PUEBLO • Andrew Brown watched the final 30 seconds of Saturday’s contest 10 yards to the side of TCA’s bench.

The senior quarterback had just completed a touchdown pass to Elijah Wright to give the No. 3 Titans a 42-36 lead in the fourth quarter of the 2A title game.

Now, the Titans’ defense needed one stop, and Brown ventured just far enough away from his team’s bench to return to celebrate when necessary, but also to a spot where no one could watch his face sift through a slew of emotions.

On the game’s penultimate play, Hayden Gustafson gave Brown and the Titans a reason to focus on one sentiment: jubilation.

Gustafson’s third interception of the year, his second in as many games, sealed the Titans 42-36 victory against No. 9 seed Wellington and helped bring TCA its first football title.

“It’s unexplainable, but to put it in words, it feels great,” Gustafson said. “After the interception, I saw all of (Wellington) coming toward me, and I knew I had to get out of bounds right away.”

A sea of Titans engulfed Gustafson after he scampered toward the Titans’ sideline with his interception with two seconds left in the game to help clinch the win for the Titans.

The Titans had their title hopes dashed in 2020 after a 35-34 loss to Rifle in the championship round during the COVID season.

This year, though, the Titans defense was the key cog that buoyed the team to the title game.

After allowing 49 points through the first three games of the regular season, TCA allowed six in the final six games.

In 13 contests this year, including the championship game, the Titans allowed 20 or more points just three times.

“We got our eyes right and looked where we needed to look and finished our tackles,” Gustafson said. “We’re not thrilled about giving up 36, but it feels great to win. We’ve put in the work since May, and we’ve built the greatest brotherhood ever. This was 48 minutes of Titan football, and this is what happens.”

For Justin Rich, who has coached the Titans since 2017, perfection or not, this is the ideal finish.

Rich endured the tough loss in the 2020 and has coached multiple teams with potential to win a state title. To do so, with an unblemished 13-0 record, Rich said he’s grateful.

“I don’t care if we would have had two or three losses,” Rich said. “We have alumni here and we get to gift them a gold trophy. That’s perfection to me.”