LITTLE ROCK — The final pass of Will Francis’ towering career left him in tears.

Francis threw a 20-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Caleb Spears with six seconds remaining to give Harding Academy a 49-45 victory over Glen Rose in the Class 3A state championship game before a crowd of 5,326 on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

It was the first state championship for the Wildcats (14-0) since 2002 and their fifth Arkansas Activities Association-recognized title overall.

The Beavers, top-ranked in Class 3A, were a little more than a minute away from their second state championship before Francis, a 6-4, 204-pound senior, directed a seven-play, 73-yard drive.

Glen Rose led 45-42 after a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Collin Hunter to junior wide receiver Kyle Petersen with 1:11 remaining.

“I mean, this is the drive you dream about - state championship,” Francis said as he fought back tears after the game. “You’ve got one minute to go and two timeouts. That’s a perfect situation to do it.”

It became the perfect ending when Spears caught a pass across the middle near the 10 and broke away from three defenders on his way to the game-winning touchdown.

The play was a snapshot for Glen Rose, which struggled to tackle throughout the game.

Francis, the game’s MVP,finished 35 of 48 passing for a career-high 499 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“I guess it mattered whoever had the ball last, but we were terrible on defense,” Beavers Coach Mark Kehner said. “There’s no excuse for that. You’re not going to win a championship playing defense like that. That’s nobody’s fault but our own.”

A Harding University basketball signee, Francis finished his career with 8,482 passing yards and 85 touchdowns.

Seven Wildcats had receptions Saturday.

Junior wide receiver Kohl Blickenstaff caught 9 passes for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. Junior wide receiver Trey Davis caught 9 passes for 146 yards, and senior wide receiver Hunter Gentry caught 9 passes for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Wildcats finished with 544 total yards on 66 plays.

Glen Rose (13-2) finished with 429 total yards - a fraction below its season average - on 64 plays.

Hunter completed 15 of 19 passes for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 71 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Sophomore tailback Carlos Burton ran 18 times for 118 yards and returned a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter.

Burton rushed for 1,965 yards this fall.

Senior wide receiver Hunter Bredensteiner caught 5 passes for 82 yards and 1 touchdown, and junior wide receiver Austin Kehner, Mark Kehner’s son, had 4 receptions for 86 yards.

Harding Academy led 28-24 at halftime, but Glen Rose dominated the third quarter and took its biggest lead, 38-28, after Hunter scored on a 1-yard run with 11:56 left in the game.

Harding Academy regained the lead, 42-38, after Francis threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Gentry and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Blickenstaff, the latter with 5:11 remaining.

Glen Rose moved ahead 45-42 on Hunter’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Petersen with 1:11 remaining, but the Beavers left Francis with too much time. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards and rushed once for 6 yards on the final drive.

Blickenstaff suffered an apparent shoulder injury after a 15-yard reception to the Glen Rose 31. He had to leave the game and was replaced by Spears, a starting cornerback who had only 10 receptions for 129 yards in his career.

He had never caught a touchdown pass.

“Caleb just came in and made a great catch and finished it off good,” Francis said.

Just like Harding Academy’s misty-eyed quarterback.

“Harding Academy is such a special place,” Francis said. “A lot of people have supported us all the way through and love us. It’s a lot of fun.”

Only Shiloh Christian (seven) has won more state championships among private schools.

Harding Academy narrowly missed a state championship in 2010, losing 14-10 to Rivercrest in the Class 3A final.

“I’m proud of our seniors and their leadership,” Wildcats Coach Roddy Mote said. “Proud of our football team.”

Scoring summary Harding Academy ..14 14 0 21 - 49 Glen Rose .......... 21 3 7 14 - 45

FIRST QUARTER HA - Francis 1 run (Davis kick), 9:29 GRHS - Burton 73 kickoff return (Harris kick), 9:19 HA - Davis 1 run (Davis kick), 7:22 GRHS - Hunter 3 run (Harris kick), 4:08 GRHS - Bredensteiner 30 pass from Hunter (Harris kick), :37

SECOND QUARTER HA - Davis 1 run (Davis kick), 10:17 GRHS - FG Harris 24, 1:57 HA - Gentry 3 pass from Francis (Davis kick), :23

THIRD QUARTER GRHS - Hunter 1 run (Harris kick), 5:44

FOURTH QUARTER GRHS - Hunter 1 run (Harris kick), 11:56 HA - Gentry 1 pass from Francis (Dickson kick), 9:38 HA - Blickenstaff 12 pass from Francis (Davis kick), 5:11 GRHS - Peterson 12 pass from Hunter (Harris kick), 1:11 HA - Spears 20 pass from Francis (Davis kick), :06

Attendance - 5,326

Sports, Pages 28 on 12/09/2012