Gibbons upends defending champ Southridge

MIAMI — For the second consecutive night at Miami’s Traz Powell Stadium, a Broward County state hopeful took down a defending champ from Miami-Dade.

Quarterback Nik Scalzo threw three touchdown passes and cornerback Marquis Williams made two touchdown-saving interceptions as Cardinal Gibbons knocked off Miami Southridge, which won the Class 8A title last season, 27-6 on Saturday night.

The Chiefs victory comes after Deerfield Beach, which entered the season ranked second in 8A behind Southridge, beat defending 6A state champ Carol City on Friday night.

Williams, the 5-foot-8 senior committed to Pittsburgh, twice matched up one-on-one with Miami commit Mark Pope on jump balls in the end zone and came down with the pick. On the second one, toward the end of the first half, Williams snagged the ball with one hand from in front of Pope.

Scalzo, a junior who finished with 224 yards on 13-of-22 passing, connected with Carlos Sandy in the second quarter on the first of two hookups for a 22-yard touchdown to give Gibbons its 10-6 lead.

In the third quarter, Scalzo hit a wide-open Lavontae Decius for a 36-yard score to put the Chiefs up by 13, 19-6.

Williams wasn’t the only Gibbons defensive back to intercept Southridge quarterback Michael Cox.

Junior safety Sydney Porter picked off an airmailed pass at the Gibbons 5-yard line to end a Southridge drive.

The Chiefs defense scored twice on safeties. Linebacker Donnell Bennett tackled a ball carrier in the end zone in the third quarter and junior defensive end Khris Bogle had a strip sack in the fourth that resulted in a fumble Southridge recovered in the end zone.

Junior Gibbons running back Vincent Davis ran for 118 yards on 17 carries.

Southridge and Deerfield earned their victories over Dade foes after ChaminadeMadonna fell to Miami Central on Thursday night.

On Friday, Broward hosted three Miami teams and Dillard, Piper and Boyd Anderson lost to Booker T. Washington, Norland and Pace, respectively.