALLS — For those who thought the Iowa high school football Class 5A state championship game between Southeast Polk and West Des Moines Valley would be close, the Rams proved them wrong.

Southeast Polk jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half, forced a continuous clock in the third quarter and beat Valley, 49-14, to win back-to-back state titles and bring home the second championship in program history.

"It feels amazing," Obald Niyonkuru, a senior defensive lineman for Southeast Polk, said after the victory. "We have so much love for each other and we worked so hard together, and I really knew that we were gonna do this."

While there were players who separated themselves from the pack with truly title-winning performances, it was an all-around team effort from the reigning champions. Let’s break down how it happened.

SEP and Valley were complete opposites in the first half.

The Rams racked up 378 total yards through the first two quarters, and almost all of those came from Abu Sama and Connor Moberly. Sama picked up 166 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, and his two scores came off 65- and 73-yard runs.

Moberly was equally as impressive. He threw for 194 yards and one touchdown on nine completions. The opening touchdown came from Moberly’s arm – an 89-yard pass play to Carson Robbins to set the tone early.

But on the other sideline, the Tigers struggled to do what they’d done all postseason: Surprise their opponents.

Valley defeated then-undefeated No. 1 Pleasant Valley in the first round and knocked off Cedar Falls in the quarterfinals. The Rams upset Dowling Catholic, 22-21, in the final minute of the semifinals to make it to the title game.

The Rams, though, were a different beast for a Valley team that snuck into the playoffs with a 5-4 regular season record. The Tiger’s first half drives went like this: punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt, punt, and another turnover on downs.

Valley’s second half didn’t go so well either, with the first drive ending with an interception. The Tigers had some players who tried to put plays together – Ayden Price and Zay Robinson with decent receiving yardage, and Damon Head with some movement on the ground.

Price did prevent a shutout, scoring Valley's first touchdown early in the fourth quarter and stopping the running clock. SEP picked up another touchdown, but Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards to stop the clock again.

But the Tigers didn’t help themselves either, giving up 77 yards on 10 penalties.

So, yes Sama in particular played some of the best football of his high school career. He finished with 372 yards on 24 carries and scored six touchdowns. Oh, and according to Niyonkuru, Sama "said he wanted five but he got six."

But let’s not forget that the reason for Southeast Polk’s success is that the Rams have relied on a team effort in every game.

The Rams are the only team in 5A with two running backs – Sama and Harrison Gibson – who have rushed for over 1,000 yards. Gibson didn’t play as big a role in the championship as he has in other games, but he was more than capable of stepping in.

There's the offensive line that gave Sama time and space to make those big runs and kept Valley's defense from getting to Moberly. Southeast Polk's line has only allowed five sacks — one by Valley and two by Cedar Rapids Jefferson in the regular season and two by Johnston in the semifinal.

Carson Robbins led the receiving core with 166 yards and one touchdown. Joe Zelenovich, Sam Goode, Thaden Abbas, Owen Wignall and Sama brought SEP's receiving yards total to 258.

And the defense featured 15 players who recorded at least one tackle, led by Gabe Stiles (6.5 tackles, 2 sacks) and Emmanuel Gaye (5.5).

There are many reasons why Southeast Polk was able to compete for its second-straight state title on Friday. The Rams ability to put all of those moving parts together is why Southeast Polk won.

"Our coaches teach us to do our job, every single person," Niyonkuru said. "That's what really makes us a good team. Eleven as one."

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Southeast Polk football stuns Valley in 49-14 Class 5A championship