NEWARK — Javier White wasn’t sure he’d even get another chance to carry the ball before the halftime break.

But when his Laurel High teammate Omori’Yon Cannon picked off a pass with 28 seconds remaining, the senior running back cashed in on the very next play for a 28-yard score to put his Bulldogs ahead at the break.

“I didn’t think we’d get the ball back,” White said. “It was nice … we got the interception, changed the momentum and I just went out there and scored.”

From there, the top-seeded Bulldogs put things on cruise control to capture the DIAA Class 1A state championship with a 28-14 victory over St. Elizabeth High in damp conditions at University of Delaware Saturday night.

“It’s unbelievable for these kids. I’ve known these kids for five, six years now — a long time,” said Laurel coach Joey Jones. “I taught them in middle school, chased them around the halls and all that, and finally get to do it on the football field after school and really see them grow into men.

“The product on the football field has certainly reflected that … I’m so happy and proud of these kids. I couldn’t feel any better.”

The win marks the first football state title for Laurel since defeating Indian River High 29-2 in the 1991 Div. II title game.

Prior to this season, the DIAA reclassified the schools into three classes — Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A — making this the inaugural 1A title game. The Bulldogs went to the Div. II title game in 2014 but was ultimately shut out 42-0 by Hodgson Vo-Tech.

The program also made appearances in the ’92 and ’08 Div. II finals but lost each time.

The Bulldogs (11-2) went unbeaten against Class 1A opponents this season, with the team’s two losses coming against Class 2A Delmar High and Woodbridge High.

St. Elizabeth was seeking the program’s first title since the 2010 season.

White finished with 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries. Laurel junior running back Kylse Wilson also scored two rushing touchdowns of his own, totaling 45 yards on his 11 carries.

“Unbelievable talents,” Jones said of the duo. “Great kids, fun kids, and we talked all week about if we execute and play team football, we’d let the talent have its own fun and you got to see a little bit of that tonight. Just fantastic weapons to have and I’m just super proud of them.”

Laurel’s junior starting quarterback Kaden Shockley rushed for 37 yards on four carries.

The soggy weather made for a great night for Laurel’s rushing attack, which finished with more than 240 yards and four touchdowns as a team.

The defense forced a couple turnovers and kept St. Elizabeth’s star running back Quasim Benson out of the end zone.

The second-seeded Vikings (11-2) struck first with a touchdown on their first possession.

Quarterback Brett Smick tossed a 26-yard touchdown to junior Christopher Caracter on the Vikings’ first possession of the game to open the scoring.

Benson ran the two point conversion in to give his team the early 8-0 lead with 6:49 to go in the first quarter.

A few minutes later the Bulldogs had an answer as White scored on a three-yard run at the 4:18 mark.

With the two point try no good, Laurel trailed 8-6 for most of the rest of the half until Cannon’s timely interception just before halftime set White up for his second rushing touchdown of the night.

The 28-yard dash with 17 ticks left in the half, plus his successful two-point conversion run, gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 advantage at the break and they never looked back.

After a muffed punt return attempt inside St. Elizabeth’s five yard line, Laurel took over their first possession of the third quarter at the opposing three yard line. It took just one play for Wilson to run it in from three yards out for the 21-8 Laurel lead.

Wilson later put the exclamation on it when he scored on an eight yard run with under four minutes remaining g to jump ahead 28-6.

Smick threw a 37-yard touchdown to Caracter with 2:10 remaining to pull the Vikings to within two possessions but Laurel’s rushing attack closed things out.