HILLSBORO — For two years now, Brian Crum has believed that the best football player in Class 5A has worn No. 1 for Wilsonville.

And during Friday evening’s Class 5A state title game, the Mountain View coach was proven correct in that belief.

Mark Wiepert, Wilsonville’s senior quarterback and linebacker, put together a record-setting performance with eight total touchdowns to lead No. 5 Wilsonville to its second-consecutive state title with a 56-35 dismantling of No. 2 Mountain View.

“Wiepert is just special,” Crum said. “He’s just a one-man show sometimes and can do whatever he wants. You can’t tackle him. He’s that fast and that strong. It makes it tough on defense to decide what you want to do. Between their athleticism and their size, that is why (Wilsonville) is that good.”

The Cougars had no answer for Wiepert (6-feet-1-inch, 210 pounds) Friday night at Hillsboro Stadium. The Oregon State baseball commit passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns, but did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 173 yards and five touchdowns to help the Wildcats spoil Mountain View’s undefeated season in the state title game for the second-straight year.

His eight touchdowns was an 11-man record for a state championship game in Oregon.

“Credit to Mark,” said Mountain View senior defensive back and wide receiver Brady Kennedy. “Football isn’t even his main sport. He played receiver last year and he was a handful for us. He switched to quarterback this year and same thing. He’s a big, fast kid and he’s smart. He was just one step ahead and we had a hard time stopping him.”

When watching the game film of Wilsonville’s semifinal upset over No. 1 Silverton, Crum knew that his team would have its hands full trying to contain Wiepert, but also trying to run against the Wilsonville defense.

Mountain View was held to only 56 rushing yards, including just 22 yards from star running back Angel Valenzuela. Senior quarterback Mason Chambers was 13-of-24 passing for three touchdowns and one interception.

The Wildcats neutralized the Cougar passing attack by doubling standout senior wide receiver Jack Foley with two defensive backs all game. Foley was held to just one reception for 17 yards, but senior wide receiver Jordan Best had five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

“They were good enough that they could double Jack and still play their nine on our 10,” Crum said. “I thought Jordan Best had a good game. They were physical up front and we’ve had some significant injuries on our offensive line and I think that caught up with us tonight. There is no doubt that they are the best team in 5A.”

Wilsonville (11-2 overall) jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead. Wiepert scored his first rushing touchdown from four yards out on the opening drive, then found Keona Tam on a screen pass for a 39-yard touchdown.

Needing a spark, Mountain View (12-1) got it on the ensuing kickoff when Foley returned the kick for a 91-yard touchdown to make it a 14-7 game midway through the first quarter.

Again there was no stopping Wiepert. He ran for a 9-yard touchdown then connected with senior wideout Nick Crowley for a 45-yard touchdown pass to give the Wildcats a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter.

It looked like disaster was going to strike the Cougars when their next possession ended in a blocked punt. But senior linebacker Sam Paskewich picked up the loose ball and carried it 10 yards to keep the drive alive. Seven plays later, Chambers found Best behind the defense for a 61-yard touchdown.

Wiepert busted off a 46-yard touchdown run with less than a minute remaining in the first half to make it a 35-14 game. But the Cougars mounted a late drive that ended with Chambers connecting with Kennedy for a 15-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the half.

“I was proud of our kids in the second quarter because I thought we had a chance to say, ‘It’s not our night,’” Crum said. “But we got the ball and went down and scored. Our kids went into the locker room knowing that we had to make adjustments and get better.”

“When we scored right before the half, that was a momentum shifter,” Kennedy said. “We were getting the ball to start the second half and that gave us hope.”

But the momentum the Cougars had built late in the second quarter quickly flipped to the Wildcats. Crowley intercepted a Chambers’ pass and Wiepert turned the turnover into points with a 1-yard touchdown run and a 42-21 lead early in the third quarter.

If Wiepert’s eight touchdowns and six tackles on defense weren’t enough, he also returned a punt 37 yards to set up his third passing touchdown, and second to Crowley, from 24 yards out.

Mountain View fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Wilsonville recovered. Wiepert etched his name into the state record books with a 10-yard touchdown run to make it 56-21 and start the running clock in the third quarter.

The Cougars found the end zone twice the rest of the way. The first came on a trick play in which Chambers pitched the ball to sophomore running back Ryder Carpenter, who then threw it back to Chambers for an 8-yard touchdown.

After Foley blocked a punt, Chambers connected with Kennedy again for an 8-yard touchdown to make it a 56-35 game.

The clock ticked down, eventually reached triple zeros and Wilsonville celebrated its third state title and second in as many years.

For senior lineman Garren White, Friday’s game was a bittersweet one. White missed the entire season with a back injury. Initially he thought it was going to be a four-week injury and it turned out to be a four-month injury. The all-state defensive lineman a year ago ended up playing on both the offensive and defensive line against Wilsonville and finished with six tackles and one tackle for a loss.

“I’m just glad I got a couple more snaps,” White said. “I was jumping for joy, and I could finally jump again, when I found out I could play. It was really an honor to watch these guys all season and then play one last time.”

Over the past two seasons, the Cougars won 24 of their 26 games and only lost to one team.

But for the seniors who have been on the winningest two-year run in program history, the losses in two state championship games are just a blip on an otherwise memorable ride.

“I don’t want to remember these last two losses,” Kennedy said. “We went 24 and 2, obviously the two losses came at the wrong time, but the last two years have been some of the best years of my life. All the memories, I’m never going to forget those. The bus rides, the team meals, spending Thanksgiving together, that’s the fun part. I wouldn’t change anything about this, other than maybe getting two more wins.”