Saint Thomas Aquinas won its 9th consecutive Kansas state championships Saturday, defeating the Kansas City Cougars 57-12 in the final.

STA continues to play well and show depth, with their JV team winning the Tier 3 title with wins over Garden City and Saint James Academy.

Hayden King was the player of the game for Aquinas. The scrumhalf played a strong game, keeping the tempo high and the ball moving constantly, which kept the Cougars on their heels. Wing Sean Benson was outstanding on the wing for the Saints and flanker Steven Rohde also had an excellent game.

Head Coach Tim Kluempers said he was pleased with the team's attitude. Aquinas is generally the dominant side in Kansas and joins the KC Jr. Blues as the strongest teams in the western Missouri/Kansas area, by a long shot. As a result, it's easy for these two programs to kind of cruise into the end of the season. But, said Kluempers, that is not how his team approaches it.

"Right now boys are playing well and with confidence and they are working their butts off," he said. "We're working hard on our fitness and trying to play at a faster pace. And what's really great about these guys is they don't take any team for granted. They respect their opponents and stick to playing our game. That's what we did against the Cougars."