Bowling Green players celebrate Saturday, December 5, 2015, after their 21-7 win over Pulaski County Class 5A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl championship at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Bowling Green is back on top.

The Purples made it four Class 5A championships in five years Saturday by shutting down Pulaski County 21-7 in the state title game at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

BGHS (14-1) now has five state championships, tied with Covington Catholic and Fort Campbell for ninth-most in KHSAA history.

The Purples won a 3A title in 1995 under former coach Dan Haley and have won championships in 2011, ‘12, ‘13 and now ‘15 under current coach Kevin Wallace.

Bowling Green dethroned the defending 5A champion Maroons (13-2) to pick up this latest crown.

“We worked hard for this all season,” junior wide receiver Deangelo Wilson said. “It’s been our main goal all season. We just wanted to let the seniors go out with a bang. I wanted my seniors to go out with a ring all year. We worked our hardest every day.”

The win caps a career of a senior class that got to watch older Purples win state titles before capturing one of their own Saturday.

Those seniors came up big in the championship game, from cornerback Tre Fant (punt return TD) to Jacob Yates (rushing TD) to linebacker Ahmerian Brown (six tackles).

“We’re never going to forget this,” said Fant, the younger brother of former Mr. Football Nacarius Fant who had a breakout season this year as a senior. “These are memories we’ll have for a lifetime.

“We formed a brotherhood and came together, and we’ll meet up one day and talk about winning a state championship game.”

The defense was the story Saturday night for the Purples.

They gave up a Pulaski touchdown 21 seconds into the game and then shut out the Maroons the rest of the night.

The Bowling Green defense limited the explosive Pulaski County attack, led by quarterback Riley Hall, to 222 yards of total offense.

The Maroons were 4 of 14 on third-down conversions Saturday and 0-for-4 on fourth-down tries, as the Purples defense stood tall over and over again.

The defense was coming off a shutout in the semifinals against Fern Creek and a state quarterfinal performance against Owensboro the week before where BGHS made three goal-line stands and grabbed four interceptions.

“They’ve been lights out in the playoffs,” Wallace said.

Meanwhile, a Bowling Green team that’s thrived on big plays all season used two of them in the first half to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Purples quarterback Clark Payne threw a screen pass in the right flat to Wilson.

The junior Wilson tried running right, found nothing and turned left. Finding no space in the middle of the field, Wilson ran back right, saw a seam and cut upfield.

Wilson sprinted 66 yards for a BGHS touchdown that tied the game at 7-7 with 7:58 left in the second.

“I just kept on cutting different ways, and then I found a seam and I had all kinds of blockers in front of me,” Wilson said. “I just accelerated through the seam.”

The Purples took their first lead with 3:12 to play in the second quarter. Fant – who had just broken up a third-down Pulaski County pass – fielded a punt at his 23-yard line.

Fant ran right, made a move to the middle of the field and breezed 77 yards for a score. That return by Fant made it 14-7 Purples with 3:12 left before halftime.

“Every time I get a punt return, I have great blockers,” he said. ‘They block for me good and I love it.”

The BGHS defense shut the Maroons out over the last 47:39 of the game after giving up an early score.

Pulaski got on the board 21 seconds into the game on a 3-yard George Gregory run. His TD was set up by his own kickoff return down to the Purples’ 35. A face mask call on that return moved the Maroons to the Bowling Green 20.

After that short drive, the Purples buckled down defensively the rest of the way.

They sacked Hall three times for 24 yards and recovered one Pulaski fumble.

Junior defensive end Dalan Cofer led the way with 10 1/2 tackles and two sacks. Brown had six tackles and a sack, while Jake Bush, Justin Robinson and Andrew Spader all made four stops.

Five different Bowling Green players broke up a Hall pass Saturday. The Mr. Football candidate finished 23 of 35 for 169 yards.

Maroons receiver Jake Johnson had 14 catches for 101 yards, but wasn’t able to break through for big plays.

“We buckled down, listened to (defensive coordinator Mark) Spader, came together and didn’t let them get back in our end zone,” Fant said.

Yates gave the Purples their insurance touchdown with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, crashing into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Lee Ramsey’s extra point made it 21-7.

Yates rushed for a team-best 72 yards on 10 carries with a score in his final high school game. Junior Jamale Carothers added 61 yards on 17 rushing attempts.

Payne was 19 of 27 passing for 199 yards with one TD and one interception. Wilson caught seven of those passes for 112 yards and a score.

The win capped a special day for the Wallace family. Wallace’s oldest son Ryan, a tight ends coach for Western Kentucky, was part of a WKU team that won a Conference USA title earlier that day on the same field.

Hours later Kevin Wallace won his fourth state championship.

“I’m blessed beyond belief,” he said. “To get to stand on the sidelines and watch my oldest son win a championship in Conference USA and then be able to do this tonight, pinch me. It’s pretty good stuff.”

— Follow Daily News sports reporter Brad Stephens on Twitter at twitter.com/stephens_brad or visit bgdailynews.com.

PCHS 7 0 0 0 – 7

BGHS 0 14 0 7 – 21

First quarter

PCHS – Gregory 3 run (Burgett kick), 11:39

Second quarter

BGHS – Wilson 66 pass from Payne (Ramsey kick), 7:58

BGHS – Fant 77 punt return (Ramsey kick), 3:12

Fourth quarter

BGHS – Yates 1 run (Ramsey kick), 7:05