ABERDEEN - They were the defending state champions, but the Tri-Valley Mustangs still had to defy the odds to win a second straight Class 11B state football title this season.

The Mustangs overcame the loss of standout Grady Johnson in the seventh game of the season and then had to defeat top-ranked Platte-Geddes-Dakota Christian on the road in the playoffs before they eventually hoisted the major hardware once again.

"It goes to show we had a great group of seniors and also some very good underclassmen," said Tri-Valley coach Brad McDonald. "We have so many quality players on the team. There is no one standout. There's so many weapons."

Four of those players headline the list of all-state players announced Friday.

Like this year's Tri-Valley squad, the all-state team also features plenty of firepower.