Ryan Shupert will never know what it feels like to lose a game in a Hereford uniform.

The No. 2 Bulls assured as much by scoring 20 unanswered points to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit in yesterday's 20-9 Class 2A state-championship victory over Middletown of Frederick County.

The win, before a crowd of about 6,000, was Hereford's 26th straight and earned the Bulls their second straight state title - their third overall - and made them the first team to win a state championship at Ravens Stadium.

Adam Goloboski rushed for 141 yards and scored his school-record 30th and 31st touchdowns, and sophomore Andy DePaola passed for 104 yards and his 11th touchdown - a 48-yarder to Pat Butt - as Hereford (13-0) overcame the first halftime deficit it has faced since a 2000 semifinal loss to four-time state champion Urbana.

Sophomore defensive end Billy Reuter earned his 16th and 17th sacks of the year and intercepted a pass with 7:16 to play to set up Hereford's final touchdown.

Junior Brett Yoder had an interception and seven tackles, and sophomore Joe Akers had two sacks. Jamie Estep (eight tackles), Goloboski (six) and Zach Armiger (five) also played well defensively as the Bulls ended a 10-game winning streak for Middletown (11-2).

Shupert, who quarterbacked last year's team to a 43-15 title-game rout of Joppatowne, is one of all but four seniors who experienced back-to-back 10-0 JV seasons. He made five tackles as part of a defense that didn't allow an opposing rusher to exceed 100 yards for the 23rd straight game.

"We're the first team ever to win [a state championship] here, and that speaks for itself," said Shupert, whose team was fitted with baseball caps that read, "Hereford, 2002 State Champs."

"We went in at halftime, drew the plays up on the board, got focused and executed. I never thought we'd lose," he said.

With the Bulls down 9-0, DePaola's scoring pass on second-and-nine found Butt all alone at the Middletown 20-yard line. Butt ran the remaining distance untouched, and the first of John Dinkins' two extra-point kicks made it 9-7 with 4:04 left in the third period.

Hereford then forced a Middletown punt before driving 61 yards in eight plays for the first of Goloboski's two 2-yard run scoring runs - this one set up by Mike Coyne's 15-yard reception.

"Coach [Steve Turnbaugh] told me the run wasn't working, that I needed to get ready to throw the ball," said DePaola, who was ineffective as a passer in a 14-7 quarterfinal victory over Southern-Anne Arundel.

"This game's the complete opposite of that game. I knew they needed me and the pressure was on. I had to make the right reads, and I did."

After Reuter's interption at the Middletown 36, Goloboski scored again with 5:29 to play, completing a three-play drive for the winning margin.

"To be losing at halftime was a big test," said Hereford offensive lineman Greg Lehrl. "It was a gut check. We proved we could play smash-mouth football.'

Hereford's offense had a record-breaking day. Goloboski now owns single-season school records for rushing yards (2,187), rushing touchdowns (31) and total touchdowns (32). Butt (1,314 yards, 19 touchdowns) and Shupert (817, 10) were part of an offense that generated a state-record 5,878 rushing yards, eclipsing the old mark of 5,536.

Middletown, a runner-up for the third time, had been carried by Josh Keeney, who entered the game with 2,384 yards and 40 touchdowns - two scores shy of the single-season scoring record established by Damascus' Chad Bradley in 1996.

Keeney finished with 98 yards and did not score - the first time since his 76 yards in a loss to Francis Scott Key that he was held under 100 yards.

Pikesville's Damond Malloy (91 yards) was the only previous rusher to come close to 100 yards against Hereford in a 42-6 loss.

The Knights led 6-0 after Tyler Lushbaugh's 15-yard scoring pass ended their game-opening, 82-yard drive with 7:48 left in the first period. They led 9-0 after Will Gawler's 23-yard field goal - set up by Lushbaugh's 23-yard pass to David Haertel - as time elapsed in the first half.

Keeney had 75 yards in the first half, during which Hereford fumbled at Middletown's 5-yard line after a long drive.

"We were surprised that they were able to run on us. Nobody runs on us like that," said two-way Hereford player Henry Julio. "They were making holes in our defense, and [Keeney would] keep going after we made contact. But we shut him down in the end."

Middletown 6 3 0 0 - 9

Hereford 0 0 7 13 - 20

M-Haertel 15 pass from Lushbaugh (kick failed) M-FG Gawler 21 H-Butt 48 pass from DePaola (Dinkins kick)

H-Goloboski 2 run (kick blocked) H-Goloboski 2 run (Dinkins kick)