FULLERTON >> No one wanted this moment to end. Players weren’t in any hurry to take off the uniform for the final time, or cut the tape from their shoes or wrists.

As subdued as the celebration was Friday, clutching that state high school championship football plaque was a milestone for the 47 players and coaching staff of Carmel High.

“I’m in disbelief right now,” Padres’ quarterback Hudson Rutherford said. “I’m so proud of these guys, This is incredible. We’ve worked so hard for this. It’s a dream come true.”

Achieving perfection came with a prize Friday as the Padres won the CIF State Division 5AA football title with a 48-7 blitzing of El Capitan of Lakeside at Fullerton High Stadium.

“This is very surreal,” Carmel tailback Ashton Rees said. “Look where we are. We have never done this in Carmel history. There are no words to explain it. It’s amazing.”

Carmel, which set a county record last week with its 14th win, completes the region’s first 15-0 season, averaging 50 points a game in five postseason games.

The state title is just the second in county history, as Palma captured the State Division 4A title last season.

Carmel was the only team in the Central Coast Section to play for a state title this fall.

“It’s crazy,” said Carmel lineman Jackson Lloyd, who is headed to the University of Alabama later this month to begin his college career. “To see this happen is a huge blessing.”

Rees, who spent the entire week in a walking boot with a sprained toe, walked off the bus to the stadium in a boot before the game.

“It’s (boot) going back on after the game,” said Rees, whose cleat was heavily tapped to add support.

For three hours Friday, Rees ignored the pain, rushing for 208 yards and producing five touchdowns in the rout of the Southern Section champions.

“I knew last week I was playing,” Rees said. “It’s the last game of the season. No matter how much it hurt, nothing was going to keep me off the field.”

Over the course of a 15-game schedule, the Padres won the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division South title, their first Central Coast Section title in 15 years and the Northern California crown.

“We wanted to keep this week as regular as possible,” Carmel coach Golden Anderson said. “The whole week was turned upside down. We needed to get out of town.”

Carmel actually left Thursday, practiced that night at Fullerton College, before having class Friday morning in a hotel.

“We kept them on a regular schedule,” Anderson said. “We had class, we watched film, even gave them time to themselves. We had our team meal and were focused.”

Unlike last week’s dramatic 42-41 win over Acalanes, when Simeon Brown stopped a 2-point conversation attempt with no time left at the 1-yard line, there would be no need for late-game heroics.

In fact, midway through the fourth quarter, a running clock was used after Carmel built a 41-point lead, enabling Anderson to take off his headset and pull all of his starters with six minutes left.

The Padres were possessed in the first half in all three phases of the game, running off 28 straight unanswered points in the second quarter.

The game turned in the final 2 minutes and eight seconds of the second quarter, when Rees scored his third touchdown of the game to open up a 21-7 cushion.

Over the next 1:02, interceptions by Matt Maxon and Carter Lloyd resulted in Carmel’s offense putting 14 more points on the scoreboard.

Rutherford, who was 12 of 16 in the first half, found Brooklyn Ashe for the first of his two touchdown catches, while Rees took off on a 77-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds left.

“Great blocking from the offensive line,” said Rutherford, who finished with 307 passing yards. “Our receivers are studs. They make it easy for me. They just get open.”

The three Carmel interceptions in the first half nearly matched the number of time El Capitan had been intercepted all season (five).

“The last couple of minutes of the half was kind of us to a tee, on the attack, explosive plays, getting the ball back,” Anderson said. “We tried to manage the middle of the game. They (El Capitan) kept throwing.”

The onslaught of 21 points in 62 seconds even left Anderson speechless after the game.

“I have never seen another team do that to that team in all the film we watched this past week,” Anderson said. “We were just trying score last in the first half.”

With the Padres getting the ball to start the second half, they went on a seven-plus minute drive, capped by Rees’ fifth touchdown of the game.

“There was no big talk,” Anderson said. “We told them at halftime to stay aggressive. We knew the opportunity was there. We wanted to showcase who we were.”

As a unit, the Padres forced five turnovers in the game. Of the six plays that El Capitan ran in the entire second half, two resulted in turnovers.

Owners of a 10-game winning streak, the Vaqueros — who were making the program’s second state championship appearance — were held to a season-low seven points.

Jackson Lloyd was a disruptive force all night when El Capitan was attempting to throw the ball, chasing the quarterback out of the pocket.

Rees, who added a 17-yard touchdown reception, produced 17 touchdowns in five playoff games, while Rutherford threw 15 touchdown passes.

“I do not know when it will set in,” Anderson said. “I’m just so proud and humble to be a part of this whole ride with this group. These kids represented what we are as a program.”