Stevens head coach Paul Silva is congratulated following the team's 46-20 Divison III state championship win over Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough in Durham, N.H., on November 19, 2016. It is the school's first football championship since 1968 and first team crown since 1989. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Stevens head coach Paul Silva is congratulated following the team's 46-20 Divison III state championship win over Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough in Durham, N.H., on November 19, 2016. It is the school's first football championship since 1968 and first team crown since 1989. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Durham, N.H. — After 27 years in all sports and 48 in football alone, Stevens High School has a New Hampshire team state championship to call its own.

Behind three touchdowns from Richard Bell and two each from Parker Smith and Zach O’Brien, the Cardinals rolled to a 46-20 victory over high-powered InterLakes-Moultonborough in the NHIAA Division III championship football game at the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcat Stadium on Saturday.

Sophomore quarterback Henri Bourque was 12-for-17 in the air for 198 yards and two touchdowns, adding 91 rushing yards to the mix. Bell ran for 117 yards on 28 rushes while Smith made nine catches for 150 yards.

Beginning with a second-quarter touchdown pass from Bourque to O’Brien for a 16-14 advantage, the Cardinals (9-2) reeled off 32 straight points to pull away from the Lakers (8-3).

The win is the first for any Stevens sports team since boys soccer claimed the NHIAA Class I championship in 1989. It’s also the Cardinals’ first state crown in football since 1968.

“They’ve done everything I’ve asked from the start of the season until today,” said Stevens head coach Paul Silva. “I just love these guys. I’m so proud of them for what they’ve done.”

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Posted at 2:50 p.m. on Saturday. Pick up the Sunday Valley News for a complete recap of the game.