The celebrating began shortly after 6 Saturday night at Legion Field.

Don't expect Prattville fans to quit anytime soon.

The Lions shocked the state Saturday, dethroning four-time Class 6A state champion Hoover. Prattville struck early and never trailed in a 35-21 victory.

"It hasn't really hit us yet that we're state champions," Prattville senior quarterback Larry Smith said. "I'm ready to go party. There are going to be parties everywhere. We're going to celebrate this championship."

The title is the second for the Lions and the first since 1984. Prattville finished 15-0 for the first time.

"We've been 10-0 and finished with incomplete seasons," Prattville coach Bill Clark said. "That's where we are now. Our expectation for a successful season is a state championship.

"A lot of work by a lot of players that came before has gone into this. This was a complete (Prattville) family win. It was a community effort."

The Prattville community did its part to support the Lions. An official crowd total was not available but estimates put the crowd at more than 25,000. Thirty minutes after the game, an estimated 10,000 Prattville fans remained in the stands cheering and celebrating.

"That's what we're talking about when we say community support," Clark said.

This is just the second time since 2000 that Hoover (13-2) has not ended the season as the 6A champion.

"We wanted to go out as winners. Sometimes, you don't," Hoover senior quarterback Ross Wilson said. "But you didn't see us walk off or run away after the game. We went out there and took it like a man."

For Smith, this was the end of an amazing run. The Mr. Football finalist won his 36th game in 38 starts for the Lions and returned to the championship for a second time in three years. As a sophomore, Smith and the Lions lost to Hoover 22-7.

"This is the way I always wanted it to end," the Class 6A championship MVP said. "Experience was the difference for me today. I was more prepared, and I let the game come to me."

Smith finished with 174 yards of offense, passing for 96 and rushing for 78. He was 11-for-14 passing and hit Dekendrick Moncrief on a 7-yard touchdown with nine seconds left in the first half.

Junior Justin Albert handled the scoring load for Prattville, reaching the end zone three times and rushing for 146 yards on 22 carries.

"With Larry back there and with Justin running behind our offensive line, we've been able to move the ball, running or passing," Clark said.

Albert scored on a 13-yard run in the second quarter and a 14-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Albert's final touchdown, a 64-yard run with 2:36 to play, iced the championship.

"The offensive line has been working hard for us all season and they were opening huge holes," Albert said. "On my long run, I saw the end zone and sprinted for it. I'll remember that run and the three touchdowns for a long time."

Two years ago, early mistakes doomed Prattville. The Lions took advantage of early Hoover mistakes this time. Xavier Wright's blocked punt and Zach Brownell's recovery in the end zone five minutes into the game set the tone. Prattville's second offensive series resulted in a 12-play, 98-yard scoring drive and a 14-0 lead six seconds into the second quarter.

"We knew we had to come out and get off to a fast start," Clark said. "We had talked about turning the tables on them this year. We just had a different feeling this time."

The Prattville defense did its part, limiting Hoover to 323 yards of offense (139 yards rushing, 184 yards passing. Hoover had 116 yards of offense at the half.

"We knew we had to stop Hoover's offense," said Prattville senior defensive lineman Nick Gentry, who finished with five tackles and 1.5 sacks. "We had to back each other up and play with confidence. If one of us made a mistake, we knew there were 10 other guys to make the play."

Prattville forced Hoover into two turnovers and harassed Wilson all day. Wilson finished with 184 yards on 14-of-26 passing and was picked off once. He was sacked six times.

"We had to bring pressure," Clark said. "(To do that), we did some different things that we haven't done in the past. But Wilson did a good job of staying alive and keeping them going."

Junior defensive back Reggie Dozier led Prattville with 12 tackles and two sacks. His first sack, on the third play from scrimmage, set up the blocked punt.

La'Angelo Albright had nine tackles and a sack for the Lions.